Interview with the Past President- Dr Joyce

Hello everyone, 

The Autumn Term is truly underway now, and it was so lovely to see so many of you at the Fresher’s Fayre this week. For those who are new at Aberdeen- welcome ! We hope that you are settling in well in the city, and we are looking forward to the events that we are going to run this term, so hopefully we will be able to see you all then. 

When I wanted to start writing this blog, and get it up and running, I thought that it would be important to look back and see who had previously written for the blog. Dr Danielle Joyce is a past president of the Ogston Surgical Society, from 2021-2022, and I reached out to her, hoping for some advice for the society. She is currently a clinical fellow in major trauma, having completed FY2 recently. Luckily she was more than able to answer questions that we had, and was willing for them to be shared with all  of you, in the hope that some advice would be useful. She has previously helped out the society, with the “women in surgery” event we ran back in March, so you may recognise her from that. 

I thought to start, I could ask questions about what inspired her to pursue a career in medicine. I think everyone has such different reasons why they want to do medicine, and sometimes a personal statement doesn’t quite cover it. And like anyone who’s sat in medical school interviews will know the first question they asked everyone (apart from me, apparently!)  is “What inspired you to pursue a career in medicine?” So I asked her just that, and she shared the following:

“I always wanted to have a career in medicine, it was always my dream as a little girl but I

ended up taking the scenic route to get here! It took me a few attempts to get in to medical

school but it was worth it to be able to have the career I always wanted. I only really began to

I considered surgery for myself when I started my graduate job in a vascular department.”

Sometimes people are attracted to a speciality before they start, and they have to do medicine to get there. Other times people just know they want a career in medicine, but aren’t sure what speciality they want to go into. It was interesting to see that her motivation to do medicine was there from childhood, and that the interest to do surgery came later. Naturally, my next question was “What surgical speciality do you want to go into? What made you choose that?”

“I am hopefully pursuing a career in Vascular Surgery with Major Trauma. In my job before

medical school I was a vascular scientist, and was part of the vascular department working

closely with the surgeons. I explored other surgical specialties, but I love the variety that

comes with vascular. I also have an interest in Major Trauma Surgery, this was something I

learnt about on my medical elective and although it is not practiced everywhere, I have had

good exposure and continue in my current job as a Clinical Fellow in Major Trauma.”

Her passion for wanting to become a vascular surgeon was clear, but beyond choosing a speciality, I was curious about what makes for a good surgical trainee in the first place. Surgery can seem daunting to people on the outside, myself included, and I asked  “what skills and traits do you think are valuable for a surgical trainee ?” 

“Above everything else, passion for the job is the trait you need. Without this, it would be so

hard to do the early mornings, the shift work, the extra hours you need for audits/research/teaching for your portfolio even just to get into training.” 

Part of me thinks half of medicine is intelligence, and the other half is hard work, determination, and of course other qualities such as kindness and empathy. It was refreshing to hear how important determination and genuine enthusiasm are in sustaining a career in surgery. But for me, passion is a new one. Passion is exactly what’s going to get you up in the middle of the night, and adding to your portfolio, and one of the things that is going to keep you going. I also think burn out, among other things, is what will make it more difficult. I went on to ask if “ there something that people don’t talk about in surgery that you want to bring attention to- misogyny, feeling like you have to constantly be there?”

“I definitely think that there is so much work being done at the moment to address the above

beliefs by individual departments but also a collective effort from the Royal Colleges. I have

experienced first-hand a shift in the perceptions of being a surgeon, and moving away from

the narrative of it being a ‘boys club’ and the perception that you cannot be a surgeon and

have a family, or a work-life balance. There is a still a way to go in practice, but it most

definitely is a realistic career for anybody who is interested and has the passion to pursue.” 

It was encouraging to hear how surgery is already changing, both in terms of inclusivity and work-life balance. If you look at our committee this year, just by chance, the majority of the committee are female. Another part that lots of women, and some men too,  will feel in surgery is imposter syndrome. I asked Dr Joyce if she had ever felt imposter syndrome, and if so, how did she manage it?

“I think a degree of imposter syndrome is normal, I have certainly felt it at times, particularly

at transition points in my career, such as starting F1, or stepping up to be an F2 with more

responsibility. I think it’s helpful to talk about it with a friend or mentor, and recognise why

you feel like that, and create the toolkit you need to be able to reassure yourself, as

sometimes these moments can appear out of nowhere.” 

Her honesty about imposter syndrome was really refreshing. Part of being in medical school is preparing for foundation years training as well, and I was curious what Dr Joyce had experienced from medical school to foundation years in training. 

“I think the transition from medical school to foundation training is a huge learning curve, and

starting the job full time is very tiring. It took me a couple of months to get to grips with new

hospital systems, guidelines and ways of working, but you have colleagues and friends who

are in the same position and there to support you. With each new rotation, there comes

different challenges that you need to overcome, and subtle differences between how

departments are run, how different consultants work etc.” 

So, I wondered if there was any way that the Ogston Surgical Society had helped with the transition, and if anything, influenced her time as a junior doctor. It’s part of why this society exists in the first place- to give extra experiences and preparation for the future. And I was curious if Ogston had helped to shape her career. 

“I am so incredibly grateful for my time with Ogston,” she said “ it ignited the passion to pursue my

career and gave me so many wonderful opportunities along the way. I went from attending

events as a member to then being able to be part of the committee providing and designing

the events to inspire the next generation, it was a huge part of my time at medical school that

I always look back on it. I would definitely encourage people to become part of Ogston, it gives

you a chance to help shape your career, be part of a fantastic society and help inspire the next

Generation.” 

Her answer really highlighted the value of being actively involved during medical school, not just academically but also in societies and communities that can shape your path. To round off our conversation I asked “ if you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be ?”

“As much as I heard the advice at medical school to ‘take your time, there’s no rush’ I now realise what is meant. I think it is easy to have a fixed plan of when you’re going to tick off the boxes for your career, when you’re getting into training and that you’ll be a consultant by a certain age. Sometimes life happens and gives you curveballs that are out of your control, and it is important to recognise that although work is

important to you, it is always going to be there and you have to enjoy the journey of your career along with your life outside of work.”

I found that piece of advice really powerful- the reminder that careers in medicine aren’t a race, and it’s okay if your journey takes a different shape than you imagined. On a similar note, had there been moments of clarity, of knowing that you are exactly where you are supposed to be:

“I sometimes look back and I can’t quite believe I’ve made it, and I’m building the career I’ve

always dreamt of. I have found a job and opportunities that I love, and I am incredibly

grateful for the journey that brought me here.”

And with regards to any moments of knowing exactly where you are supposed to be:

“So many moments, I have lost count. Even just finishing medical school, there will be days

when you start foundation training that are hard, but there are times in those days that you

will go ‘this is exactly why I’m doing this job’. I have been so lucky to be inspired by such

amazing colleagues, of all grades and all specialties, and I am grateful for the direction I am

hopefully going in.” 

This interview highlighted to me how passion matters as much as knowledge, how imposter syndrome can be managed, and that the “scenic” route is just as important, and can still lead you to the career that you want.these things I think are important to hear as students.  Societies like Ogston can play a really beneficial role in shaping careers, and I would encourage you to get involved- whether by attending events, joining teaching workshops, or even applying to committee next year. 

We will be continuing to share insights like this throughout the term! If you have any questions feel free to let us know, 

Best wishes, 

Katherine 

Ogston’s Vice-President 2025/2026