This is a series on the working lives of medical professionals. Please e-mail any suggestions or comments to jrsmeditorial@rsm.ac.uk for the attention of Manoj Ramachandran, assistant editor, JRSM
Clare Marx is a consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic (T&O) surgeon at Ipswich. She is the first female president of the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) 2008–2009 and a member of the British Hip and Knee societies. She was elected to the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2009 and also awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh ad hominem. In addition, in 2007 she received a CBE for services to medicine, and in 2008 she was made a Deputy Lieutenant of the county of Suffolk.
1. Please outline your typical working day
The challenge of this year has been that I no longer have a typical working day. Yes, there is all-day operating on Thursdays and clinic on Tuesday, but the BOA presidency brings with it travel, meetings, London office work and committees, and constant e-mail barrage. It must be something to do with getting older but I wake before my alarm, particularly in summer. The early morning, quality time with my personal trainer (the four-legged variety) gives me an opportunity to mentally order the day and see the world outside; not so nice when it is snowing and dark, but this spring has certainly been a joy so far. I leave home around 7am and either make for the hospital or the station.
2. One aspect of work you most look forward to each day
If you want to make a surgeon happy put them into an operating room and leave them to get on with the surgery, so it is always so good to come to work to see patients. The doctor–patient relationship is so very special and needs constant topping-up to ensure understanding and confidence on both sides.
Figure 1.
Clare Marx
3. One aspect of work you least look forward to each day
While waiting for anaesthesia it gives me a chance to clear the page of e-mails which seemed to have invaded my cyber space in the short time since I signed off the day before – I am sure people had to think more carefully before writing when it was all longhand and that was almost certainly a good thing.
4. A person who has inspired you most at work (past or present)
My early surgical career was populated by inspirational people, some good as teachers, others enablers, managers, politicians, some just exceptionally good surgeons and some just wonderful colleagues – it would be difficult to choose just one.
5. The most significant achievement of your career
The two years as Chair of the T&O SAC were undoubtedly the most challenging and culminated with us getting PMETB to accept the T&O curriculum as an entity without any revisions – great teamwork and very hard work.
6. List your reasons for choosing this career
It's a very real privilege to feel that the skills you acquire can be practised for real patient benefit – a privilege to be trusted to give of your best to enable life-enhancing procedures such as hip and knee replacements or trauma care.
7. Alternative career (in another lifetime)
I would have made someone a fantastic PA but know I'd constantly have wanted to do their job so an alternative might have been to have started and run a company that only employed female plumbers, electricians, and possibly car sales personnel and so on for female customers who are constantly complaining that they are treated like ignorant lesser mortals by this group of people! In truth I would do just what I have done all again (perhaps missing out the excessive hours at the beginning of my career).
8. Non-medical book(s) you are currently reading
I have just finished When Will There Be Good News.
9. Song(s)/piece(s) of music you are currently listening to
I read a review of Carol King at 60 and so I am re-listening to the music of our university era – ‘Tapestry’.
10. How do you wind down at the end of the working day?
I end the day as I started – taking the dog for a walk.