From South Wales originally, I came to Leicester to study medicine, ended up undertaking an intercalated degree in anaesthetic pharmacology and staying on to undertake Foundation training, including a 4 month placement in anaesthesia and intensive care.  My exposure to anaesthetics in the region via my iBSc and foundation placement made the East Midlands an ideal choice for core and subsequently specialty training. 

The East Midlands School of Anaesthesia has a strong track record in offering flexible training, affording trainees opportunities to undertake fellowships, in- and out- of program experiences alongside clinical training.  I’ve been fortunate to take up these, as part of an innovative academic ACCS program, twinned with a MMedSci in Medical Education at the University of Nottingham, and latterly a clinical lecturer post and PhD at the University of Leicester.  Colleagues are undertaking similar experiences in management, leadership and quality improvement alongside their clinical training. 

The clinical training is excellent, and throughout the region offers the full range of anaesthesia and intensive care placements from our specialist areas of ECMO and neuro anaesthesia to the broad range of district general hospital experience. 

Trainee wellbeing is well and truly on this region’s agenda – we have an active trainee body (East Midlands Group of Anaesthetists in Training), representing the voice of anaesthetists in training at school, hospital and national levels.