Episode 3.1: You Just Gotta Read! - Sean Barklie Part 1

In this episode I talk with my own GP, Dr Sean Barklie, a man of a million stories and a wonderfully talented doctor with so much wisdom and knowledge, I just had to ask him to come on the show. The title, well that’s a quote from Sean, who bought two books and read half of them on the way to the studio. He loves knowledge, and we certainly benefit from that. 

Sean’s humour is only surpassed by his intellect and, as those of you who are patients of his will be able to confirm, his ability to talk more than anyone I know! That’s why we have cut his episode into two parts. We didn’t want to lose any of the interesting dialogue, philosophy, or humorous stories, so we obtained great value from Sean by creating two ‘shorter’ episodes! 

In these episodes, Sean reveals fantastic insight into being a doctor and freely shares with us his concerns about aspects of our health care system, including the tension between working within the constraints of a system that wants to give patients allotted segments of time, like an accountant or lawyer, whilst providing the care and attention his patients really need. As Sean describes, taking time to understand and observe his patients enables him to give the best advice and support, and is crucial in being able to establish underlying matters that may otherwise go amiss. His willingness to battle the system to do the right thing is something I can personally attest to and am grateful for. While we were discussing at times serious topics, Sean inserts an appropriate level of humour, making this an enjoyable discussion with some thought-provoking gems along the way. 

Sean was born and bred in Zimbabwe, studied Zoology, Botany, and Oceanography before returning to university to study medicine. He has worked in the UK, Canada, and South Africa, but is now permanently settled in New Zealand. Having served in the armed forces in both Zimbabwe and New Zealand, he also coached the NZ Defence Force rugby team. His interests are broad and varied but include sports medicine, including being team Doctor for provincial rugby teams, sleep medicine, and skin surgery. Of course, he still enjoys being a General Practitioner! 

His energy is infectious, and his wit is sharp. It’s all his characteristics that make him a great doctor, adored by his patients, and an amazing guest on our show. That’s why we are looking at creating regular (shorter) episodes with Sean to talk about specific topics where Sean can share his wisdom.  

We hope you enjoy the episode(s) and, as we are, look forward to future conversations with Dr Sean Barklie. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.