Welcome to the Medical Memoirs Podcast.

Celebrities. Serial entrepreneurs. Multimillionaires.

But what about the stories of real-life, front-line heroes, also known as healthcare professionals, and their candid first-hand insights into the world of medicine?

Join me as I discover the unique lives led by the individual guests and how they have cultivated their respective healthcare careers to achieve their goals. From tips on mental wellness and resilience in the clinical workspace to advice on how to optimise productivity and maximise career options, this podcast will be sure to leave you laughing, intrigued, and inspired all at once.

If you enjoy the podcast then please follow the channel on Spotify, Instagram, and Anchor FM, to keep up to date with new episodes, and make sure to share these incredible memoirs with your friends and family!

Episode 7 – Ranking 1st in the UK, the Percival Pott Ortho Rotation, and Work-Life and Family Balance in a Surgical Career with Miss Zahra Jaffry

Welcome to episode 7 of the Medical Memoirs podcast, in which I interview Miss Zahra Jaffry. I think it’s fair to say that my latest guest was a true enigma to me prior to recording this episode. After all, unbeknownst to many, Zahra ranked number 1 in the UK for her ST3 application to Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery and attained a place on the coveted Percival Pott rotation, which is a truly phenomenal feat.

With such a remarkable achievement under her belt, I wasn’t sure who to expect on the other side of the call. However, as we chatted throughout this interview, it became blindingly obvious that Zahra is an incredibly accomplished yet indisputably humble person. She works hard with zeal and consistency, and demonstrates a palpable passion for orthopaedic surgery. We meander through Zahra’s journey, discussing her career trajectory to date, how she achieved her various successes, and delve in-depth into the topics of race, gender, and family balance in a surgical career.

In actual fact, we recorded this episode several months back and since then Zahra has progressed to her ST4 year and, arguably, more importantly, has welcomed a new addition to her family in the form of a little baby son, which deserves a big congratulations.

We talk through:

1. CST applications vs ST3 applications

2. Getting into the Percival Pott rotation

3. What kinds of training rotations are available and how to choose them

4. How to maximise a year out of training to boost your CV

5. What’s great about Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery

6. Race and gender in Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery

7. Family life and work-life balance in Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery

Please be sure to give the Medical Memoirs channel a follow and if you enjoyed this episode, share it with everyone you know so that they can enjoy it too! In the meantime, head over to http://www.vasudevzaver.com for insights into the world of surgery through my personal journal or follow @thesurgeonsjournal on Instagram to stay tuned with more journal posts, podcast episodes, and general life in surgery.

Episode 5 – Plastic Surgery, Publications and How to Maximise Your Opportunities with Mr Grant Nolan

Welcome to episode 5 of the Medical Memoirs podcast, in which I interview Mr Grant Nolan. Grant has recently secured the competitive job of a plastic surgery registrar in the Northwest of England. I’ve always been curious about how people reach certain points in their careers, particularly one as impressive as plastic surgery. Listening to Grant’s story, it’s easy to be misdirected by his humble approach to work and life. However, as we take a dive into his journey into plastic surgery and explore his motivation for the specialty, we encounter a series of events which can only be described as the definition of strategic and tireless hustle; just a small window into Grant’s genuine dedication to reach his current stage. With a keen eye for golden opportunities, Grant elucidates why he chose plastic surgery and divulges a behind the scenes narrative about how he achieved his impressive number of publications.

We compare and contrast our trials and tribulations associated with hoop jumping and how to discern the best academic opportunities, along with how to achieve a good work life balance, particularly as a plastic surgeon couple, as is the case with Grant.

Please be sure to give the Medical Memoirs channel a follow and if you enjoyed this episode, share it with everyone you know so that they can enjoy it too! In the meantime, head over to my personal journal or follow @thesurgeonsjournal on Instagram to stay tuned with more journal posts, podcast episodes, and general life in surgery.

Episode 6 – What Do Orthopaedic Surgery, Dancing on Ice and Being a TV Doctor Have in Common? With Mr Tom Naylor

Welcome to episode 6 of the Medical Memoirs podcast, in which I interview Mr Tom Naylor. Now, if I were to utter the words “dancing on ice”, you’d immediately imagine glitz and glamour, pomp and ceremony. An exciting show exclusively for celebrities. What could this possibly do with medicine?

But some of you out there may have heard of or watched NHS doctor Tom Naylor on TV when he appeared on the show as a professional skater just 2 years ago. Tom shot to stardom during this time and with all the media coverage, including appearances on This Morning to discuss common orthopaedic ailments, it’s difficult to imagine him as a regular person.

However, during this episode, as Tom shares his story, I couldn’t help but marvel at his striking humility and genuine personality. A profoundly down-to-earth gentleman. He is still very much a full-time doctor working in the NHS as a trauma & orthopaedic surgical registrar and enjoys ice skating in his spare time with his wonderfully photogenic family. I really enjoyed listening to Tom take us through his story, including his experience of orthopaedic registrar training, media appearances, and featuring on the infamous Dancing on Ice – I think you’re going to love this one.

Episode 4 – From Healthcare Assistant to Doctor, and Saying Yes to Life with Dr Kim Leong

Welcome to episode 4 of the Medical Memoirs Podcast, in which I interview Dr Kim Leong. Kim has recently commenced GP training in the Northwest of England following a year or two of working as a locum doctor in general medicine. However, Kim’s story extends far beyond the mere boundaries of a medical career and his youthful charisma. During this episode, Kim unveils his life prior to becoming a doctor and how this has shaped his appreciation of his current career pursuit. He also divulges his rather unorthodox yet heart warming experiences outside of medicine, borne of a “yes man” attitude which is clearly evident when listening to him narrate his story.

Please be sure to give the Medical Memoirs channel a follow and if you enjoyed this episode, share it with everyone you know so that they can enjoy it too! In the meantime, head over to my personal journal or follow @thesurgeonsjournal on Instagram to stay tuned with more journal posts, podcast episodes, and general life in surgery.

Episode 3 – Medical Anthropology and Foundation Year 1 with Dr Farah El-Sharnouby

Welcome to episode 3 of The Medical Memoirs Podcast, in which I interview Dr Farah El-Sharnouby. Farah is a good friend of mine who I met whilst on my Core Surgical Training rotation in General Surgery, where she was an excellent foundation year 1 (or FY1) doctor. In this episode, Farah opens up about her experience as an FY1 doctor, providing an honest account of how she has personally been affected by feelings of burnout, along with her encounters with sexism and racism in the workplace. She also provides a powerful insight into her own take on how we can incorporate anthropology into our daily clinical practice and why we should routinely utilise the ideas concerns and expectations (or ICE) framework in our consultations. Whether you’re a medical student, brand new FY1 doctor, or a senior consultant, this episode will contain relatable gems for everyone!

Please be sure to give the Medical Memoirs channel a follow and if you enjoyed this episode, share it with everyone you know so that they can enjoy it too! In the meantime, head over to my personal journal or follow @thesurgeonsjournal on Instagram to stay tuned with more journal posts, podcast episodes, and general life in surgery.

Episode 2 – What is Dentistry and How to Maximise Your Skill with Dr Becky Unyolo

Welcome to episode 2 of The Medical Memoirs Podcast. It was my absolute pleasure to interview Dr Becky Unyolo in this episode. Becky is a good friend of mine whom I met whilst on my Foundation Year 1 rotation in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, more commonly known as Max Fax, where she was a Dental Core Trainee (DCT). With several years of experience behind her in myriad aspects of dental practice, including emergency dental care, she provides a valuable insight into life as a dentist especially during the pandemic, and issues some powerful wisdom on resilience…

Please be sure to give the Medical Memoirs channel a follow and if you enjoyed this episode, share it with everyone you know so that they can enjoy it too! In the meantime, head over to my personal journal or follow @thesurgeonsjournal on Instagram to stay tuned with more journal posts, podcast episodes, and general life in surgery.

Episode 1 – Mental Health at Medical School and Anti-FGM Charity Work with Dr Kirishan Sandrasekar

Welcome to episode 1 of The Medical Memoirs Podcast. It is an absolute pleasure to interview my first ever guest, Dr Kirishan Sandrasekar. Kirishan, also known as Krish, is a current Foundation Year 1 doctor working in the Northwest of England, having graduated from Bristol Medical School in 2020. During this podcast, we talk about a range of things from university life, the challenges of medical school including mental wellbeing, and Krish’s aspirational experience as an anti-FGM (female genital mutilation) campaigner for Bristol-based charity, Integrate.

Please be sure to give the Medical Memoirs channel a follow and if you enjoyed this episode, share it with everyone you know so that they can enjoy it too! In the meantime, head over to my personal journal or follow @thesurgeonsjournal on Instagram to stay tuned with more journal posts, podcast episodes, and general life in surgery.

“Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact.”

Robert McKee

Let’s tell a story.

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