Throughout the next few months we interrupt our usual blog content to introduce you to the team that makes up Medics.Academy. We are proud of the diversity of experience that the members of our team have and their varied career paths and achievements. If you are interested in joining our team, get in touch at hello@medics.academy.

This week, we introduce Dr Solomon Kamal-Uddin, Paediatric Emergency Medicine Consultant and Medical Director at IQVIA Paediatric and Rare Disease Centre of Excellence, where he helps develop research strategies to improve child health at a global level.

Growing up my aim was to be Indiana Jones. My Bangladeshi parents decided that sense of adventure and my problem solving skills would be better channelled into a medical career. Thanks to their remarkable foresight I am proud and grateful for how they have guided me during my first steps into healthcare. Even more, I am humbled and inspired by the remarkable people and achievements I have observed whilst working in the NHS.

My restlessness has found a home with like-minded individuals in Paediatrics. My itch to be constantly challenged with dynamic problems, team working, management, and utilisation of clinical skills was also scratched when I gained a London training number in Paediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM). After four years as a PEM consultant, I remain in awe of how hard hospital medicine is and the load the nurses and junior doctors must carry. The game is continually changing. It’s not just that the rules are evolving; but the whole manual, playing field, even the shape and number of balls. Meanwhile, in response, the formal education system continues to produce players designed for rounders.

“The game is continually changing. It’s not just that the rules are evolving; but the whole manual, playing field, even the shape and number of balls.”

I found myself, as an educational and clinical supervisor, unable to provide the essential guidance and teaching required within the hospital framework – support I wanted to give to professionals who would most benefit, those that keep the essential patient care cogs turning. My observation is that I am not alone in my peers; stretched resources and educational neglect has contributed to many frontline healthcare workers feeling undervalued. They may not be appropriately trained, they do not gain a sense of the wider picture and disillusionment means they may not take on the responsibility for their own path and how they choose to practice. They become less rather than more, and so does the NHS.

Currently, the learning needs of the clinician require a supportive training system that is outside the established framework, put together by experienced, forward-thinking individuals who can then disseminate to the wider group in digestible form. Medics.Academy fits this aim well.

I first became involved with Medics.Academy because I knew Johann (Malawana, founder and CEO of Medics.Academy) from medical school and I trusted his vision. His good sense and vast professional network has enabled him to be ideally placed to start finding an answer. For me, it is exciting to be part of a project that has a vision that looks forward, actively working with enthusiastic and talented team members tied to a sense of progress. From my experience at the sharp end, I am confident that the group has the right destination and the map to get there.

My own mooching has led me to chart what else is outside the hospital. I do not have the time or money for secondments, additional degrees and fellowships. I wanted to observe what was outside the ED room (most of which don’t have windows) right now, rather than in 10 years. So, after achieving some good things and some not so good things, I have left hospital medicine and now work in the pharmaceutical industry. I am also happy to be contacted if you feel I may be useful; Solomon.kamal.uddin@medics.academy and my Linkedin profile.

Lastly, I’m pleased to announce that my first course on Medics.Academy – Paediatrics: Difficulty in Breathing – will be coming out very soon. Sign up to our mailing list to be notified. Below is a clip modified from one of the lessons from the course. Enjoy!