Throughout my career I’ve heard people say that general practice is easy, unambitious and replaceable. 

Heck, comedian Hamish Blake once claimed that even he could do the job!

I don’t entirely blame them for the misperception. Despite being raised by GPs, even I didn’t truly understand how demanding the work was until I did it myself. My parents loved their job so much that they made it look effortless.

But the truth is, a well-seasoned GP has seen everything at least once, while alone in a consult room during a 15-minute appointment. From a red eye to chest pain, to acute asthma, to sexual assault, to even active labour — not a lot will surprise us.