At the end of 2025, we announced Philip Doyle, Olympic bronze-medal rower and doctor, as our Brand Ambassador. Having worked with Direct Medics as a locum doctor for over three years, Philip understands the importance of balancing personal ambitions with professional goals.
In this profile, he shares his experiences and insights on building a career that supports work and life beyond it – without compromise.
Can you tell us about your role as a doctor and what originally inspired you to pursue a career in medicine?
“I got the chance to spend two days in the Cath Labs at the Royal Victoria hospital. It was the missing piece, which led me to concentrate my efforts on medical school. Ironically, I was unable to get a place in medical school with the reason being that I was playing too much sport and how would I be able to balance it all while doing such a demanding degree. At that point I played field hockey for Ireland, Ulster, my school and at least two club teams. I think that led me to Emergency Medicine in the end because I love the hustle of the department and how time efficient you have to be to work there.”
What do you find most rewarding and most challenging about working as a doctor today?
“The most rewarding thing about being a doctor today is identifying issues, guiding the patient towards the right path for treatment, helping to ease their worries and giving them peace of mind. The Emergency Department tends to get a bad reputation for being disorganised and difficult for patients, but of all the places I have worked, I find it to be the place where patients are the most thankful. In current times, the ED gets perceived as the hospital ‘bad guy’, with wait times and admissions taking longer as the supply hasn’t met the demand for the last while. This makes your job as a Doctor very challenging, as the system slows your workflow the most. Sometimes the most challenging thing in a shift can be finding an appropriate exam room for your patient.”
What experiences have shaped your views on work–life balance and flexibility within your medical career?
“My father became sick, and his journey has massively shaped the way I practice medicine. I try to see the patient journey more and make small allowances that can mean so much to the patient, while working within the system so they have the best outcome and experience. My father passed from his illness when I was 23 and I use it as my reason to pack life with as much as I possibly can because we never know what tomorrow brings. I became a ‘yes man’ after some hesitation in leaving work to pursue rowing, but medicine always pulls me back whenever I can as I enjoy it just as much as rowing and want the ability to do both.”
“I want the freedom to chase both my rowing and stay with medicine, so locum gives me control and freedom for both.”
How has locum work enabled you to pursue your personal passions alongside your role as a doctor?
“Without locum work I would be completely cut from medicine altogether. Medicine is a rare career where you start and begin only at set times of the year. In the UK it’s from August, in the South of Ireland it’s from July, and the rowing season is from March until September each year. This means I would have to miss an entire rowing season to do a full year contract. I want the freedom to chase both my rowing and stay with medicine, so locum gives me control and freedom for both.”
What does a typical day-in-the-life look like for you when balancing work, interests and other commitments?
“I have many different days which is a blessing for me. I will take you through a 10-6 work shift day first.
- 7.30am – 8.00am: Rowing workout followed by breakfast
- 9.00am – 9.30am: Get ready for work
- 10.00am – 6.00pm: Start work at Emergency Department
- 6.30pm – 7.00pm: Start second workout, either rowing machine or weight training
- 8:30pm – 9.00pm: Dinner & unwinding time
- 11pm: Bedtime
At the moment, I’m filming a TV show in Dublin, it involves dancing and we rehearse every day. Today, I woke up at 6:35am, drove from the City Centre to Blanchardstown, Sport Ireland campus. I did a 2-hour workout on the rowing machine and then spent 45 minutes in the sauna, followed by breakfast before returning to the city for rehearsal in the Quays for 12:30. I rehearsed until 5pm and then cycled to another location to record footage for a themed dance. From there I cycled to the gym to do a quick weights session, grabbed a burrito on my cycle home and finished my day by eating some chocolate at 10:40pm.”
“Without locum work I don’t think I could continue working as a doctor. It allows me to follow both passions in life. It’s perfect for what I need from life right now.“
Are there any skills you use as a doctor that you’ve applied to rowing or other projects, and vice versa?
“The biggest skill I use in both is actually mental control, I call it mental clarity. It’s a unique skill taught to Doctors via the ABCDE approach. It’s a simple way to help the brain think logically in high pressure and high adrenaline situations. I use it on my competition days – I plan my day, down to what and when I will eat. By following the process, I create a template for success that leads me to the best outcomes, much like how the ABCDE approach is a template for success in a resuscitation situation. Nothing is missed and everything is as efficient as possible.”
How has your definition of success evolved over time, both professionally and personally?
“My definition of success has changed immensely. I used to believe that success was being first or winning, I now take pleasure in the smaller wins. The personal bests on the rowing machine, the bronze medal instead of the gold. As both sport and medicine have become more prominent in my life, I have had the pleasure of meeting people smarter and more talented on many occasions. It has taught me to enjoy small successes; my first solo stitches, my first Irish record on the rowing machine, my first nerve block and my first World Cup gold medal are all incredible achievements, because when given context success can be found anywhere.”
How has flexible working influenced the way you think about planning and sustaining your career long term?
“Without locum work I don’t think I could continue working as a doctor. Staying engaged in clinical environments is vital for doctors to stay sharp and up to the standards our patients deserve and expect. It allows me to follow both of my passions in life: providing financial support, keeping me connected to my career, and offering options for when pursuing sports is no longer possible in the future. It’s perfect for what I need from life right now, if I didn’t have the flexibility I have now, I would have never competed in the Olympics, finished my foundation program with time out and then went straight into training all at the same time. I now have an Olympic medal and am heading towards my third Olympic games hoping for another medal before settling into my career as a doctor, thanks to locum work.”
“Say yes as often as you can, to anything that tickles your fancy and gives you a thrill. Taking the path less travelled is not failure.”
How has Direct Medics supported you in achieving the right balance between your career and personal life?
“Direct medics have come to my aid several times. Being based in Cork during rowing season, I reached out to Direct Medics in 2022 about connections in Cork University Hospital. They worked their magic and got me in touch with the Acute Medicine department, allowing me to continue practicing medicine in the lead up to the Paris Olympics without having to drive back to Northern Ireland for work.
They also look after my compliance and most importantly they organise my appraisals, so I remain compliant with the GMC, enabling me to keep my medical license up to date. Lisa Wilson is the Recruitment Consultant that has been looking after me for the years I have been with Direct Medics. She’s always on hand to assist with any requests for shifts and helps me manage communications when I come and go from training camps and competitions throughout the year.”
What message would you share with healthcare professionals who feel they have to choose between career progression and life outside of work?
“I always thought that as doctors, we had to follow a predetermined career path. However, through my experiences in sport and meeting so many leaders in both medicine and the corporate world, I have come to realise that people crave balance in their lives. They see achievement in many ways and they all believed that taking time away from medicine so I could give rowing a shot was a wise and worthwhile move for me. We often sacrifice our passions and hobbies for our careers when we are young, only to long for them in our later years. My advice is to take as many opportunities as possible, to say yes as often as you can, to anything that tickles your fancy and gives you a thrill. Taking the path less travelled is not failure and putting yourself first is not as terrible as you think it is.”
Philip’s journey is proof that a medical career doesn’t have to follow a single, rigid path. With the right support and flexibility, it’s possible to grow professionally while still saying yes to the passions that make life meaningful.
Whether that’s sport, family, travel, or personal goals, your career in healthcare can be shaped around the life you want, not the other way around.
If you’re interested in learning more about locum opportunities available, contact us today on 0800 052 3285 or by emailing [email protected]