Meet Dr Dan Azimzadeh, Lead GP Graham Rd Surgery
What does your day job entail?
I spend the majority of my working day assessing and treating patients, promoting a healthy population and supporting the wider clinical team – my very talented colleagues! You will most likely find me in the ‘Patient Triage Centre’ or the ‘PTC’, inception which was realised last summer. This is the hive mind where we dare to dream of bigger and better things for the surgery! We work very closely with our sibling surgery, Horizon Health Centre, as we strive to be the best possible care provider for our community!
Why did you want to be a GP?
Regardless of how tough my day might be, I truly love General Practice! As I rotated through the specialities in medical school, there was never a single discipline that offered such a vast degree of variety, versatility and satisfaction to the same extent as GP. I still remember the first time I left my hospital jobs as a trainee to start my stint in a GP surgery and how I suddenly found myself devoid of the ‘Sunday evening fear’…! Expect no two days to be the same, longstanding and satisfying relationships with patients and colleagues and lifelong learning in a mentally stimulating environment. Regardless of the rapidly changing landscape of the speciality and the challenges it has weathered (and continues to weather), I feel confident that job satisfaction will be there for decades to come!
Where is your happy place and why?
On the saddle of my bike, soaring through the undulating roads of the West Country; I find myself completely consumed by the concoction of endorphins and incomparably stunning scenery! This is where I go to clear my mind.
Which lesson/lessons have been the hardest to learn?
Eat, sleep, graft and…repeat; because most things that are worth having so seldom come by easily!
What food sums up happiness?
Fresh bread slathered in salty butter: the simplest of pleasures! From the taste, smell and texture, to the sharing with those closest to you (breaking bread if you will…!), nothing sums up happiness more than an oven-fresh loaf of carby goodness!
Hug or elbow bump?
I think either form of tactile greetings are acceptable in the appropriate circumstances; this is dependent on familiarity with the other party and the existence of a highly contagious and worldwide viral illness! Nonetheless, I look forward to the day it is normal to shake hands again!
What have you never understood?
I have never understood the importance of a good night’s sleep…until recently! It is the difference between conquering the day as opposed to mere survival.
Why PHGL?
I find that serving a population comprised of those who are frail, elderly or profoundly deprived immensely rewarding. There is not only a constant mental stimulation associated with encountering deprivation and serious pathology, but also a sense of pride and privilege to be in a position to help. Regardless of how difficult the days sometimes seem, the overriding sentiment of beneficence towards a population in need will always prevail. I am reminded of this every day when I see the phenomenal work ethic amongst my incredible colleagues!
