F1
| Why did you pick this Trust? | Closest trust to partner. Nearby big exciting city of Bristol. Gloucester Royal Hospital is a DGH which often means more opportunities for hands on experience but also known to be a busy DGH which allows greater exposure |
| What's the area like? | Nice towns like Cheltenham surrounded by lovely countryside – Cotswolds, Forest of Dean. Also pretty easy to get to Bristol where more is happening socially and events wise. Cheltenham has great restaurants and bars and often has events going on such as the different Festivals |
| What's the best thing about your Trust? | Business of the Trust while not being as specialist or busy as a Tertiary centre – really good opportunities with a busy A&E and Women’s Centre |
| And the worst? | Business again! Staffing levels and how busy it can get can mean a lot of responsibility is put on Foundation doctors, and at times with less support than would be ideal |
| What advice would you give someone about to start in your Trust? | Try and speak to previous F1/F2s in the specialty you are going into – every department is so different and you may have jobs in Cheltenham that can be quite varied. Read the Handover guidebooks on the Teams link as these have loads of useful information for starting your jobs |
| What's the typical patient profile? | Depends on the department, but often elderly, extremes of the health spectrum as Gloucestershire has some of the most affluent areas as well as most deprived in this part of the country |
| Describe your job in one word | Exciting |
F1
| Why did you pick this Trust? | I love Bristol as a place to live and I knew I didn’t want to move from the area having studied here and spent many happy years. Cheltenham is a beautiful place to live too and you have the Cotswolds and Wales, not to mention the South West right on your doorstep for weekends away or day trips. |
| What's the area like? | Gloucestershire is a beautiful county and is close to many wonderful areas of outstanding natural beauty. Cheltenham is a wonderful Regency era city with beautiful architecture and a great night life and shopping. |
| What's the best thing about your Trust? | It may not appear like a big deal, but food in the canteens at the hospitals are half price for staff and there is free porridge at breakfast time and soup at lunchtime. Also, staff are permitted a free tea or coffee a day, which really makes a difference to your day when you need some good food or a warm drink. |
| And the worst? | For me, the commute is quite long, but I live in Bristol, so I have only myself to blame! |
| What advice would you give someone about to start in your Trust? | Get stuck in, do hard things, do tasks that make you nervous and master the basics of the job. This experience will help you no matter what you do with your career. |
| What's the typical patient profile? | We have a wide ranging patient profile, from people with no fixed abode to farmland owners. Each day offers great variety! |
| Describe your job in one word | Exciting! |