Trainee Testimony

"I undertook my training with Colchester VTS with hospital placements in Colchester General and my GP placements in Tendring.

My hospital placements included working in A&E which, though tough work, was very rewarding. I also worked in the paediatric department who had a brilliant focus on teaching and afforded me the opportunity to receive referrals from GPs and work them up on arrival. I finished on ENT where I got very familiar with common ENT complaints like otitis externa, which I’ve since found really useful in a primary care setting.

Though I wasn’t sure what to expect outside of Colchester, I was pleasantly surprised with my GP placements: the fact that the hospital is difficult for many patients to get to leads to an emphasis on providing services in the community. As a result the trainee can fully expect to become quickly familiar with a range of local services; learning to utilise available resources more effectively and generally become a very resourceful GP.

I enjoyed working outside Colchester so much that I actively looked for a first job in the area of my placements. I personally find caring for the mixture of elderly patients and those less well off makes for a very rewarding and varied day to day experience."

Steve Gresham

Colchester & Tendring GPSTP trainee 2012-15