Tamara, 29, who treats mentally ill patients in South West London, described the impact her job has on her personal life:
“The worst part of my job is the disruption it causes to the stability of my life – I’m always having to move from one part of the country to another.”
“It has such an impact on my personal relationships, and it can often feel like I’m putting my life on hold and just waiting until the later stages when I won’t have to move around as much.”
The instability Tamara’s training creates and the nature of her job as a doctor has also had other adverse effects:
“The long hours, night shifts, and weekends being on-call often mean that I miss out on important events with friends and family. And I have much less time than others to explore hobbies and other interests outside of work.”
Despite the challenges Tamara faces, she takes pride in helping others in their time of need:
“What I find most rewarding is patients having trust in me enough to open up about what is troubling them so that I can help them in the best way possible. I love seeing the progress patients make, seeing them transform from an unwell state to a place where they can get back to their everyday lives. It truly is an honour to be part of that process.”
Tamara was speaking out about her experiences as part of Optical Express’s ‘Thanks a Million’ campaign, which aims to thank NHS and Emergency Service Workers for the extraordinary work they do by donating another £1 million worth of free laser eye surgery.
Tamara received free laser eye surgery as part of Optical Express’s campaign to thank front-line workers, and she said:
“Since having laser eye surgery, my life has been so much easier! Work wise, I don’t have to worry about headaches or my glasses steaming up when carrying out procedures such as taking blood or ECGs. I can now recognise other doctors in the distance in long corridors, and I can read tube signs without having to get my glasses out. I feel so liberated, and it has made my life so much more enjoyable and care-free!”
David Moulsdale, Chairman and CEO of Optical Express, said: “Optical Express’s ‘Thanks a Million’ campaign allows us to improve the lives of so many hardworking people. We first launched the campaign because we are passionate about giving something back to those who protect the public and to acknowledge the sacrifices they made during the pandemic.”
Optical Express’s ‘Thanks a Million’ campaign is giving away another £1 million worth of free laser eye surgery to NHS and Emergency Service Workers to thank them for their service. It is the second time the firm has chosen to thank emergency service workers in this way, with the first campaign in 2017. Over the course of the two campaigns £2 million worth of surgery has been given to improve the lives of thousands of NHS and Emergency Service Workers. Since Optical Express was founded 33 years ago, the team are proud to have supported hundreds of humanitarian and philanthropic projects, donating over £33 million to worthwhile causes in the UK and abroad. By the end of the year it will be £34 million.