A day in the life of Louise
Sexual Health Doctor
Career background:
I trained as a GP, qualifying in 2011. I always enjoyed gynaecology, sexual health and contraception, and so I did the DRCOG (Diploma of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists) and DFSRH (Diploma of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare) during my GP training. I also trained in coil and implant fitting, and achieved my letters of competence in these too. As a GP, I saw a lot of patients about gynaecological problems, contraception, HRT and fitted coils and implants. In 2019, when searching for a new GP role, I came across an advert for a Specialty Doctor in Sexual Health. On reading the job description, it sounded like something I would really enjoy – so I rang Spectrum to find out more. I looked around the service and thought I would like working there, so applied for the role. Fortunately, I was successful! Initially, I only worked two sessions (one day per week) as I wanted to continue my GP work alongside. I skilled up in the genitourinary medicine part of the role by doing my STIF intermediate competencies and I really enjoyed it. In 2022, I made the decision to leave General Practice and increased to six sessions in Sexual Health. Since then, I have worked towards and passed my Diploma in Genitourinary Medicine and become a Faculty Registered Trainer to train for DFSRH and coil and implant fitting.
What do you love about working at Spectrum?
I love my job! Despite being specialised in a much smaller area than previously, it is still very varied and no day is the same. I find the work interesting; the patients are usually very grateful and there is a good sense of job satisfaction when reassuring patients or treating their infections. They can come in very nervous and embarrassed and leave feeling reassured and much happier. There is an excellent team here at Spectrum’s WISH (Wakefield Integrated Sexual Health), and we all work together to provide the best service and are flexible to help others out when needed.
Why do you recommend others work at Spectrum?
WISH is a great service, friendly, welcoming and a fantastic team with a really good consultant and manager. I would definitely recommend that others work here. I have been supported by Spectrum to do my STIF and DipGUM qualifications and the organisation has been very flexible about my working pattern, to help me fit work around my childcare responsibilities.
Top tips for working at Spectrum:
Be happy to work in a team and help others out when needed – they will do the same for you. Aim high and talk about what you would like to achieve; Spectrum has helped me gain qualifications and experience.
Something you wish you’d known before starting at Spectrum:
How good the team is at WISH – I love my colleagues!
This is what a day in the life of a Sexual Health Doctor can look like:
I do two days per week in clinic and one day per week remotely doing phone consultations. On a typical clinic day, I do a bit of admin (filing results, packaging medication, writing referrals) before starting my clinic. I then see patients in 40-minute appointments. They have been triaged on the phone and attend for all sorts of reasons – treatment of infections, investigation of symptoms, contraception problems etc. I do the relevant tests and can also do same-day microscopy, allowing us to diagnose and treat certain infections on the day. We prescribe and give out medication (if required) from our pharmacy stock and arrange appropriate follow-ups for patients. At lunch time, once a week, we have a team brief meeting where we discuss recent changes and updates in the service to keep everyone up to date. This is followed by a clinical meeting, where somebody will do some teaching on a certain topic or we might have a safeguarding update or an external speaker. Once a month, I also attend a complex PrEP meeting and an antenatal syphilis MDT meeting. Then, I do my afternoon clinic, followed by a bit more admin time. Nurses/other colleagues also come and ask queries, so I support others too and find this very rewarding.