Wednesday 22 February 2017

From Cork to the Cairngorms......



I am originally from Cork on the south coast of Ireland. After completing a Biochemistry degree at University College Cork I worked as a development biochemist at Novartis Pharma in Switzerland for one year. I then decided to do a PhD in Cancer Research, choosing to do this at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee due to its excellent reputation for research and to be close to the outdoors. During my time in Dundee I fell in love with Scotland and have been living here ever since. After I finished my PhD I completed a post-doctorate in Cancer Research at Ninewells Hospital. During this time close collaboration with many doctors made me realise I wanted to work more closely with patients. This prompted the decision, at the age of 30, to return to Medical School, graduating from Dundee Medical School in 2014.

I wanted to be close to the outdoors and therefore chose to carry out my foundation year one at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. I then carried out foundation year two in Aberdeen. I decided to apply for North of Scotland GP training as it offers an excellent program with dedicated trainers. Additionally, I am passionate about the outdoors and Aberdeenshire offers fantastic year round opportunities for different activities. These include great hillwalking in the Cairngorm National Park, endless mountain bike trails, road cycling on quiet country roads, sea kayaking along the beautiful East and North Eastern coastlines and skiing at a range of Ski resorts within a ninety minute drive from Aberdeen. There is amazing wildlife with regular sightings of dolphins along the coast as well as some of the best birdwatching sites in Scotland. I was very fortunate to get accepted to the Grampian program which offers training in great locations in Aberdeenshire. We were offered the opportunity to rank our GP practices and I was fortunate to get accepted to the Banchory Group Practice, located in beautiful Deeside and offering a great sense of community. If you are passionate about the outdoors then North of Scotland GP training is a great choice.

Dr Carol Hogan, ST1, Banchory Group Practice, Aberdeenshire

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