David Wandless

(or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Paperwork) When the UK government rolled out the MED3 Fit Note in 2010, it was pitched as the dawn of a new era. No more passive sick note culture. No more excuses for people to hide from. No more back to square one returns to work. No more lack of transparency between your job and your health This was going to be an empowering tool to help people get back to work faster, smarter, and stronger. Spoiler: it wasn’t. Instead of a functional bridge...

Let’s just be honest from the start — some people won’t like you. Doesn’t matter how polite you are, how professional, how hard you try. There are people who, for reasons you’ll probably never fully understand, will decide that your face — or voice or tone or lanyard choice — just doesn’t fit. And if you’ve worked in medicine for more than about five minutes, you’ve probably run into one of them. If not, hold tight — they’re coming. Now, I want to be crystal clear: this isn’t about blaming...

When you apply to medical school, they ask you the question. The one you’re never really meant to answer honestly. “Why do you want to be a doctor?” They tell you not to say “to help people,” or “to make a difference,” or “because I like science and people” — even if those things are true. You’re told to be polished but passionate, strategic but sincere. As if anyone at 17 actually knows who they are, never mind what they want to spend their life doing. I didn’t have a simple answer then. I...