Hilary Trigg - Croydon High School 1969 - 1976

General Medical Practitioner

I come from a medical family which probably influenced my choice of career.  I am a GP’s daughter and was attracted to medicine because I liked the sciences and wanted to enter a caring profession.

The basic medical degree course takes 5 years followed by a compulsory year working in hospital to gain full medical registration.  Following this training for General Practice takes a further 3 years, two of which are relevant hospital jobs like paediatrics and gynaecology and the remaining year spent in a training practice.

Primary care in Britain is changing fast.  At present most general practitioners are self employed and work in medical partnerships.  This means practising medicine and running a business.  We employ our own staff and often own and run our premises which leads to a certain degree of autonomy.  The current government is reforming the NHS and there are now salaried posts becoming available.  Some GP’s are worried that this will lead to a greater government control of how we practise.

Currently over half the new entrants to general practice are women and there are more flexible and part time working options.  Compared to some medical careers general practice is reasonably family friendly as you will usually work close to home and can negotiate hours that fit with your other commitments.  GP’s can specialise in areas of  interest and combine practice with an academic career if they wish.

I will usually see at least 30 patients in an average working day starting at 8.30am.  Most will attend a 10 minute appointment at the surgery and the less mobile are seen in their homes.  There is a great deal of paperwork to be done reading and writing letters, interpreting test results, writing reports for various agencies and checking and signing prescriptions.  My practice uses a deputising service out of hours so the working day ends around 7pm.  In more rural areas GPs are on call at night as well in a duty rota.

A GP needs a good working knowledge of a wide range of medical social and legal issues.  You need to be comfortable with working independently and as part of a team.  Good listening skills are essential and you will have to be prepared to deal with all kinds of people and their problems.  You will have to cope with some loss of privacy in your personal life as you will be a public figure within your local community.  We are frequently consulted in inappropriate places like supermarkets and outside the school gates!

General Practice can be very rewarding.  To the best patients you can offer continuity of care and a long association helping them through good and bad times.  They will reward your efforts with trust and appreciation.  Unfortunately it can also be a frustrating and emotionally demanding job as some people will depend upon you heavily and a free public service is sadly open to abuse by an increasily demanding society.