Sebastian Hendricks

Name : Sebastian Hendricks
Employer : Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust
Subject : medicine
Graduated : 1991

After medical school I did my medical training in paediatrics in Germany and then worked briefly as a consultant. Some work as a medical management consultant in Qatar followed before coming to the UK working in paediatrics for another year. I wanted to develop my career further by training in a subspecialty and chose audiological medicine, from a paediatric angle. Once I’d started in this subspecialty, my interest deepened and I completed five years of SpR training at the best London teaching hospitals. I also completed an MSc in audiological medicine at the same time. During the last three months of training I took a locum position, which led to my current consultant position.

Working life

A typical week comprises five to six clinics, training junior doctors, mentoring work experience students, meetings with the audiological and paediatric team, and working with and advising other professionals in different trusts involved to improve patient care. I currently work solely with paediatric patients; others sub-specialise, for example, in complex adult balance problems. My cases range from parents with concern for their child’s hearing to complex cases requiring multidisciplinary input and specialised equipment to assess them. The flexibility of being trained in the adult as well as the paediatric field is a great advantage when looking for jobs.

The realities of audiovestibular medicine

Many people do not know about this specialty and confuse it with ear, nose and throat (ENT). In brief, it is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis, investigation, medical treatment and rehabilitation of patients experiencing complex problems with hearing, tinnitus or balance. It makes for an interesting specialty as you work closely with other professionals and benefit from their knowledge. There is also wide scope for clinical and basic research. If you’re someone who needs a prescriptive way of doing things then it’s probably not the specialty for you as audiovestibular physicians have to combine knowledge and intuition.