In Summer of 2018 I was lucky enough to visit a world centre of excellence for research in healthcare professionals’ education in the University of Toronto, Canada. I sought out this opportunity because this is a field of research in which I am greatly interested in further developing my skills, and I realised visiting the centre allowed me to make contacts with some of the leading experts in the field and learn from them.

Before my visit I was apprehensive, as the scientists at the centre are some of the most prolific in the field, and I knew they had published a lot and were very intelligent and successful people. I was nervous about my own lack of knowledge and the fact that I have not made a name for myself yet in this field of research (I am only a lowly postgraduate student!) To my relief, I found that there was nothing to be concerned about: the scientists at the centre were very down-to-earth, welcoming and interested in meeting me, talking about my thoughts and ideas, and giving me advice about my future career.

During my visit, (as above) I had the opportunity to meet such interesting and inspiring scientists. I also had the opportunity to meet with postgraduate students at the University of Toronto and learn about what they were working on, and their postgraduate experience. Furthermore, I was able to attend local faculty development events, as well as a local conference on healthcare professionals’ education research. This allowed me to learn more about the important research happening in Canada and elsewhere, and different ways of approaching research which I had not previously considered. This was important and eye-opening me at this stage in my research career.

The Go Abroad fund greatly helped me in being able to undertake this visit. Thanks to this visit I have made some amazing contacts, developed my skills and knowledge, and have learned a great deal to help me with the next stages of my research and my career.