Shona Johnston is a post-CCT Paediatrician who has taken a winding and unpredictable route to consultancy. Over the course of her career, she has held a number of non-training roles including overseas work with NGOs, clinical fellowships, and teaching roles, as well as working for herself and becoming a personal coach for healthcare professionals. Shona is an expert in taking time out of training and also in helping doctors transition back into the NHS after extended periods of time off work or out of training. She has spoken at conferences on the topic of supporting doctors’ return to training, and has helped shaped the Health Education England guidance on the topic.
Shona’s medical career started rather conventionally in the UK, but part-way through a Paediatric training post in Oxford, she decided to leave her training post, and the NHS to fulfill her lifelong ambition to work in Africa. She spent 12 months in Sierra Leone working at the only children’s hospital in the country.
In this episode, Shona shares her experiences in Sierra Leone and the highs and lows of working overseas for an NGO.
🛠️ Useful links
👉 Learn more about the organisation Shona worked through here: https://www.vsointernational.org/
👉 Read Shona’s blog posts from her year in Sierra Leonne here: www.shonajohnston.blogspot.com
👉 Check out Shona’s coaching website here: www.drshonajohnstoncoaching.com and here: www.facebook.com/shonajohnstoncoaching
👉 Reach out to Shona about her interview and experiences in Sierra Leone here: hello@drshonajohnstoncoaching.com