_{Verlie Croucher}

More mid-life career changes 

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Should you change careers in midlife?

Going freelance when you're over 50

Professional advice

From the shop to the waiting room

Over fifties talk about their later-in-life career changes. Verlie Croucher, 55, Kent-based general practitioner’s receptionist

“My husband runs a village garage. We took over the business in 1979, and I worked there until five years ago, doing the accounts and all the running around.
 
“Cold winters were the thing that decided me to shift, that and the fact that we stopped selling fuel. Passing trade was cut and I spent more time with backroom stuff than meeting people.

“I prefer to be with people, and you can’t get more involved with people than at a doctor’s surgery. You’re dealing with different temperaments. The ones who aren’t happy are generally ill, so you’re encountering patients who need time, patience and understanding.

“Good bits of the job are dealing with the newborns, when there’s good news, people have been treated well in hospital or they’re off the danger list. They thank you for doing your job, basically.
  
“I handle telephone calls, bookings, dealing with consultants, prescriptions, correspondence and the secretarial side –a lot of backroom stuff with computers.  There are a lot more regulations and targets to reach than when I started, and I help to deal with those too.
 
“This is a village surgery, and you become very involved with people’s lives –and deaths- but because of patient confidentially you can’t discuss things, even with colleagues, which is exactly the way it should be.

"The job is very satisfying, but your number one priority is the patient. Gone are the days of the receptionist as red lipsticked tyrant.”

Written by Martin Gurdon 

This article was created: 22 November 2006.
This article was last edited: 23 November 2006.

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