My journey to become a Paediatrician-Neonatologist

I might be biased, but a career in medicine is absolutely amazing! You get to work in teams of professionals with a shared goal of making patients better. Obviously there are challenges too; one of them being that it takes a long time to become a specialist in your chosen field. For me that specialist field is paediatrics and in particular the world of neonatal intensive care or NICU, where I look after newborn babies, who are either born too early or born very poorly. 

I had always known I wanted to become a doctor, and my journey started with applying to study medicine when I was 18, and finished when I became a Consultant Paediatrician and Neonatologist when I was 37. So that is nearly 20 years of training, but also having lots of fun along the way! I applied to medical school in The Netherlands, where I am from, but due to a limited number of available places at the time they used a lottery system, and luck was not on my side, I didn’t get a place. At the time this felt very unfair and I could have given up at that stage. However, I decided to follow my dream and I applied to study in Belgium, where I had a wonderful time for the next 7 years. 

Following that I moved to the UK for my paediatric training. I had been told that there were plenty of training posts, but this situation had rapidly changed and I faced competition with up to 200 applicants for 1 job! In the end it took me 6 months of applying before I managed to secure my very first training rotation. This is another point where I could have given up, but again I decided to follow my dream. 

If people say there are not enough girls in STEM, look no further than Paediatrics, where more than 75% of trainees are women! During my training there were plenty of ‘ups’, like learning new skills and working in teams of people from all over the world. There were Paediatricians, nurses, allied health professionals, and many children and their families who taught me so much along the way. There were certainly ‘downs’ as well, like preparing for several big exams whilst working crazily long hours and night shifts. But the camaraderie of colleagues who became friends got us all through. During this time I also worked as a researcher for three years, and was privileged to be involved in a clinical trial researching a new treatment, the noble gas Xenon, to see if it could protect the newborn brain. I travelled across the world learning from experts and attending medical conferences to present my own research. At the same time I developed skills in critical thinking and statistics, and published several papers in medical journals. 

The beauty of a career in medicine is that it is so diverse. I work on the NICU in a large University Hospital, but also go out in an ambulance, or at times a helicopter, to pick up very poorly babies across the country. In my job I am not just a clinician looking after babies and their families. I am also involved in educating the next generation, through teaching new skills to doctors in training, medical students, and nurses. I also teach at the University on a Master Degree in Neonatal Medicine. I’m still involved in research as well, such an important aspect of my job, because we are always looking to improve outcomes and find new treatments for babies. We continue to learn! 

So, what STEM skills do I use in my job…. Biochemistry, statistics, biology, physiology, and maths to name a few. On top of that every baby challenges me for my problem solving skills, trying to work out what is wrong with them whilst they can’t tell me where it hurts. Team working, leadership, communication skills, empathy, and a commitment to life-long learning are other skills high on the list for a career in medicine. 

Hopefully I have shown you that by following your dream you can do whatever you want. Choose something you love and have fun along the way. Your journey will have ups and downs, but keep that end point in mind and don’t give up! Sometimes you have to take a little detour, but just use those detours as opportunities! If you feel you are stuck, or you are not sure what to do, just ask for help and advice from people around you. Put your mind to it, keep believing in yourself, and you will get there in the end! A career in STEM is amazing and immensely rewarding, I wouldn’t choose it any different. 

Useful links on studying medicine, and a career in Paediatrics or Medicine:

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/why-study-medicine

https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/education-careers/choose-paediatrics

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors