“An LWC Trip Led to Me Becoming a Doctor”

Published by Lord Wandsworth College on Thursday 13th of November 2025

Most medics choose to enter the profession because of a desire to help others, often rooted in a personal experience of their own.

For Sternian and final year medical student, Lizzie Wood, an LWC trip to Indonesia set her on a path which will see her graduate in June and begin her first Foundation Year as a doctor.

When we talk, former Gosden girl, Lizzie is mid-shift, dressed in standard blue scrubs, with a stethoscope draped around her neck.

“Throughout my childhood, I wanted to be a vet,” the 23-year-old beams. “But then I went on a biology trip to Indonesia with LWC, as part of Operation Wallacea,” (a series of biological and conservation research programmes). “During the second week of the trip, a few people became ill and I spent some time talking to the group doctor about what I was going to do next and career options. I hadn’t really considered medicine until then and it ended up setting me on this path. That and the fact that my cat also died and I realised that I couldn’t put an animal down.”

Next summer, it’s believed that around ten thousand new doctors will join Lizzie in beginning their Foundation Year 1. Set against a backdrop of claims around low pay, long hours and an oversubscribed job market, it seems that LWC has equipped Lizzie with more than just the initial inspiration to become a doctor.

“I’m very happy with my decision to train,” she admits. “I really enjoy the work and love the mix of people, skills and being involved in life journeys, as well as the science and research aspect. But I think one of the biggest challenges is balancing life and medicine. LWC really gave me the grounding to balance a lot of things, because of the opportunities on offer and it also taught me not to give up and to be resilient in the face of difficulty. The biggest challenge in medicine is the level of emotion involved. It’s such a privilege to be involved in people’s lives when difficult things happen, but you also need to learn how to deal with your own emotions in order to guide others and help as much as you can.”

Lizzie’s studies at the University of Bristol have been supplemented by placements at locations ranging from GP surgeries in Cirencester to, more recently, a hospital in Tanzania.

“It was an incredible experience,” she explains. “I was working at a government hospital in Moshi, near the border with Kenya. Unlike the NHS, it’s a paid-for system, so there were some tough moments to do with people not being able to afford care, but it was a really valuable experience. I was working in obstetrics and one of the key differences between Tanzania and the UK is that in Moshi, mothers don’t really receive any pain relief and labour alone. It was a bit of a shock coming from the UK, where pain is taken very seriously, but we did what we could as volunteers – even if that was holding their hand and making sure they were advocated for.”

“We’re so fortunate to have gone through this school and there are so many brilliant opportunities. It’s never too late to try something. Even if it’s scary at first, it might be something that you end up loving and keeps you going.”

— Lizzie Wood

Lizzie’s experience on placement has led her to consider a future in general practice or in maternity services. “I really enjoyed my obstetrics placement in Bath,” she reveals. “To be part of a mother’s journey is incredibly rewarding. Seeing a pregnant lady coming through and then leaving with a baby is an amazing process. It’s one of the biggest highlights so far for me.” But with placements has come the need, once more, for balance.

“For 36 weeks last year, I lived at a hospital,” she explains. “I lived for 18 weeks in Swindon, 12 in Bath and six in Devizes. In the week, if you’re there all the time, it’s difficult to balance your personal life, especially when you’re revising for exams at the same time.”

Luckily for Lizzie, she began learning to balance from a young age, courtesy of an unlikely love affair with weightlifting.

“When I was in Junior House at LWC, I was quite overweight and I found it quite difficult to enjoy team sports because of that. I just felt that I struggled with it and wasn’t feeling my best. But finding a sport I loved, that focused on what my body could do was really beneficial. In 3rd or 4th Form, I just started going to the gym and I really enjoyed the support I got from everybody. Mr Singh and Mr Hazell were great, I got my own plan and it really switched my life around. I got a lot more confident in my own ability to make changes for myself. I’ve been able to keep it up all the way to university, which has helped keep me sane. From that point on, I took every opportunity.”

Lizzie has since gone on to lift weights competitively, both at LWC and beyond. “We also established a weightlifting club at Bristol and it’s now in its sixth year, which is really nice,” she continues. “I might step back from competing now and just focus on balancing my hobbies with medicine. It’s important to look after your own mental health and friendships, as well as working and studying. You need a space where you can breathe. Medicine is a course that’s so busy, you will unfortunately miss things. This week, I couldn’t get time off to go to a wedding, which was a shame. But it’s important to reach out to friends when you can and keep that support system going. I’m still in contact with a lot of my really good friends from LWC.”

Despite walking through the Acorn Gates for the first time twelve years ago now, Lizzie can still remember how she felt as a fresh-faced 1st Former and has some advice for those in their earliest years at LWC. Unsurprisingly, balance and seizing opportunity both feature heavily.

 “Take every opportunity that’s offered,” she points out. “We’re so fortunate to have gone through this school and there are so many brilliant opportunities. It’s never too late to try something. Even if it’s scary at first, it might be something that you end up loving and keeps you going.”

 As for what comes next, Lizzie has applied to complete her Foundation Years in the Wessex region, which could see her back in Hampshire by the summer.

“You can express a preference for location and job, but you don’t get to choose. This next stage is like an internship for two years. You complete six, four-month blocks and then you get to specialise. I’m hoping to have a GP block, an emergency department block and potentially an obstetrics block, because they are the things I’m most keen on. I think probably my frontrunners for specialities in the future are general practice or obstetrics, but actually I’m just really excited now and feel ready to be released.”

The only regret of Lizzie’s, during our conversation, is brought about by mention of The Barn (LWC’s new Strength and Conditioning Suite). “I’ve heard about it and it looks great!” she smiles. “I’m very jealous.”