Dr Emma Wyatt Haines
Emma was born and grew up in South Devon, England. Thanks to her interest in science and maths and her love of talking to people, she decided to apply to medical school. On visiting Cardiff University for an open day, she immediately loved the University and the City and decided to move to Wales to study and live full time.
Emma says:
"After being so impressed with Cardiff when I visited in 2007, I decided this was the perfect city for me. There was such an amazing buzz around Cardiff and I instantly felt at home. The other students had similar sporting interests and I felt that I could get an excellent university education, alongside a well-rounded university experience.
"During my time at medical school, I quickly realised that my interests lay in general medicine, rather than surgery. However, my interest jumped between specialties constantly. I had a part-time job in the Neurology research unit for a period, and also undertook an extra degree in Emergency Care between my fourth and fifth years. This was an incredible experience, as I spent a year on placement in the Emergency Department at the University Hospital of Wales. The course helped me develop hugely as a doctor as I was able to experience a wide range of clinical presentations and engage in their treatment.
"After graduating, I moved back to England for a while where I worked in London and Salisbury and completed my medical training. As my partner is an ENT trainee, we decided to return to Wales as the surgical opportunities in Wales are amongst the best in the United Kingdom.
"I spent a few years deciding which speciality I wanted to pursue and chose to become a GP in 2021. I really love the autonomy of General Practice and enjoy getting to know patients over a longer period of time. I feel that being a GP will give me the flexibility to take my medical career precisely where I would like. I have interests in teaching, journalism and sport, all of which I now can develop as part of my career in primary care.
"I will soon qualify as a GP and aim to move into a locum position whilst my partner finishes his training. This will allow us the time and freedom to figure out exactly what we want to do with our careers.
"As I have always been active and engaged in sport, Wales is the perfect place to live. At university I played netball and ran marathons and currently enjoy cycling and have been a keen swimmer from a young age. Given my sporting interests, it was a natural progression to combine my passions and start competing in triathlons. After a few shorter triathlons, I have since progressed to full distance triathlons. Wales is such a great environment to train in as we are so close to the mountains, the sea and have the Taff Trail for cycling right on our doorstep. Wales is also home to Ironman Wales, which in my opinion, is the best Ironman triathlon event in the world.
"One of the main reasons I’ve enjoyed my time in Wales is its small community environment, which means you get to know people very quickly. Since living here, I have built a great friendship group, which has been rewarding both personally and professionally. I often run into someone I recognise, which makes going to work or teaching incredibly fun and rewarding.
"As I have now lived in Wales for so long, I have started to learn Welsh. I started learning during the COVID pandemic, as I was taking holidays in Wales and wanted to be able to converse with Welsh speakers. I am an avid Duolingo user and attended a residential course at Nant Gwrtheyrn in North Wales. I try to speak some Welsh wherever I go, as it is an important part of the Welsh cultural identity and is greatly appreciated by Welsh speakers.
"I have never regretted moving to Wales. I have had so many opportunities to develop my medical and sporting interests and have a wonderful group of friends around me. The people of Wales make this a wonderful place to live, work and compete."