Ross Dyer-Smith left surgery and is now a year 2 specialist trainee in general practice in Chesterfield. He says: “I wasn’t sure that I wanted to do surgery, but I’d had a good experience on the surgical firm and was quite procedurally minded, so it seemed the natural thing to do.

“By the time I had become a member of the Royal College of Surgeons I was a bit tired of the grind so I decided to go on an expedition to Borneo, despite my surgical bosses saying this might damage my career.

“Spending four months in the jungle gave me thinking space, and I realised my real talent was talking to people and maintaining relationships with patients—which there isn’t much time for in surgery. I also love knowing a bit about everything and having flexibility. I felt becoming a GP would offer me those things.

“I did my research, speaking to colleagues and GPs. I went through the MTAS [medical training application service] application process, did a vocational training scheme in general practice, and in 12 months or so, I hope to qualify.

“I would tell anyone thinking of changing specialty not to worry—it can broaden your experience. I believe I’m now a more rounded doctor with more surgical experience than many GPs. And when I qualify, I hope I’ll still be able to do some surgical procedures.

“In medicine, we’re so caught up in the rush to become a consultant it’s like being on a conveyor belt. It can be difficult to step off—but if you do, it doesn’t mean you’re going to miss out on other opportunities.”

Marco Picchioni is a former physician who will shortly qualify as a consultant psychiatrist. He has been appointed senior lecturer in forensic psychiatry in Northampton and also works at the Institute of Psychiatry in London. Dr Picchioni planned his specialty switch to enhance his career.

He says: “I always wanted to be a psychiatrist but I decided to do a period of training in medicine to get a broader experience and to feel confident about managing general medical problems.

“Even though I was tempted by the physician’s role, I’d always enjoyed the greater time and contact with patients that psychiatry seemed to offer.

“Making the change was straightforward. Once I got membership of the Royal College of Physicians, I scouted around the psychiatry training rotations in my area and decided to do my SHO [senior house officer] training at St George’s Hospital, London. From discussions with some of the consultants there, I knew it was a good training programme.

“Time out in medicine extended my training by three years. It was demanding, but the experience I gained in terms of diagnostic and therapeutic experience was valuable.

“‘I would encourage all those wanting to become psychiatrists to do a period of further medical training. It might seem that I’ve taken the ‘scenic route’ into psychiatry, but it was all about gaining that extra experience.”