Today when I stand at a juncture of being in a long and fulfilling specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctor career with several extended leadership roles, I cannot help but reflect on my journey that got me here. Becoming an SAS doctor was a choice I made many years ago, and I have never regretted it.
Like most SAS doctors, my career path was unconventional and to an unknown destination. However, very early into an associate specialist job, I started to have clarity about my career goals and what I wanted to achieve – I just did not know how. The SAS workforce was generally undermined and overworked at the time but I aspired for career progression and recognition.
Slowly but surely, with support of good colleagues, I started breaking down barriers that were historically faced by the SAS workforce. All the national work done by SAS leaders at local level and deaneries, as well as nationally at BMA and Academy of Medical Royal Colleges over the years improved the visibility and representation of SAS doctors. We got a collective voice.
It wasn’t easy, but gradually I started representing SAS doctors at local trust, progressing to regional BMA level, as well as national BMA and Royal colleges levels. My career was blossoming and so was my confidence and self-belief.
A few years ago, I was encouraged to nominate myself for BMA SAS conference chair. I had attended the conference previously as a regional delegate and had a positive experience.
BMA conferences are not like the conventional ones with lectures and speakers – a format everyone is used to attending for professional development. Here, we debate motions from all regions and four nations to form BMA policies that make our own future. This was the exciting and unique part that drew me to this role.
I’ve had the good fortune of being elected to chairing this conference for the past four years. It has been the most fulfilling experience. It taught me a lot of things – many valuable life lessons and people skills too!
I learnt very quickly that to deliver that one perfect day of the conference, I must work very hard and collegiately with the team throughout the year. You need to put in the time and effort. Often, there is more active listening involved than talking.
The elected conference agenda committee, conference chair and deputy chair, along with the BMA conference unit and BMA secretariat team work relentlessly through the year to come up with the conference theme, ideas about speakers and workshops, plan logistics of the day and most importantly, choose motions to be debated.
You need to be mindful of the language accuracy, previous BMA policy, legal and financial impact as well as the current relevance of debated motions. Above all, timekeeping on the day is paramount. As conference chair, I worked with incredible teams – fully focussed, dedicated and driven.
This invaluable experience also taught me that no matter how much you plan, it does not always go your way – sometimes it is not your day. It’s important to take the bad with the good on the chin and work even harder to make it better. To err is human, but not to learn from mistakes is a big blunder. Lessons learnt from constructive criticism and pearls of wisdom from peers can only make you a better person.
Over the years, I have taken inspiration from experienced SAS colleagues and leaders including Amit Kochhar, Ujjwala Mohite, Waleed Arshad, Vinita Shekar and Farid Ahmed. They have been there every step of the way and made me a better leader. I will always be grateful for the lasting friendships and allyships I have made with many wonderful people in this journey.
We celebrate SAS week once a year, but we must celebrate SAS professionals and their achievements every single day.
We will not let anyone clip our wings and will never be afraid to fly!
Vaishali Parulekar is an associate specialist in radiology, Oxfordshire National Breast Screening Programme deputy director, Royal College of Radiologists SAS lead and BMA SAS conference chair 2025/26. She was formerly an Oxford regional BMA SAS committee deputy co-chair and AoMRC SAS committee co-chair