Born in Cairo, Egypt, Nermeen is just about to complete her core training in psychiatry in Wales and is preparing for the next chapter of her career where she will be beginning registrar training in general adult psychiatry, with the aim of specialising further in medical psychotherapy.
Dr Nermeen says:
“I was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, and I lived there all my life until moving to the UK. Medicine was not the obvious path in my family. I’m the first doctor in my family, as my parents were both engineers - so I was seen as a bit of a “rogue one” compared to everyone else! But even before medical school, I found myself drawn more to psychology and biology than mathematics, and that’s what made medicine feel like the right choice for me.’’
“In Egypt, medical school is a seven-year course, compared with five in the UK. During the fifth year of my studies, as we began clinical rotations in internal medicine, surgery, and paediatrics, I felt a real spark for psychiatry. The stories we heard in lectures and the different patients we met in ward rounds fascinated me. The human mind, its resilience, its fragility, and its complexity pulled me in. I then graduated during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the whole world seemed frozen in lockdown. I completed my internship year in that extraordinary period and then began to train as a cardiologist. But the more time I spent in clinical practice, the more I felt drawn back to psychiatry; the field that had captured my imagination as a student.
“Around that time, I started thinking seriously about moving to the UK to continue my training and practice medicine. I then began the GMC registration process through the PLAB route and sat my English language test and passed PLAB 1, but with COVID restrictions, I had to wait nearly a year before I could sit PLAB 2. Eventually, I was able to travel to the UK and passed the exam on my first attempt, receiving my GMC registration in 2021.
“I then initially secured a six to eight-week clinical attachment in England and found those weeks transformative, as not only was I exposed to the real world of the NHS, but I also experienced psychiatry in a very different way from how it was practised back home in Egypt. I loved the structured approach, the multidisciplinary support, and the patient-centred ethos. That attachment confirmed what I already suspected: that psychiatry was where I belonged.
“I then worked for 10 months in England as a trust grade doctor, before applying for core training in psychiatry. I subsequently passed the MSRA exam and then accepted a training post in Wales.”
“Relocating to a different country wasn’t without its challenges. When I first moved to England, I was lucky to have some professional network with the consultants and team I worked with on the ward during my clinical attachment. By the time I moved to Wales, Not only was I starting from scratch again, but this time I was even without the connections I had already built in England.”
“However, from day one, I found people in Wales to be exceptionally warm and welcoming. My friends who had worked in Wales previously had told me that this would be the case, but it still surprised me just how friendly they were. Strangers greeted me on the street with a smile or a nod, even though I was a total stranger and I had arrived not knowing anyone, but I quickly felt at home.”
“I began my core training in 2021 in Swansea Bay University Health Board and stayed in the area since. Unlike other specialties, psychiatry trainees remain within a single health board rather than rotating across Wales, which means you develop deep familiarity with the local teams, and services.
“Core training in psychiatry is structured to give broad exposure, so every six months you rotate into a new placement, experiencing different sub-specialties before choosing a pathway for higher training. In my CT1 year, I worked across different community mental health teams in Swansea. In CT2, I rotated through a placement in learning disabilities - an area that I valued, but was not sure about pursuing long-term, this was followed by a placement in l old age psychiatry, before moving to CT3 which I felt was the highlight of my core training. I worked in Perinatal Psychiatry- a general adult subspeciality which I am passionate about as it evolves women’s health. I was fortunate to work on Uned Gobaith; our mother and baby unit in SBUHB, which is the only MBU in Wales at this time. I am grateful for the opportunity as I am seriously exploring Perinatal Psychiatry as a potential focus for my future consultancy career. My early intervention psychosis and liaison psychiatry placement was the wrap to my core training.
“The early intervention psychosis team became a particular highlight. I had been interested in this sub-specialty since my CT1 year, and finally joining the team was rewarding. The work is niche but essential: intervening as early as possible when psychotic illness is first diagnosed. Evidence shows that timely intervention can transform long-term outcomes, reduce relapse rates and help people rebuild their lives.”
“I was elected as one of the Psychiatry Resident Doctors’ Committee (PRDC) in Wales in June 2024 which I feel has shaped my leadership skills and opened the door for many opportunities so training in Wales to be more rewarding’’
“Swansea became more than just my training base - it became my home. I love living by the coast and can even see the sea from my window. After long, demanding days at work, I often just drive down to the beach at Bracelet Bay or Rhossili. Even just 20 minutes by the water helps melt away the stress of the day.
“I’ve fallen in love with Swansea’s sunflower fields in summer, and the sight of wild ponies on the Gower. I promised myself I’d learn to surf one day, which is something my consultants told me they missed desperately when they moved away. Swansea has offered me a health work/life balance where the intensity of clinical work is paired with the calm joy of living by the sea.
“Looking ahead, In November 2024 I passed the MRCPsych and became a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. With core training now complete, I’m about to begin registrar training in general adult psychiatry, with the aim of pursuing medical psychotherapy alongside it. Over the next five years, I also hope to explore perinatal psychiatry further, potentially undertaking higher training outside Wales for additional experience before returning.
“My long-term ambition is to become a consultant psychiatrist in Wales. The past three years have been intense, with exams and constant rotations, but registrar training will hopefully allow me more space for balance - both professionally and personally. I’m currently single, but I would love to raise a family in Wales someday. My mother, who lives in Egypt, has visited several times and adores it here. She keeps coming back, despite the distance, which says a lot about the warmth of this place.
“Psychiatry is a field that demands resilience, curiosity, and compassion, and Wales has given me the perfect environment to nurture those qualities. I’ve grown as a doctor, a leader, and a person. Most importantly, I’ve discovered not only where I want to build my career, but also where I want to build my life. Wales has become home.”