Dr Lewis Potter

Part-time GP trainee (ST2), Newcastle

Since medical school, I’ve been fascinated by the ability to use technology to enhance medical education. As a result, I founded an online medical education platform called Geeky Medics and continue to develop it. I’ve been awarded an NHS England Clinical Entrepreneur Fellowship, in recognition of my dedication to this project.

I was attracted to a career as a GP because of the diversity it offers, both in terms of the clinical presentations you deal with day to day and the variety of roles that GPs can work in within the NHS. I’m a generalist by nature and the thought of committing to a much narrower speciality didn’t appeal to me. The opportunity to build a career that is tailored to your special interests is really exciting and I hope to take on additional educational roles alongside my clinical work in the future.

When it came time to apply to specialty training, I knew my ideal option would be to train part time. After reading about less than full time GP training on the programme website, I decided to apply. On the application form I explained that I wanted to continue to pursue my educational project alongside GP training with the support of the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme. As a result, I was successful in securing a less than full time post.

This has meant I can fulfil my entrepreneurial goals and still progress as a GP trainee. My weeks are typically really varied, including clinical work, audits, GP teaching, clinical skills video production and leading a team of contributors to produce free educational content for the website.

This incredible flexibility that the GP training programme supports, is one of the many reasons why I believe it is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to incorporate additional roles alongside their clinical training.

I realise that I’ve developed a lot as a clinician during my 2 years of GP training, thanks to excellent clinical placements, regular GP teaching and invaluable mentorship from my supervisor. As a result of my project, I’ve gained experience in building and leading a team, which I’m sure will be valuable assets in my future career. Because much of my work involves producing educational guides on topics such as communication skills, I feel that I’m constantly learning new things that I’m able to put into practice myself to improve patient care.

The incredible diversity that a career as a GP offers, both in terms of the job itself and the opportunity to pursue other interests, is why I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending general practice to anyone who is considering their specialty training options.