Name:
Gaurav S. Gulsin
Year:
Academic Clinical Fellow Year 1, The University of Leicester Department of Cardiovascular Sciences/University Hospitals of Leicester
Speciality:
Cardiology
Why Clinical Academic Training?
History has taught us that medical trainees, regardless of their level of experience, can make vast contributions to the advancement of Medicine. Examples like Charles Best (former medical student and co-discoverer of Insulin) and Ernest Duchesne (the student who, arguably, discovered Penicillin before Alexander Fleming) have always inspired me to try and push the boundaries of medical research. I am confident that junior academics have a big role to play in shaping the future of clinical practice, and I'm driven to be part of that future.
Why Aberdeen?
I undertook my medical degree at the University of Aberdeen, graduating with Honours and winning the coveted University of Aberdeen School of Medicine and Dentistry Medal for Excellence. Never have I worked in a more enthusiastic and supportive environment.
From day 1 at medical school I was guided and encouraged to be the best clinician I could be. And there are also heaps of opportunities to explore research opportunities: I tried out projects in Transplant Surgery, Spine Surgery, Anaesthetics and Quality Improvement before I'd even graduated!
Given that my time at medical school was so successful, I had no hesitation in accepting an Academic Foundation Programme (AFP) post in Critical Care with the University of Aberdeen. It was during my Foundation Years I discovered that my true clinical interests lay with hospital medicine, in particular Cardiology. I had a tremendous time as a junior doctor, working in a varied and supportive clinical environment - ranging for Coronary Care to Neurosurgery. I continued to develop my research ideas in Quality Improvement and am currently working on new ways to improve how hospital doctors handle referrals - watch this space! My research has already been presented on an international stage and is being reviewed for publication.
Where are you now?
To gain the best and varied training experience I could get, I accepted a prestigious Academic Clinical Fellowship in Cardiology, with the University of Leicester. There is a world-renowned Cardiovascular Diseases research unit and tertiary Cardiology Centre here in Leicester and I'm thrilled to be able to work with some fantastic clinicians and researchers.
What are your plans for the future?
If all goes to plan, I'll take time out of clinical training to tackle a PhD once I establish where my Cardiology research interests lie. After that I aim to continue my specialist training in Cardiology and further my academic training, hopefully by obtaining an Academic Clinical Lectureship.
What are the pros/cons of taking this route?
Clinical Academic training is highly rewarding; I've had all the excitement that comes with clinical medicine, coupled with the fascinating world of academic medicine that puts me at the cutting edge of research. As an academic trainee, I'm pushed to attend courses and conferences that I'd ordinarily have to fight to attend. I'm exposed to a whole side of training that my non-academic counterparts may well miss out on. Moreover, so much of the academic work I undertake is essential to a successful clinical career anyway.
One of the major drawbacks of an academic career is the increased workload. Often my clinical duties are the same as my non-academic peers, but I have added academic commitments to keep up with. This is very challenging - I have spent countless evenings after work, up late, writing up an assignment or reading papers. Maintaining a work-life balance is tough. I've had to try my best to make every bit of spare time count and, I must concede, I'm still finding my feet with this!