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The BMJ
Cite this as: BMJ 2024;385:q796
Teaching beyond retirement: the consultant neuroradiologist

BMJ: first published as 10.1136/bmj.q796 on 29 April 2024. Downloaded from http://www.bmj.com/ on 7 May 2024 by guest. Protected by copyright.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q796
Consultant neuroradiologist Ian Turnbull tells Adrian O’Dowd why he was determined to remain
Published: 29 April 2024
involved in training doctors despite retiring
Adrian O’Dowd
Retirement does not mean a doctor has to stop loving know—and they really understand what they’re
medicine or wanting to be involved in training the doing.”
next generation of clinicians, says Ian Turnbull.
His advice to younger doctors is straightforward. He
Edinburgh born Turnbull was a consultant says, “Be open minded about medicine and realise
neuroradiologist at North Manchester General that you’re not treating the disease, you’re treating
Hospital for 19 years and then at Salford Royal the patient.”
Hospital until his retirement in 2008. Since then, until
very recently, he was an honorary consultant Nominated by Indrajit Chatterjee (Chattopadhyay)
neuroradiologist to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health “Dr Turnbull has inspired me by demonstrating his
Board in a teaching role for fourth year medical continuing passion for education and learning after
students at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, Wales, and retiring from the NHS.
a teaching lead at Glan Clwyd Hospital. “Since his retirement, Dr Turnbull had dedicated his time
teaching neuroradiology and basic interpretation of
Turnbull has never lost his enthusiasm for medicine. computed tomography and magnetic resonance brain
“To this day I find it exciting. After retiring I kept up and spine images to medical students, junior doctors,
to date with the literature and contributed a little bit consultants, and other professionals, such as stroke
to it as well,” he says. He decided to focus on specialist nurses and radiographers.
radiology as it brings together all aspects of medicine, “Dr Turnbull has been a regular contributor to our
“from the prenatal stage in obstetrics and hospital’s grand rounds and other educational platforms
gynaecology right through to paediatrics, and then related to doctors in training of all grades. He would
the whole spectrum from early birth to geriatric undertake all these commitments voluntarily.
patients.” “By his actions, Dr Turnbull demonstrates multiple
qualities that inspire me—confidence through excellence
For 11 years after retiring he taught—from his in knowledge and skills, dedication, selflessness,
home—Manchester trainees who were seeking humility, relentless pursuit towards high standards, and
fellowships for the Royal College of Radiologists, a tremendous enthusiasm to contribute towards the NHS
which awarded him the Trainer Award 2011 in and undergraduate studies.”
recognition of his outstanding contribution to UK Indrajit Chatterjee (Chattopadhyay) is clinical director
radiology training. elderly care and community hospitals, IHC Central, and
consultant geriatrician at Glan Clwyd Hospital, Rhyl,
He has also mentored many other doctors over his Wales.
career, explaining, “It wasn’t onerous, and they all
knew they could phone me day or night if they had
a problem. Sometimes it was their health or their
marriage, or that they weren’t getting on with their
consultant.”
Communication and courtesy are the bedrocks of
being a good doctor, he says. “One of the first things
I say when I am teaching is, ‘Just pretend for a minute
that you’re coming to tell me that my wife’s got
multiple sclerosis and I don’t understand the first
thing about medicine. How would you explain it to
me?’ It’s astonishing how often they can’t and then
you build from that.
“Another thing I try to encourage is courtesy. We
have to recognise that there are some patients who
are difficult to manage for all sorts of reasons. We
have to work out how to deal with that, as well as
with colleagues from many different backgrounds.”
Training is vital to producing a good doctor, he says.
“When you’re building something, you want a solid
base—whether that’s a house or somebody’s career.
With teaching, it’s crucial that trainees get to a point
where they really understand what they need to

the bmj | BMJ 2024;385:q796 | doi: 10.1136/bmj.q796 1