Dr Lynch, a mother of a girl at St Catherine’s, not only
spoke about the reasons for becoming a doctor: the wide range of careers
opportunities and the stimulating and rewarding nature of the work; but she
also gave some good reasons why not
to become a doctor, including the long hours and stress associated with such a
demanding career.
She went on to detail the extensive training required: a 5
Year Medical degree, followed by 2 years as a trainee doctor then either a
further 3 years speciality training to become a GP, or 10 years to become a
consultant. Quite a commitment!
It was fascinating to hear about Dr Lynch’s own career
development: she spent a period in the Endocrinology unit in Bagdad hospital
during the Iran-Iraq war, avoiding SCUD missiles, then to Dublin and Sheffield
for her GP trainee years before settling in Hanworth which is where she
currently practises.
In explaining why she chose to be a GP and not a hospital
doctor, Dr Lynch stated: ‘In a GP practice, people stay, diseases come and go.
In hospitals, diseases stay but people come and go’. This seemed a particularly
neat way of summing up the differences.
Dr Lynch concluded her talk by explaining the highly
competitive nature of applying for a Medicine degree: not only will you need a
minimum of 3 As at A level, but even then a student’s application has to stand
out to beat the mathematical odds of being offered a place at medical school: 3
applicants to 1 place.
The St Catherine’s girls could not have received a more
engaging and informative talk about Medicine and life as a doctor. We are very
grateful to Dr Lynch for giving up her precious time to come and talk to us.