From conflict zones to civilian care

Dr. Rachel Hawes OBE recently spoke at The Royal Society of Medicine on trauma, teamwork and saving lives. She shared her experiences with the AfPP.

When Dr. Rachel Hawes OBE speaks about trauma care, her perspective is forged not only in operating theatres and emergency departments, but in some of the most demanding environments imaginable. A Consultant in Anaesthesia and Prehospital Emergency Medicine at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), and a senior doctor with the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), Dr. Hawes has spent her career at the intersection of civilian trauma care, military medicine and prehospital innovation.

Dr. Hawes' route into trauma and prehospital care began while she was still a medical student, when she was introduced to what was then known as the Territorial Army, now the Army Reserves.

"I was told about the TA at medical school and it immediately appealed," she said. "I liked outdoor activities, and you were paid - which meant I could ditch the bar job I was doing alongside university."

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