Published: 23 November 2023
Medicine alumna Dr Amy Small has been shortlisted for General Practitioner of the Year as part of the General Practice Awards 2023.
Truly honoured
Dr Small, of St George’s class of 2004, explains how she discovered she had been shortlisted:
I got an email from General Practice (GP) Awards to say I had been shortlisted for GP of the year and was bowled over to be honest. I feel truly honoured but, in true British fashion, a little embarrassed. We're not good with compliments, are we?
- Dr Amy Small, alumna -
In addition to her responsibilities as a locum GP in Sheffield, Amy is also a long Covid innovator and advocate as well as a Clinical Advisor for Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland.
Work-life balance
However, despite a wide professional remit, Amy is able to retain a strong work-life balance which was one of the major draws to her of the GP specialism.
"Every placement I did at medical school I thought ‘this is what I want to do’. I really enjoyed the variety that I saw in the various placements that I did. I really enjoyed psychiatry, paediatrics, obstetrics and geriatrics so when I did my final year placement in General Practice, I had a pretty good idea that is what I was going to do later on."
“I was placed in a strong female only partnership who showed true leadership and had incredible ties with their local community. They really showed how good General Practice could be. One of the GPs did minor surgery and was also a liaison for the local paediatric hospice. The variety of things they did, whilst still maintaining a good work-life balance, really appealed to me.
- Dr Amy Small, alumna -
Move to Edinburgh
“I stayed locally after graduating. I did my house jobs in Kingston and Epsom and then went on to do my GP Vocational Training Scheme in Kingston and Roehampton. I qualified as a GP in 2008 and did some locums before I was salaried in Earlsfield.
In 2010 I moved to Edinburgh and became a partner in East Lothian in a deprived mining village. Over 10 years I got involved with the local medical committee, the BMA and sat on various committees including the GP committee of the UK and Scotland, and also Scottish Council. I also had opportunities to work for the Health Board when the new GP contract came in, helping to implement the changes in East Lothian.
- Dr Amy Small, alumna -
Long Covid
“In April 2020 I caught Covid at work and after six months of illness lost my partnership. The change in circumstance fortuitously opened new doors for me. During my illness I advocated for people living with long Covid and also used my platform to highlight the plight of doctors who got sick at work during the pandemic. I ended up working with a charity called Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland who help support people with these conditions alongside long Covid. I am now their Clinical Advisor three days a week and I locum on the other two."
I moved to Sheffield last year as my husband got a new job opportunity and work from home for the charity, but I enjoy travelling to conferences and meetings when I need to. I have a truly portfolio career mixing these roles with several roles at the BMA including being the sessional Representative to the BMA for Yorkshire and the Humber and also Deputy Chair of the Representative Subcommittee of the BMAs GP Committee.
- Dr Amy Small, alumna -
A great place to study
Reflecting on her time at St George’s Amy says:
I loved St George's, I had a lot of fun at the Medical School. The small size of the university helped me to truly realise my individual potential.
- Dr Amy Small, alumna -
"I got involved with the Students’ Union - co-directed the Fashion Show for RAG, co-organised Grad Ball in my final year. I was given a lot of opportunities not just in medicine, but outside of it too to discover my strengths.
"I remember the relationships I built with friends, who I still keep in contact with on a regular basis, and the relationships I made with future colleagues who took the time to truly teach us how to become good doctors. I learnt how to work hard and it paid off.
"I've been back for reunions and it's great to see how the university has developed. I always recommend it to people as a great place to study medicine."
The winners of the General Practice Awards 2023, including General Practitioner of the Year for which Amy is shortlisted, will be announced on Friday 8 December. Best of luck Amy!