Saniya Zahid
GP Specialty Trainee; International Medical Graduate
I would highly encourage people to consider rural GP roles, it’s different and extremely rewarding. My advice to IMGs is to always keep an open mind and take initiative.
Saniya
Fermanagh: A ‘Wee’ Home, away from home.
What can you say about a girl who arrived in rural Fermanagh with nothing but a 7kg hand carry, eyes full of dreams, and a heart full of desire to explore this new chapter of life?
I am a Pakistani-Canadian who grew up in two very contrasting cultures and learned to navigate between them at a young age. While I trained as a doctor in Pakistan, I spent most of my life in Toronto and its suburbs. When I told my lifelong friends and very supportive family that I was moving to a third country- Northern Ireland, I was met with cautionary tales and advice to reconsider my decision. People knew very little about Northern Ireland, and any google search ended up with nothing other than news about conflict and lack of peace. My parents were worried sick and couldn’t understand why I was swapping Canada with a conflict zone.
As an adult, I had made up my mind and I wanted to explore this part of the world. Social media had a part to play in this as well; advertisements asking doctors to move here because of GP practices closing down and a crisis of lack of GPs resonated with my softer side.
I got interested in rural GP practice while working as a physician assistant in Toronto, and my journey to train as a GP brought me to Northern Ireland. While filling in my application and ranking my choices, I had considered a few things such as weather, cost of living, access to an international airport, choice of hospital rotations, trainee satisfaction as per GMC survey, population demographics and believe it or not, google guide reviews by people who had visited the area. Considering all these factors, Western Trust fulfilled most of my requirements and Fermanagh looked extremely beautiful in pictures!
I have not regretted this decision ever since I moved here. I am currently an ST3, looking forward to completing my GP training journey. It has been nothing but an amazing adventure! Throughout this journey, I have met people who are extremely kind and accepted me with open arms. When I show my gratitude they remind me that this is how country people are. I have enjoyed thank you cards, organic vegetables, and home-baked pies as tokens of appreciation- a gesture that took me a while to understand and really appreciate.
I stayed locally for two years, because of the pandemic and survived it with the help of friends I made here. They were caring and became my second family and have found a special place in my heart.
During my training, I explored my interests and did a diploma in Mental Health from Queens University in ST1, and did DRCOG in ST2 year. I also did a course from NIMDTA to become a mentor and have helped a few FY2s and GPST1s with their queries, and apprehensions and helped to understand the ePortfolio.
My advice to IMGs is to always keep an open mind and take initiative. People in Northern Ireland are lovely and extremely helpful. Start a conversation and show genuine curiosity while staying respectful. As a trainee, the challenges are many and help is available at every step. Stay positive and reach out. Keep on updating your knowledge and don’t be shy to accept that you don’t know something. Also, keep a good work-life balance, explore your surroundings, step outside your comfort zone, and get involved in local groups. You understand your patients so much better when you see their life through their lens.
I would highly encourage people to consider rural GP roles, it’s different and extremely rewarding. It has many challenges, it constantly makes you think outside the box but the satisfaction is worthwhile.
I am looking forward to completing my training and considering Portfolio GP as a career option with an interest in medical education.