Stuart Edwardson is the chair of the Trainee Committee. He works as an ST6 in anaesthetics and intensive care medicine at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Stuart's clinical interests are neuro, obsterics, diversity in healthcare, end of life ICU, and leadership.
What does the Association Trainee Committee mean to you?
I remember first finding out about the Trainee Committee when I attended my first Trainee Conference as a CT1. I had some experience of trainee committees and societies before, but never had I observed a group of such clearly motivated people who worked together as a professional unit to actually get things done. The committee works exceptionally hard to draw on the enthusiasm and talents of its members to drive the specialty forward, and not only be part of, but start the conversation about many issues relevant to life as an anaesthetist in training.
What has most surprised you since joining the Trainee Committee?
How many friends I’ve made.
I was genuinely surprised by the dynamic of the group. Everyone is keen to make friends, lend a hand, collaborate on big projects, and celebrate one another’s successes. I have made lifelong friends and professional role models from my time on the committee.
What would you like to achieve in your time on Trainee Committee?
I’d really love to see a big impact on the way we view the structures of anaesthetic training. There are perhaps some inherent ‘rules’ about the logistics of how we are trained that I think the committee can start to test and challenge. I’d hope we can energise a conversation about what a modern system of training the anaesthetist of the future looks like.
Why did you decide to become an anaesthetist / doctor?
My mum is a nurse, and I think the feeling of reward when looking after others was something that was always in my blood. I specifically chose anaesthetics because it was the clearest example to me of a specialty in the hospital which prized the safety and quality of the care it provides its patients. Each anaesthetist I met seemed happy, skilled, calm, intelligent, and good in a crisis. I wanted to learn how to be that.
What do you like most about your job?
Each day is so different. From anaesthetising for an emergency laparotomy, to providing an epidural for a patient in labour, to performing an upper limb block for awake surgery. If you combine this with all of the emergency work we take part in through the rest of the hospital (ED resus, arrest calls, transfers), you just never know what your day is going to look like.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I’m a keen runner and cyclist. Most of my friends get fed up with me trying to persuade them out for a run. When I’m not doing that, my black lab, Hugo, and I are usually found up a munro somewhere in the questionable Scottish weather.