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The GP+ Careers Podcast

The GP+ Careers Podcast

By: Royal College of General Practitioners
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 Brought to you by the RCGP, the GP+ Careers podcast, hosted by Dr Sophie Lumley aims to showcase the breadth and diversity of careers you can develop as a GP.

Dr Lumley interviews GPs who do their GP work alongside an extended role, special interest or extra responsibility. Each podcast is focused on a specific interest or role even if the GP has multiple.

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Episodes
  • 14: GP+ Academic with Dr Tom Purchase

    14: GP+ Academic with Dr Tom Purchase
    Jun 16 2025
    In this episode, Sophie speaks with Dr Tom Purchase, a First5 GP and a Health and Care Research Wales NIHR Doctoral Fellow at Cardiff University. Tom describes his career journey into his doctoral fellowship, where to look and how to secure some funding opportunities, and the benefits of the role. Top tips Be Curious and ask questions - Tom’s journey began by simply asking a GP colleague what she was doing in her academic GP role. Don’t underestimate the power of curiosity and conversation, as most people are happy to share their experiences and may connect you with others or current projects. Seek early opportunities even without prior research experience - You don’t need formal research qualifications to start. Tom didn’t have any before his postgraduate certificate. He built experience by joining projects, showing interest, and asking how he could get involved. Take initiative and look for small roles on existing studies. Apply for small-scale research funding early on - Start small and go from there. Tom received a grant from the RCGP Scientific Foundation Board which is perfect for early-career GPs wanting to trial an idea. These short-term grants help you develop a track record and build your portfolio for larger funding later (e.g. NIHR , Health and Care Research Wales etc). Be Aware of the Challenges - The role is not without some challenges such as: Job security: Early academic roles are often fixed termFinancial hit (initially): Academic salaries may be lower than full-time clinical GP work.Juggling roles: You need flexibility and resilience to balance deadlines with clinical responsibilities and personal life. Appreciate the benefits – variety, impact and autonomy - Academic GP work brings a number of benefits such as: Variety: Every week can be different, for example, teaching, research, and conferences.Autonomy: You can shape your projects and personal development based on your interests.Wider impact: Your research can change policy or clinical practice nationally or globally. Tom’s experiences even led him to the WHO in Geneva—a unique opportunity to contribute to global health initiatives. Master organisation and time management -Academic work can involve different demands to clinical work, including project planning, literature reviews, participant recruitment, writing, and meeting deadlines.. Being organised and managing your own time becomes a crucial skill. Further reading: How RCGP support your research (including information on the Scientific Foundation Board): rcgp.org.uk/representing-you/research-at-rcgp/how-rcgp-support-your-research National Institute for Health and Care Research: nihr.ac.uk The Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC): sapc.ac.uk Primary Care Academic Collaborative (PACT): gppact.org Tom's fellowship project IncorporAting parental health aDVOcaCy when mAnaging unwell Children in primarY care (ADVOCACY): a multi-methods systems approach to co-develop a complex intervention | Health Care Research Wales Dr Tom Purchase is a General Practitioner and a Health and Care Research Wales NIHR Doctoral Fellow at Cardiff University. Tom works with the Patient Safety team at the Division of Population Medicine where his research has focussed on exploring patient safety data to generate recommendations to improve healthcare safety for vulnerable groups. Tom has an interest in applying systems-thinking through the principles of Human Factors and Ergonomics to patient safety research to better understand system complexity within healthcare. Tom’s current fellowship aims to understand how and where parental advocacy takes place within primary care. The project will explore how parents speaking up for their child can be better supported and incorporated into the management of unwell children. This will inform the co-development of system changes to help parents and healthcare staff work together to reduce healthcare-associated harms. Tell us what you thought! We'd love to hear your valuable feedback. Please take 2 minutes to complete the form.
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    28 mins
  • 13: GP+Humanitarian Health with Dr Hareen De Silva

    13: GP+Humanitarian Health with Dr Hareen De Silva
    May 30 2025
    In this episode, Sophie is joined by Dr Hareen De Silva who has a special interest in Humanitarian and Global Health. Hareen describes how he got into the field, how you can find out if it is the right role for you physically, emotionally and morally and the benefits and downsides of the role. Top tips: 1.Gain Relevant Clinical Experience & Skills Broaden Your Clinical Scope: Try and gain experience in areas often neglected in high-income settings but critical in humanitarian contexts. Just because you may deploy as a GP you may have to step into other situations. Hareen has gained skills over his career. Some of these can be obtained free or paid. Consider using your GP training study budget. Emergency Medicine: ACLS, PALS certifications - paid for by CADUS Trauma Care: Even basic trauma stabilisation Have a look at cheap/free courses organised by a UK chairty called CitizenAid that have a free app to download. Mental Health: Basic psychological first aid (PFA) and recognition/referral of common mental health conditions. There are websites such as Coursera that offer free certification in PFA Procedural Skills: Minor surgery, suturing, wound care, basic fracture management, IV insertion. Resource-Limited Settings: Consider volunteering locally within the UK using your skills. Crisis at Christmas is where he started volunteering and then locally in homeless healthcare clinic in Doncaster. The UK Government website has a database of opportunities. 2. Understand the Humanitarian Aid Sector Research Organisations: There are so many organisations that you could work with. Each has their own individual identity. CADUS is different to other organisations Hareen has worked with. When you interview for a position, make sure your personal values line up with those of the organisation. Humanitarian Principles: Stress the importance of understanding and committing to the core humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence. Contextual Awareness: Stay informed about global crises, geopolitical situations, and the specific health challenges in different regions. ReliefWeb has a jobs board and collates information from all around the world. Networking: Connect with doctors already working in the field. LinkedIn, professional associations, and humanitarian aid conferences are good avenues. Hareen is happy to take on mentees via RCGP Mentoring. Realistic Expectations: Prepare for challenging conditions, long hours, emotional toll, and potential ethical dilemmas. This work is not for those with a saviour complex. 3. Essential Training & Qualifications Specific Humanitarian Training: Pre-Deployment Courses: There are plenty of free online resources to help you understand the basics. DisasterReady is a free online resource which Hareen uses every year to increase his knowledge. Tropical Medicine/Public Health Diplomas: These are highly relevant and often required or preferred by some organisations. But think about the financial impact on yourself before paying for courses. Will it help you get a volunteer position or a paid job. Language Skills: Proficiency in languages other than English (especially French, Spanish, Arabic) can be a significant asset and sometimes a requirement for specific deployments. Even just having a few phrases will help to generate rapport with beneficiaries of the project. Security Training: Consider something like a HEAT (Hostile Environment Awareness Training) Course. CADUS offers a free course. The United Nations also has a free course called BSAFE 4. Practical Steps to Get Started Initial Deployments: Your first deployment might not be your "dream" assignment. Starting with shorter deployments or less complex contexts can be a good way to gain experience. Be warned that the smaller organisations may ask you to cover your travel and accomodation costs. Please do not be exploited for voluntourism type projects. Application Process: Be prepared for a rigorous application process, including interviews, assessments, and background checks. Financial Planning: Humanitarian work, especially early on, may not be highly paid. it is advisable to have some financial stability or savings. Health & Wellness: Stress the importance of maintaining their own physical and mental health during and between deployments. Long lasting effects: Hareen has deployed to multiple conflict zones and now has to apply for visas to travel to countries as a tourist. He also holds two passports to avoid questions at the border - one for work and one for tourism. Consider where you want to travel in the future as some countries do not allow travel if you have been to another country. 5. It may not be for everyone You may realise it is not for you, and that is fine. Within the UK we have so many health inequalities and this is how Dr De Silva's humanitarian career started. Consider joining the RCGP Health Equity SIG working group and contribute locally....
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    33 mins
  • 12: GP+ Lifestyle Medicine with Dr Callum Leese

    12: GP+ Lifestyle Medicine with Dr Callum Leese
    May 23 2025
    This month, Sophie interviews Dr Callum Leese, a First5 GP based in Aberfeldy, Scotland with an extended role in Lifestyle Medicine. Callum shares his journey into the field and signposts to a number of helpful resources if you are interested in finding out more in this area. If you think Lifestyle Medicine could be the right fit for you, here are some top tips to help you find out more: Connect with other Lifestyle Medicine Professionals - The British Society of Lifestyle Medcine (BSLM) is the primary professional body for lifestyle medicine. Callum suggests the BSLM is a great place to start to build those connections through their in-person events, online webinars and networking at the BSLM annual conference. Research if there are any local lifestyle medicine groups and if not, why not initiate one with like-minded colleagues. Callum set up the 'Healthiest Town Aberfeldy' initiative with colleagues to inspire to inspire change and address some of the social determinants of health to inspire healthier lifestyles. Start small and strategic - Figure out what aspect(s) of lifestyle medicine interests you and begin with part time or low commitment roles alongside clinical practice. For example, Callum led on some group patient consultations in his practice for conditions such as diabetes and prostate cancer. This helps him to remain energized and enthusiastic about his role trying out different styles of delivering patient care. Research funding opportunities - Callum suggests look at your local deanery first for potential funding opportunities in lifestyle medicine. If you are a GP registrar, consider the study budget to cover some lifestyle medicine courses such as the BLSM Core Accreditation in Lifestyle Medicine or Red Whale. Callum had previously secured funding from the Claire Wand Fund for some courses in the past. He suggested also checking out the NHS Trust charities as his 'The Movement Prescription' podcast was part funded to support these ideas. Learn more about Lifestyle Medicine initiatives - spend time to do some community mapping in your local area. Callum suggests becoming familiar with existing initiatives and help to shape and support initiatives that already exist. If you identify a gap, think about what you can do but try not to reinvent the wheel. Dr Callum Leese is medically qualified at the University of Edinburgh, a GP in Aberfeldy, whilst working part-time at the University of Dundee undertaking research with the division of population health and genomics. He is co-founder of the community-based charity 'Healthiest Town' in Aberfeldy, Scotland where they try to enact and inspire local change and he is involved with the charity RunTalkRun. Callum is a champion for physical activity and lifestyle at the Royal College of GPs. When not working, Callum will be found running, cycling, skiing or climbing somewhere! Further reading Introduction and overview of GPwER in lifestyle medicine RCGP Physical Activity and Lifestyle hub Upcoming RCGP Lifestyle Medicine webinars Recorded RCGP Lifestyle Medicine webinars BSLM - Transforming Healthcare Through Lifestyle Medicine Callum’s podcast: themovementprescription.co.uk Callum's article after his talk at RCGP last year: GPs Urged to Embed Lifestyle Medicine into Primary Care Parkrun practices initiative Moving Medicine website Tell us what you thought! Please take 2 minutes to complete the survey about this episode.
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    29 mins
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