Dr Will Harris
Taunton Vale Healthcare
Dr Will Harris
Taunton Vale Healthcare
What’s the best thing about being a GP?
Having daily contact with so many fantastic people. I spend most of my week communicating with patients, relatives, carers, other healthcare professionals and good people in social care and education – working with our wonderful practice team to help to solve their problems with them. Every day feels like a privilege and the satisfaction is immense.
What are the worst things about being a GP?
The hardest things about the role derive from having responsibility for so many aspects of care for such a large number of patients. When workload is manageable and the services that our registered patients need are working well, this is what makes general practice so interesting and rewarding. At times when our workforce is stretched, it can feel stressful juggling the complex and varied needs of so many patients and making sure they get the support and care they need despite the imperfections in services that inevitably exist sometimes.
If you were to give future GPs one piece of advice, what would it be?
Don’t underestimate the importance of looking after yourself as well as your patients. The job is going to be intense at times and everyone works hard. Each of us needs to make sure that we are healthy and happy to stay curious, compassionate and fresh in our work.
When choosing what type of work you do, where you do it, and who you do it with be thoughtful and honest about what is genuinely a ‘good fit’ for you – this is key to long-term success in a role that you may stay with for many years.
Could you try and describe general practice in three words?
Varied, sociable, fun
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