Richard was brought up in Perthshire and went to University in Dundee. He then moved to Glasgow with his wife where he did two years of his foundation training before moving to the North East. He rotated around six different departments during his training and after a lot of thought, he chose South Tees.
I worked in the region as a registrar and really enjoyed it. Everyone supported my training and had real enthusiasm to help me develop; plus they were great fun to work with. The teamwork here is amongst the best I have experienced.
I’ve always had fantastic support from senior consultants who have helped me progress. I have had two appraisals so far and they have been really useful in helping me understand where I want my career to go.
The north east is a real hidden gem of an area. It offers a great quality of life and you are near to the coast, hills and forests. I love being able to spend time with my family outdoors on the beach, and I regularly go mountain biking.
I would say this is a great place to work if you are a trainee. I have been given brilliant teaching and career development. It can be intense and highly demanding but also enjoyable, fun and a great place to work within a team. The north east has a very friendly feel to it and it’s a great place to live.
What are your top three tips for getting the most out of your training in the region?
Don’t worry about the travel
Learn from the expertise each unit has
Make sure you enjoy what the region has to offer in your time off