As I begin to move towards the end of my career as a consultant in Northern Ireland and my final term as a BMA committee member, I’ve been thinking about what I wish I’d known earlier and what I’d say now to women just starting out or finding their feet in medicine here.

When I joined the BMA years ago as a medical student I thought it was simply 'what you did', but I stayed a member because, as well as the support I got during challenging periods in my career, it gave me something far more important: a voice and a network, friendship, leadership opportunities, new perspectives and a UK-wide view medicine and how we interact with governments across the four nations.

I first began to get involved as an active BMA member because my employer was really being 'not fair' to me and my colleagues. The more involved I got the more opportunities opened up to me including being elected as deputy chair of UK council from 2017-18, only the second woman to hold that position.

One of the best parts of being an elected BMA rep was the fantastic training opportunities that were open to me as a BMA committee member. The training I have done over the years has helped me not only in my role as a BMA rep but also in my medical career and in my life.

The leadership and chairing skills, the EDI training, all of these helped me when I faced challenges in my day-to-day work as an infectious diseases consultant. Understanding why people behave as they do has helped me navigate and negotiate with my five children. 

I joined the BMA at a time when women’s voices were quieter in medicine than they should have been, and I stayed because I saw, slowly but surely, how collective action, especially when women show up and speak up, can change the culture of our profession for the better.

Becoming a BMA elected member gives you a seat at tables where your working life in Northern Ireland is shaped, and it ensures that women’s experiences are not an afterthought but part of the conversation from the start. As Mark Carney says, if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.

As I step back, I’m conscious that the future of our profession in Northern Ireland rests with doctors like you. The BMA will only reflect women’s priorities if women are part of it, asking questions, sharing experiences and helping to shape what comes next. If there’s one thing I’d encourage you to do, it’s this: don’t wait until later in your career to get involved. Your voice matters now, and the profession will be stronger for hearing it.

Sara Hedderwick is a consultant in Northern Ireland, a member of the Northern Ireland consultants committee and a former deputy chair of UK BMA council