Alumni stories: When you fail, get back up
Caroline Condon was devastated when she failed her finals at the first attempt. Little did she know destiny was playing a hand and would set her on a course that would change her life and career.
“Medical school for me was a great learning experience in many ways. It was a lot of study and hard work. I enjoyed it but found there was prejudice against women in medicine. We were in the minority - I remember about a six to one male to female ratio.
I had 3 distinctions in A levels but had to wait an extra year after high school before I got into medical school. Male students with lower grades were accepted ahead of me.
I was told women should not be in medicine by a male colleague. How ridiculous this seems now!
Having said this, medicine has been a wonderful career for me. One of the best things that happened to me was I failed final med the first attempt. I didn’t recognise jaundice in a surgical patient and my surgery marks were borderline. It was a devastating blow at the time as I’d never failed an exam before.
It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as when I retook surgery at Christmas I did very well. I learned that when one fails it’s important to get up, hold one’s head high and carry on. I don’t think it has held me back one bit in my career.
After qualifying at Christmas, I went to Ireland for my rotating internship at Limerick Regional Hospital and met my future husband Ed who was also a ‘turkey doctor’ having failed three exams during medical school!
We were married in May 1974 and our first son was born in April 1975. After the birth of our second son, we went back to Liverpool where I studied medical ophthalmology at the eye hospital and passed the Diploma in ophthalmology.
In early 1978 we emigrated to Canada.
Ed found a position as a GP anaesthetist in Kitimat. He arrived there early February when everywhere was blanketed in snow. Houses were only distinguishable by smoke coming out of chimneys. Ed’s initial reaction was ‘what have I brought my family out to??’
I also started working as a GP. I was the only female GP so it got busy. I would see up to 70 patients a day, deliver all my own patients' babies and do one 24-hour stint in emergency each week. This in addition to having three more children!
We had one resident surgeon who could do emergency C sections, otherwise no other specialists. We had a small ICU run by the GPs and a visiting internist.
It was definitely ‘see one, assist in one, and do one’ surgical learning!
Initially we had no ultrasound, so dates were a guess, and I delivered a couple of sets of undiagnosed twins. It was a crazy 10 years but a wonderful learning experience.
Kitimat had a population of 15,000. It was a wonderful welcoming community and a great place to bring up children. If I needed to get to a delivery in the middle of the night and our driveway was impassable due to snow, I could call the local police to give me a ride.
We moved to Vancouver in 1988 and I continued as a GP and was delivering babies until well into my 50s.
I found it a joyous - for the most part - part of medicine but fatiguing due to the frequent night-time calls, plus the demands of family life. I was delivering babies of mothers I had delivered at this stage! Family practice in Vancouver was very rewarding work. I had many loyal patients and families that I got to know. Sadly, there was my share of palliative medicine and I have lost many lovely patients whom I regard as friends.
Both Ed and I enjoyed being active throughout our lives – enjoying cycling, hiking, swimming and running. One Sunday in November 2010 Ed didn’t come to bed as usual. I woke in the early morning and went downstairs to check if he was ok. I found him in his chair with the TV still on. He had had a heart attack.
It was a huge shock to me and the children who were all away from home at the time.
We had two young grandchildren.
I continued working until 2021. When the pandemic happened, it was a good time for me to move on. I am learning piano and brushing up on French. It is great to have time to walk in the forest with my puppy Nellie, swim, go to the gym and cycle. I like my new life!”
Discover more
- Dive into career options over on the Careers Support section of the student intranet (link), including an exclusive catalogue of medical specialty videos.
- Interested in obstetrics? Why not join SNOGS (Student Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society) on the Guild website (link).
- Are you one of our School alumni and have a story to share? Or do you know someone you would like us to spotlight? Drop us a line at mednews@liverpool.ac.uk.
- Get insights and advice from School Alumni as they reminisce on their days at Liverpool and the careers they went on to create on our Alumni Stories webpage (link).