Dyslexic Doctor | Tamasin

Dyslexic doctor Tamasin on how she navigates a professional career in the NHS with dyslexia.

Hear the real-life stories of dyslexic people in Scotland.
With thanks to Dyslexia Scotland Podcast Volunteer David Thomson.

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David: Welcome to the third episode of Let's Talk dyslexia series with me, David Thompson. In this episode, I will be talking to Dr. Tamasin Knight. Tamasin is a consultant in Public Health Medicine in NHS Scotland and qualified as a doctor in 2007, from University of Liverpool After working many years as a junior doctor, she took up the role NHS in Scotland in 2016. Tamasin will tell us about how she dealt with being dyslexic and working in the medical profession. In this episode Tamasin will tell us about the coping mechanisms she would have to undertake to be able to do her job within the NHS. Let's hear Tamasin introduce herself.
Tamasin: Yeah, so yeah, I'm Doctor Tamasin Knight. I've been a doctor for 16 years now. And have been a consultant in public health medicine for nearly seven years, and I'm dyslexic. And I think most people have got a mixture of dyslexic strengths and challenges. For me, the sort of strengths are really around seeing big picture, creative thinking, and the ability to sort of simplify things. Maybe my challenges are around working memory, reading takes a bit longer and organisation skills, but I'm sort of able to sort of use my dyslexic strengths to sort of help me overcome my dyslexic challenges.
David: When did you first find out that you were dyslexic?
Tamsin: I only found out last year actually. So it was quite interesting, sort of finding out at that sort of stage stage of my life.
David: So how did it affect you when you were going through, like  education that because if you just found out last year, then it must have been quite challenging like, going through through like school and then university to get your medical particularly degree?
David: What made you decide to get assessed to get a diagnosis of being dyslexic?
Tamasin: Well, actually, the year before I found out I was dyspraxic. And the reason I sort of found out that was that I had recently passed my driving test and then I was doing the Advanced Driving Course. And I was finding that really quite challenging. So I decided to just hurt dyspraxia assessment, and then after that, I've just sort of started wondering, you know, maybe maybe I'm dyslexic as well. I was just kind of intrigued to know and because maybe what I've been told about dyslexia or what I've been led to believe about dyslexia when I was younger, that's something different so yeah, I then then after getting the dyspraxia diagnosis just decided to have an assessment for dyslexia.
David: How was it at school for you then, in terms of when you're studying and go for an exam?  Because I presume that, just like university, you have to probably had to study quite a lot for your equivalent of your exams. What would have been while I was at school, your Standard Grades and Highers sort of thing.
Tamasin: So, I went to school in England so I did GCSEs and A levles. But yeah, I found them again really, I had to do so much studying like I spent pretty much all my evenings and weekends studying you know so yeah, I got really good grades to to get into university and medical school but you know, the cost the personal cost of that as a sort of, you know, young young person but was quite a lot in terms of you know, not having the sort of evenings and weekends to do what you know, I could otherwise have been doing with that time.
David: Obviously you became a consultant and came into the NHS in the medical profession before you were assessed. What was the biggest challenge that you faced when you were training? Because obviously you had, not just the theory side of it, so say that but also you have the practical side on the floor, in the wards et cetera to gain your experience before you start practising. So, what was the biggest challenge when you're when you were training in the NHS?
Tamasin: I suppose in some ways..... we have to do professional exams even after you've qualified as a doctor. If you then want to then specialise as a consultant then you have to do more exams. So I found that quite challenging. In particular one at one of them was, we had a very short amount, had eight minutes to sort of read, read this sort of a scenario sort of written information, to get eight minutes to read and process information, then you go into another room have to do a role play with an actor. Sort of using the information you just read, and you know, I found this particular style of exam quite, quite challenging.
David: You being dyslexic then , affected your work then. Before you were asessed as dyslexic up to when you became assessed as being dyslexic. How did that affect your work in the medical profession?
Tamasin: I think, like, overall, being dyslexic, it really helps me in my work. So I think knowing that, and knowing that the way I am is because I'm dyslexic is really helpful. And I think, you know, the threads, being able to see that picture, be able to use simple language, easy to understand language that everyone can understand. Things like other official ways, if I'd say, I had to write a report for a group I was part of, and, you know, I sort of proposed that I just do a quite a short report, just the key facts, you know, and then people in the groups were like, "Yes!  We really want that, you know, we've not got time to be reading big reports, we prefer a short report." So in some ways, that's actually, you know, what is good for a dyslexic person is good for everybody else. So I was kind of, looking back, realising how I've been using my dyslexic strengths before I even knew I was dyslexic to kind of help me in my work. I have also noted on the other side that some of the processes and practices in the NHS are perhaps not as dyslexia friendly as they could be. So that has sort of been highlighted, you know, as a thing that maybe could be looked into.
David: Maybe by that it was actually been quite helpful, you being dyslexic, working as a consultant in the NHS - as a positive thing as somebody who's just recently found out they were dyslexic?
Tamasin: I think it's, it's best I see is this positive thing, and really helps me in my work. But I do think some of the things that happened. So for example, you know, for me to go to a meeting, and if the paperwork is only given, like the day of the meeting, you know, it's not enough time for me to sort of process it and fully contribute. I think, yeah, surely for everyone, even if they're not dyslexic, it will be helpful to get the stuff a bit further in advance. And I just know, some other things. For example, when I was a junior doctor, you know, one of the tasks that we have to do is for the patients that are in, in a ward. So as you probably know, they've got a prescription card. So they have the names of the medications, sort of written down the charge, you know, the name of the medication and the dose, and across the top, it will be like the date and the nurse will take care of you know, when they open the medication. So one of the parts of a junior doctor's job, when these cards are full, is essentially rewrite it on a blank card to get a new blank card, write down the name of the medication, the dose, and this was very, you know.... but the first one I was writing wasn't very clear, you'd have to read it. And of course, it's very important to do this accurately, because you know, there was a transcription error, it could lead to the wrong tablet or the wrong dose. So I would always be, you know, checking everything, making sure I've got the right spelling the right dose. But it was very time consuming. And I also think, Is this really the best approach? Could there be a different way? You know, could it be an electronic approach? You know, is there some other way that could be changed to make it sort of the whole process a bit more dyslexic friendly?
David: When you found out you were dyslexic, did you actually have to let your employers know?
Tamasin: I did go to occupational health. And they sort of made some which, again, I think it's helped them actually have to diagnose or the the identification, and then they say, you know, give me the recommendations, you know, to my work, you know, these are some sort of things that would, would help me so I think that's helpful to kind of have an actual sort of recommendations.
David: Yeah. Because the question I was going to ask was, when you went to Occupatonal Health, did you find any coping strategies about how to deal with your day to day tasks in your work? Because, I'd say, apart from we've discussed so far is the fact that you have actually developed your own coping strategies. Bacause you've, kind of, maybe subconsciously suspected that, there wasn't anything that was anything wrong, but have been using strategies to help you do your job day-to-day tasks, so I presume that when you spoke occupational health that you had, that strategies would actually help, that maybe you brought in more when you had discussions with occupational health, got more strategies to help with it.
Tamasin: Yeah, and I think for me, the biggest help is around admin, you know, so things like, you know, help with email management and help with writing written reports and helping organise so yeah, so things like that, and also that acknowledgement that, you know, I've got my own strategies that maybe things do take a little bit, and reports and things do take a bit longer, and to almost have that acknowledgement. You know, from occupational health, I think it's really helpful.
David: I just wanted to ask if you like maybe, like, have some sort of software? To help you in doing the reports or maybe so in terms of fact checking or spelling checking your work? Or maybe you get a meeting or something or maybe  have a recording or something to maybe go back and listen to in case maybe you've missed something or forgotten something or whatever, or maybe you could take your notes with you or whatever sort of thing? So maybe...did they suggest any of that?
Tamasin: Yes. They suggested this assistive technology. Particularly, I find that text to speech really, really helpful. And you'll be able to sort of listen to documents and then listen back to them. I found that really helpful.
David: Yeah, do you think that as an the employer does maybe the medical profession or NHS is actually dyslexic friendly, in terms of helping you? Was it helping you out when you're there over the last year or so when you found out you were dyslexic?
Tamasin: I think, I think there's always more any, any organisation can do to become more more dyslexic friendly. And I think it's really important to try and sort of really give give dyslexic people as much support as needed, so that the organisations can sort of benefit from our sort of strengths and skills. So you know, I would always be keen to sort of promote even more, you know, sort of dyslexia awareness and sort of different ways that organisations including the NHS can support dyslexic people.
David: What sort of skills have you specifically brought to the NHS in your role as a consultant that that has benefited your role, as somebody who is dyslexic?
Tamasin: A few things, I think, really, especially in my field of public health, so it's about sort of, essentially about seeing the bigger picture. So my skills, or dyslexic strengths, are being able to see the bigger picture. And maybe if I'm looking at a topic thinking, you know, how can we maybe if we, if we advocate for change in the law, or national policy, maybe that is sort of big scale thing. We can advocate, so I've done a few years ago, was involved in some advocacy about sort of some legislation to give sort of children increase protection from from assault, and sort of recognising the health benefits to them of doing that. So by sort of saying, you know, if the laws aren't as good as it could be, let's change the national policies and change it. And I think that is something I really, that to me is really important to me. And I guess maybe some of the other things about questioning things sort of thing, could could things be done differently? Could it be done better? Not just necessarily accepting things the way they are. Because not everybody likes that. But I think, you know, is it to improve things, I think that is a really important thing to do. And again, I think that thing about sort of simplifying things, you know, in the medical profession there is a lot of long words, complicated language, and, you know, I like to try and sort of simplify it to make it sort of accessible to everybody. And I think that that's something I really think is important and really sort of value value doing. 
David: Do you think it was quite difficult whereby the medical profession has some complicated medical jargon basically, that sometimes can be quite for the layperson can be quite difficult to get.. what was x and y basically when the person is speaking, sometimes that can be quite difficult if you're, if you're dyslexic and trying to hide it.
Tamasin: I think it is. And I think then it's like the things if we make things communication, you know, I think, you know, accessible, you know, make it dyslexia friendly, then it's gonna be helpful for everyone else as well. So, you know, and if people are even if they're not dyslexic, if they're, you know, anxious or stressed about, you know, being unwell. If things are easy-to-understand language, they're more likely to be able to understand it. So I think, you know, what works, you know, in a dyslexia-friendly world, well, there's going to be a good world for everyone else as well.
David: Since you've come out as being dyslexic, have you had any feedback from the certainly medical profession in terms of other people who have maybe come forward and discussed with you discussed with you that maybe they're dyslexic but haven't actually revealed it to anyone else. Have you had any sort of feedback from your colleagues in the medical profession that may be dyslexic, any support in that way, sort of thing?
Tamasin: I have some other people who told me, you know, they're dyslexic as well, and some people who, you know, had various experiences of how, you know, that has been received and how other people's perceptions, you know, of them. Yeah, they've shared that with me.
David: Presumably, given there's you, are there's other people within the medical profession that have similar backgrounds to yourself, that has helped you to tell yourself you're not alone, sort of thing?
Tamasin: Yeah, and I think is, you know, yeah, yeah, some people and then maybe other people who... I didn't know I was dyslexic for such a long time,  you know. So yeah, it could be it could be lots of people out there.
David: Yeah. So what would you say to those people who are dyslexic, are thinking of going into the medical profession, because I've already got that sort of caring sort of aspect and really want to help people with, maybe, get better, improve the quality of life, etc. Who wants to get into the profession, the medical profession, even maybe like the care profession or nursing or something? So what would you say to those people who want to get into that sort of career in the medical profession as a doctor or....
Tamasin: Yeah, if that's what someone's passion, that's what they want to do, I would really encourage them and I'd say, use your dyslexic strengths that will be a real value to patients, to the public. And you know, as a dyslexic person, you know, things might be difficult some of the processes and the way things are set up, might not be particularly dyslexia friendly, but processes can be changed. And you know, if you go into the medical professionals you can change things. So we would really encourage you know, dyslexic people sort of interested in going into medicine, nursing, healthcare management to just go for it.
David: Is there any advice you would give to someone who is then more generally dyslexic, in terms of, more wider, who wants to, who like yourself found out later in life that they're dyslexic, what advice would you give to somebody in that situation, sort of thing?
Tamasin: Huh, hmm. I suppose for me, you know, I found reading, reading about, you know, dyslexia and sort of seeing the positive aspects and, you know, acknowledging that, you know, and, and maybe sort of thinking about it that, you know, I'm not stupid, I'm not lazy, it's just my brain works differently. So maybe encourage people to sort of think, you know, you know, our brains work differently. It's not we're not worse or, or less than anybody else, it's just that we're just different, and to maybe just invite people to explore that and sort of read or listen to things about dyslexia.
David: You've just heard Tamasin advising those people who are dyslexic and want to go to the medical profession. You've come tot he end of the episode that I did with Dr. Tamasin Knight. I would like to thank Tamasin for giving up time to do the episode for Dyslexic Scotland. In the series final episode, I will be speaking to lawyer Alan Sinclair, about his experience of working in the legal profession, and being dyslexic. For information about the Let's Talk Dyslexia podcast series, please check out our website at dyslexiascotland.org.uk. Or you could check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dyslexiascotland or our Twitter page @dyslexiascotlan. If you enjoyed this podcast, then say thanks by becoming a member of Dyslexia Scotland for as little as ten pounds per year. Members help us to keep working for dyslexia-frienldy Scotland and you'll get a whole heap of benefits for joining. Show your support for our work by visiting dyslexiascotland.org.uk/shop.