Meet Allan Xu. Allan works in ACCS CT3 at Royal London Hospital. He creates podcasts and webinars for the trainee committee. Allan’s clinical interests include pre-hospital medicine and paediatrics.
What does the Association Trainee Committee mean to you?
The trainee committee’s main focus is representing the views of anaesthetic trainees across the country. This was something very apparent to me during the covid pandemic when I saw the work they were doing with regards to wellbeing, applications issues, and the curriculum change. Since then, I have been inspired to join the committee and carry on this important work.
What has most surprised you since joining the trainee committee?
Just how large of an organisation the Association of Anaesthetists is and just how far reaching the work of the committee is. We have links with associations in other countries and get involved in a huge amount of community projects, such as with secondary school students.
What would you like to achieve in your time on the trainee committee?
I would like to help contribute to projects that have a tangible impact on improving training conditions and trainee wellbeing as well as helping aspiring anaesthetists with their first steps into the profession.
Why did you decide to become an anaesthetist/doctor
Back in medical school, during my anaesthetic placement, I received by far the best teaching I had experienced up until that point. The consultants were engaged in my learning and ensured that I enjoyed the placement. I also enjoyed the practical nature of the specialty and the opportunity to do a lot of procedures.
What do you like most about your job?
I like how variable anaesthetics can be and the hands on nature of the job. One day you can be anaesthetising an elective list and the next you could be anaesthetising emergency major trauma, both have their own considerations. You also work with the entire patient spectrum from paediatrics to geriatric.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I enjoy swimming and previously competed back in university. I am also a keen baker having honed my skills during lockdown! I also DJ and with the help of friends regularly hold music events in London for charity. Unfortunately, I am also a long suffering Spurs fan.