Since graduating from Liverpool School of Medicine in 2004, Dr Ellen Welch has travelled the world as an expedition doc and cruise ship medic. Now a GP in Cumbria, her new book Why Can’t I See My GP? (link) tracks the evolution of General Practice and what its future might look like.
“I studied medicine at Liverpool between 1998 and 2004, taking a year out to intercalate in medical journalism at the University of Westminster, before returning to Liverpool to complete my final year and start House jobs at the Royal, where I had worked as a healthcare assistant as a student.
Looking back, the clinical skills sessions from first year were invaluable. I have many fond memories of student life - living in the old rocking horse factory on Smithdown Road, by the Finch and Firkin (now the Brookhouse).
After House jobs at the Royal, I spent a year working in New Zealand and then returned to Liverpool again to complete a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. The nature of medical training can involve a lot of moving around, and I went on to train in Emergency Medicine in Leeds.
After completing my membership exams, I used my training to help me travel and took up a role as a cruise ship doctor in the Caribbean.
I spent a few years doing ‘fun’ medical jobs including a stint as a festival medic at Glastonbury and ski field doctor in Queenstown, New Zealand. I even accompanied a group of Canadian Celebrities up Mount Kilimanjaro as an expedition doctor.
I worked between cruise ships and the NHS for 10 years and working on ships was a definite career highlight - helping people when they are out of their comfort zone, feeling vulnerable overseas, you can make a real difference.
The medicine itself was also a challenge.
We could be dealing with a crew member experiencing chronic disease one minute, and the next be faced with a patient needing intensive care level support. Negotiating medical evacuation was always a mission and coordinating all the team members involved was rewarding.
During the downtime, I got to leave the ship in beautiful places like Alaska and Australia and across beautiful islands and bustling cities in Asia.
Back in the UK I’m proud to have been involved with and elected to lead the Doctors’ Association UK - DAUK (link). All of the campaign work carried out with a fantastic group of volunteers has been extremely rewarding.
The idea for the book came about through the work I was doing with the DAUK, with all of the royalties going to the organisation.
After the pandemic, GPs in particular were getting a lot of bad press and in some cases this was translating into abuse from patients. This book is an attempt to explain in lay terms why things can be difficult for both staff and patients in general practice and the wider NHS right now, delving back into the history of primary care and looking at how we work and what the future may hold.
The book is full of personal stories from frontline staff - including many of my fellow Liverpool alumni including my classmate Dr Amir Khan.
I hope by sharing their stories, alongside the facts and figures, readers will take home that GPs are people too, doing their best in challenging circumstances, and the difference investment into primary care could make to this.
If I could offer one piece of advice to student doctors it would be - be true to yourself and what makes you happy.”
Discover more
- Dr Ellen Welch’s book Why Can’t I See My GP? (link) is available to buy now.
- Head over to eventbrite (link) to pick up a ticket to the DAUK's conference next May.
- Dive into other career paths, learnings and insights on our Alumni Stories Catalogue (link).
- Are you a Liverpool graduate with a story to tell? Get in touch with us at mednews@liverpool.ac.uk.