Next Gen +: Nabs

NEXT GEN NABS: RACHAEL MARCHANT

What role(s) do you hold at the moment?

I am a portfolio GP with an interest in end of life care and quality improvement.

I currently work 4 sessions a week in a large training practice in Essex. I work 6 sessions as a GP with an extended role for Havens hospices. I am also the RCGP clinical support fellow for end of life care, a member of South Essex LMC and the RCGP Essex faculty board. I have previously been clinical director of a primary care network, a Macmillan GP, and a quality improvement lead for the CCG as we as co-lead for the first cohort of next Gen GP in Essex.

What’s the best leadership/career advice that you’ve ever recieved?

That leadership is more about what you say, how you behave and the relationships you build than it is about holding any role or title. This leads me to choose roles where I am happy and where I can make a difference rather than seeking the next step “up” in my career. There are times when a step down or sideways is a step forwards in career progression and fulfillment.

Who do you look up to? 

I do not think I can name a person for this question. I suppose I look up to certain qualities I see in people rather than necessarily to a person. I look up to honesty, compassion, collaboration, and confidence. I look up to social ease and that ability some people have, to speak to strangers as if they are old friends. I look up to bravery and a willingness to stand up for what you believe in whether it turns out to be right or wrong. By this I mean that people I look up to are not necessarily those in leadership positions but rather, those who show these qualities; be they national leaders, mums at the school gates, trainees, or patients.

What would you like to achieve by the end of your career?

The honest answer to this is I do not have a plan, I used to worry about that and spend time and energy trying to make one and then the next opportunity would come along and be unrelated to the plan but exciting and the plan would change. I have changed the focus and what I want to achieve is to have taken the opportunities as they present and used them to make the most positive difference that I can considering my skills and interests. I would also love to have achieved making a difference to future generations of doctors. I strongly believe that if we can make being a doctor more satisfying, more flexible and more fun this will improve patient care

What is something that people often get wrong about you?

I think the thing people are wrong about most often is that I am too busy. Yes of course I am busy; I think most doctors are. I like being productive and making the most of my time. Multiple roles, young children, and a lack of effort to apply make-up all add to the impression of being busy. I am not though too busy to offer advice or support to a colleague, friend or family member who needs it. Nor am I too busy to take on a new role or project that really excites me.

What’s the last show that you binged and loved?

Grey’s anatomy while trying to avoid revision for finals at medical school and claiming it might count in some way. In more recent years my TV watching has been more paw patrol, operation ouch and horrible histories than anything I can claim to actually “love”. Child free time is precious these days and it would be almost unheard of for me to use it watching TV.

Who are your dream dinner party guests?

For pure pleasure, my friends, many of who I would love to see more of. If I were after someone notable, I think Dawn French would be great fun and if looking beyond the realms of reality then Dumbledore, Frodo and Matilda would be up there too. For more serious focus, end of life care is my passion and Julian Abel and Allan Kellehear are inspirational in compassionate approaches to this.

What’s a snapshot of a moment in your life that brings you real joy?

What brings me most real joy are my two boys and my absolute favorite moments are the ones where they find joy in each other, in being outside and in being free. I love seeing them get excited about cycling through ditches, jumping over waves, or managing to climb a tree.

NEXT GEN NABS: AMI SEN MUKHERJEE

What role(s) do you hold at the moment?

I am currently a Portfolio GP, so I have a few hats! I am a locum GP and am putting my time management and organisational skills to the test by multi-tasking and ensuring that I am a ‘present’ mum.

I am enthusiastic about ‘paying it forward’ to the next generation of medics and pursue this through a role in medical education as a facilitator at GKT medical school. I am passionate about supporting peers through my roles on the local LMC and co-Lead the London Next Generation GP Programme.

I am a keen advocate for holistic Wellbeing and take great pride in representing colleagues as the First5 Wellbeing Lead at RCGP. Owing to the current crisis, I have set up a voluntary Wellbeing support service for my local hospital which seems to have kept me quite busy recently. In between all of this, I try and make time for studying for a Masters and spending time developing a Wellbeing venture to support others moving through transition.

What brings you the most joy at work?

Knowing that someone has benefitted from an interaction with me. As a doctor, this can be a patient getting better, or receiving positive feedback from a patient. As a wellbeing professional, this can be feedback from a podcast or a post I have written. As a Coach, this can be in the context of seeing a tangible change in a client or receiving feedback…. the list goes on, but essentially knowing that I have been able to ‘serve’ an individual or my community and that I have helped in some way. 

What is your biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge is that of balancing my professional and personal self and this is something my mother always spoke to me about. I have learned though that ‘good enough’ is OK too and I have learned to be comfortable and accepting of this.

What’s the best leadership/career advice you’ve ever recived?

I would say I have been given a few pieces of advice that I try to hold in my mind’s eye. The first is that ‘We are all human. We all bleed the same blood.’

Essentially, we are all equal – no one is better or worse and therefore we should treat people and be treated with respect and equality. I also embrace and welcome the following from myself and colleagues: ‘I don’t know’; ‘I made a mistake’ or ‘I’m sorry’. This promotes and encourages a non-judgemental and inclusive culture.

Who do you look up to?

Hmmm, that’s a really hard one as there are so many people, but the older I get, the more I realise the two best role models I had were my parents. My parents came to the UK when my sister was only 6 months old and I was then born here. I saw my parents working hard every day and night to provide a secure happy life for my sister and I. They taught me the importance of integrity, humility, patience and perserverance, but most importantly they taught me to be true to myself and to be kind. Life’s rich tapestry has shown me how blessed I was and the mistakes I have made personally and professionally have made me the person I am today. I just hope that I am able to learn and grow to become a better human being.

What would you like to achieve by the end of your career?

I don’t really have a plan. I am carving my own career because what I do makes me really happy. I have found something that I am not only enjoying but that I feel I become (with practice) good at. If I can support others to know that it is ‘OK’ to walk the path of most resistance because it is what you want to do, then that would make me happy. I would like to support people in making the tough choices that may not be easiest ones. I am hugely passionate about Wellbeing and I would love to be able to support people in this sphere, helping them to connect with themselves in order to reach their own potential and therefore thrive and flourish. Ultimately, if I can support people in finding their own happiness that would make me really happy.

What have you learned about yourself in lockdown?

I’ve learned that I shouldn’t really bake. I’m OK at it, but I should leave it to the experts! To be honest, what I have been able to do is put my learning and things I have been taught into practice which is something that I didn’t necessarily ‘have time’ for before. For example, I am really paying gratitude to people, even for small things. I am making sure I end conversations/zoom calls with enough love and affection and ensuring that when writing emails, I pay gratitude to those I am communicating with, even for something small. Kindness, compassion and love make the world go round and so I am actively trying to be more mindful of acknowledging the importance of everyone who I come into contact with. We are all human, we are all living in this strange climate and so if I can make someone’s day a bit brighter by being positive then that’s what I try and do.

What are you reading at the moment?……and (no judgement) the last film you watched…

Sad to say that I am not reading anything at the moment as I simply don’t have the time. I do have a lovely book on my bedside that I dip in and out of related to Mindfulness which is really grounding. It’s called ‘The Things You See Only When You Slow Down’ written by a Buddhist Monk called Haemin Sunim. It’s a lovely read which reminds me of the importance of connecting with my authenticity, core values and principles in all that I do. This is a philosophy that my father instilled in me which I truly value. As a British born Asian, I really feel that I have been able to benefit from a multi-cultural heritage and so am naturally drawn to books with a religious or spiritual teaching.The last film I watched was, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ – Part One. I am a huge HP fan and so had this on in the background late at night when I was replying to emails!