So you work in O&G?
- Name: Melissa Whitten
- Age: 37
- Trained: King’s College School of Medicine and Dentistry
- Works: Registrar in obs and gynae and sub-specialty trainee in fetal and maternal medicine at University College Hospital in London.
What do you enjoy about your job?
I’ve been really lucky with the places I’ve worked and the people I’ve worked with. The environments have been supportive and busy. I leave each day with a sense of achievement because I’m doing the specialty that I think that I am good at.
Why did you opt for it ?
On my placement as a medical student I got to help deliver babies, so it was this challenge and the sense of amazement in the labour ward that first attracted me. I liked surgery, medicine and psychiatry, but obs and gynae brings these specialties together.
How do you cope with the late nights?
In any eight-week period, I would work two weekends, either working days or nights. I would work, on average, one night every eight days during the week, alongside two other junior doctors. I cope with nights by working a shift pattern and having appropriate rest.
What has been the most difficult aspect of your career?
The biggest challenge is working in the NHS. It can encroach on how you spend your days at work. For example, a woman went into premature labour recently and our neonatal unit was already full. There weren’t any neonatal unit cots available within 100 miles, and we spent three hours on the phone trying to find a bed.
Have you encountered any ethical isues?
Yes. Firstly, when scanning babies where there is an abnormality, and struggling with “who determines what is normal?” when it comes to discussing with parents whether to continue the pregnancy or not. Secondly, when there is a baby at risk of a poor outcome in labour and where the course of action you advise is at odds with what the parents want.
Are male doctors at a disadvantage?
There is some evidence that women will be more likely to decline male student doctors assisting in pelvic examinations or childbirth than female students. This is worrying, as male medical students can come away with the perception that they won’t be able to treat patients if they go into O&G, which is a false impression.
What misperceptions exist about obs and gynae?
Traditionally about 4–5% of medical graduates would go into O&G but this level has fallen over the last few decades. Part of this seems to have been down to medical student perceptions about disadvantaged male doctors, heavy night-time work commitments and the fear of litigation.
How has MMC affected recruitment into the specialty?
There hasn’t really been enough time to see if it is a good thing or a bad thing. However, the O&G curriculum is clearly structured and well thought out, and I think it is an attractive option.
Where do you want your role to go in the future?
I finish my training at the end of this year and I hope to be a consultant in fetal and maternal medicine.
Do you maintain a life outside?
Yes. I don’t have children myself but I do know lots of people who work in this specialty who have children themselves – and they get to see them! In my spare time I run, and I’m currently training for my next marathon.
Top tips to success
- Do a foundation module in Women’s Health
- Develop your communication skills
- Speak to the RCOG Recruitment Champion in your hospital
- Get involved in relevant audits or project work
- Register with the RCOG as a junior affiliate.
Typical week
Monday
08:00 - 09:00 - Ward round of antenatal inpatients
09:00 - 13:00 - Diabetic antenatal clinic
13:00 - 14:00 - Multidisciplinary obstetric and neonatal morbidity meeting
14:00 - 17:00 - Research session
Tuesday
08:00 - 09:00 - CTG teaching session
09:00 - 13:00 - High risk obstetric antenatal clinic
14:00 - 17:00 - Scan in a twins’ fetal medicine clinic
Wednesday
09:00 - 13:00 - Teaching session (part of a degree in higher education)
14:00 - 17:00 - Research session working on projects
Thursday
08:00 - 13:00 - Labour ward as on-call registrar
14:00 - 17:00 - Scanning in fetal medicine session – growth restriction clinic
Friday
08:00 - 09:00 - Junior doctors’ journal club teaching session
09:00 - 13:00 - Scanning session in fetal medicine – genetic disorders
14:00 - 17:00 - Departmental teaching session discussing fetal medicine cases