Meet Dr Sarah Jackson

I grew up in Liverpool as an only child, my Mum and Dad were teachers. I was lucky enough to go to school that had a combined cadet force and realised very early on that I absolutely loved it. So much so that when I was 16, I applied for a scholarship program which allowed me to go and a six-week patrolling course in Canada with cadet counterparts. That was the start of my adventures.

I was into lots of different things - at school I played the flute, sang in the choir, loved drama and liked running although I've never been very fast. I applied for a sixth form scholarship with the Army and was successful -only deciding to apply for medicine once I was in sixth form.

Once I was at medical school, I was able to join the Officer training Corps which was great fun. They helped me apply for university cadetship which for me meant getting through medical school was now viable. Through the cadetship I met other trainee doctors and started to build friendships which I still have today.

On leaving medical school in Newcastle after graduation I moved down to Surrey to work at Frimley Park Hospital. These junior doctor jobs were very challenging but again there was a cohort of us from the military, and this allowed us to develop the network that you need to manage in your junior military jobs. I attended Sandhurst as a professionally qualified officer (PQO).

After a stint in A&E I was sent to Canada to be the doctor dealing with real-time casualties in a large exercise scenario. This saw me flying around the prairies in a Gazelle helicopter picking up casualties and taking them to hospital. I then deployed to Bosnia and from there to Iraq for the war in 2003.

In Iraq I was in a dressing station that saw the bulk of the initial casualties, and I guess this was a bit of a wake-up call as to what conflict really looks like. I lived in Germany for three years and deployed on the UN tour of Cyprus which was absolutely fascinating seeing the last divided capital city. 

Towards the end of my career, I was Head of Army Occupational Health and was involved in the women ground close combat team, who were tasked with considering the issue of whether women should serve on the frontline.

I loved my time in the forces and made some friends for life, but I was definitely ready to leave as staying would have meant moving away from occupational medicine which is undoubtedly my passion.

As doctors we are very much in touch with medicine outside of the military undertaking training conferences and appraisals with civilian colleagues. I did not therefore find transition from the forces into corporate work too difficult. I think the main challenge for me was understanding how to get things done outside of the military environment. I was used to giving clear direction but in a civilian environment it is more about bringing people on the journey with you and not being expected to have all the plans up front. 

For me the Armed Forces network at EDF offers the opportunity to connect with people who have had that military experience either because they've served themselves or have family who are serving who can advise and guide you if you're finding the transition difficult. The shared knowledge of loss particularly round Remembrance Day is also something I find particularly helpful.