Sharon Spooner

Overview

I work in two roles; clinical work in general practice and research based in the Centre for Primary Care. My research is mostly concerned with the changing composition of the primary care workforce and the impact of policies which alter what is expected of those working in general practice. I am interested in understanding what motivates doctors to choose GP careers and how they maintain engagement and commitment to deliver high quality care throughout their careers. 

Biography

After completion of GP training in 1987, I worked in Cheshire before moving to Staffordshire where for 17 years I have been a part-time partner in a challenging urban practice where we are actively involved in teaching from undergraduate level to completion of GP training.

Building on a fascination with background stories, my doctoral research focused on biographical narratives to explore doctors’ experiences of working in the NHS. These accounts revealed complex relationships between work settings, interactions between colleagues and each individual’s sense of medical identity. Poetic representation proved a potent form in which to share findings which indicated that key elements of contemporary medical professionalism had changed during their careers.