As part of our ‘Inspiring Doctors’ series, we speak to consultant psychiatrist, Dr Robby Steel about his route into psychiatry after almost leaving medicine for law instead.
I am Robby Steel. My day job is as a consultant psychiatrist at the Royal Infirmary but for over ten years I have had a role helping medical and vet students (I am the “Undergraduate Psychiatric Adviser to the College of medicine and Veterinary Medicine”). My role with students is supportive, (rather than ‘clinical’ – I am not the students’ psychiatrist), I try to ensure that students are getting the psychological and psychiatric support they need.
Outside of work, I am married to Sarah, a paediatrician, and we have two boys (both students but not medical students). In my younger days I was a keen ski racer and I still love skiing. I also love mountain-biking and in recent years have taken up road cycling – becoming a ‘MAMIL’ (Middle Aged Man In Lycra!)
I have to admit that I was not the most dedicated of medical students and after my first year or two as a junior doctor I was unsure whether to continue in medicine – I actually applied to Law School with a view to becoming an Advocate specialising in medico-legal work. In the event I did a psychiatry job and found my home. I often draw on this when speaking with medical students – reassuring them that medicine is a very wide church and there is probably some corner of it where they will feel they belong. Please watch my journey… with twists and turns from my obs and gynae finals to deciding that psychiatry (and indeed medicine) was for me.
