Dr.Nicholas Marsden is a UK-trained Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon and Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS Plast.). Following his specialist training in the Wales Deanery, Dr. Marsden did a microsurgical reconstructive fellowship in some of the most renowned centers in Melbourne, Australia, and then a senior microsurgery fellowship specializing in lower limb reconstruction in Bristol, UK.
In 2020, Dr Marsden was appointed as a consultant Plastic and Reconstructive surgeon, at the prestigious Welsh Centre for Burns & Plastic Surgery in Swansea, also working at the University Hospital of Wales Major Trauma Centre in Cardiff.
His extensive contributions to plastic and reconstructive surgery are evident in invited speaker roles and presentations at multiple national and international conferences, as well as an extensive publications record in his subspecialty. In April 2024, Dr. Marsden relocated to work at SSMC, a tertiary-level hospital and major trauma center in Abu Dhabi.
At Allocation Assist, we like to keep in touch with doctors and follow their achievements. It was great to catch up with Dr Nicholas and discuss his experience since relocating to the UAE.
Thank you so much for making the time in your busy schedule. Can you start by telling us about your training and special interests?
I’m a UK-trained Plastic Surgeon from England but have spent a significant proportion of my life in Wales, beginning with medical school in Cardiff, where I also completed an intercalated degree in anatomy. I stayed in the Wales deanery for my specialist training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. This 6-year training was focused around the Welsh Centre for Burns & Plastic Surgery at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, with rotations to other hospitals in Wales.
During my specialist training, I found that I really enjoyed microsurgical reconstruction and so decided to do a year’s specialist fellowship in Melbourne, Australia, where I gained excellent experience and training in microsurgical reconstruction with one of the best surgeons I have ever worked with.
I then returned to the UK to do a 6 month senior microsurgery fellowship specialising in lower limb reconstruction in Bristol. Following this, I was appointed as a Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, based at the Welsh Centre for Burns & Plastic Surgery and the major trauma centre at the University Hospital in Cardiff.
Why did you choose to specialize in plastic reconstructive surgery?
I knew right from day one in medical school that I wanted to become a surgeon, but I was unsure which subspecialty I wanted to go into. When I was in my first job after graduating from medical school, my brother-in-law (who was my sister’s boyfriend at the time) was a plastic surgery trainee in Glasgow.
When I visited Glasgow, I got the opportunity to observe in the plastic surgery department. Before this, I hadn’t had much experience in plastic surgery, and this experience opened my eyes to see how varied plastic surgery is. In just one day, I saw a breast reconstruction, head and neck surgery, burns reconstruction, and more.
The variety appealed to me and I realised that far from just being mainly cosmetics, plastic surgeons restore form and function. We see patients of all different ages and can operate on all parts of the body from head to toe. There are no age or anatomical boundaries. Our extensive training enables us to treat a wide range of trauma and deformities, not by working from a textbook – as each case is different, but by applying our knowledge of anatomy and surgical principles to restore and reconstruct.
Plastic and reconstructive surgery is creative, involving both art and science. In addition, we work closely and collaborate with many other specialties, such as general surgeons, orthopaedics, breast surgeons, and head and neck surgeons. It is an extremely varied speciality and no two days are the same.
Why did you decide to relocate, and what attracted you to the UAE?
The decision to relocate was made more on a personal level than for professional reasons. I wanted to give my family a better quality of life, with opportunities for travel and new experiences. We had enjoyed our year in Melbourne, Australia and had a great lifestyle there. While we did consider returning to Australia, it is so far from family, and my UK consultant training is not recognised there in the same way as it is in the United Arab Emirates.
When I heard about opportunities here, I was hesitant at first, as I didn’t know much about the UAE or its healthcare system. I had visited Dubai once with my family for a short stopover, and we loved it. I spoke to colleagues who were already working in the UAE, and when I came to visit Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, I was very impressed with the facilities and quality of staff.
Abu Dhabi offers both professional opportunities and a great quality of life. It is also an amazing travel hub, direct flights to and from the UK take just under 7 hours. It is also great for exploring other parts of the world, a short flight away, that we may not have had the opportunity to go to from the UK.
Why did you choose Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City in particular?
Due to my subspecialization, I needed to be in a tertiary centre where there is a lot of opportunity for complex reconstruction and microsurgery. SSMC was the best fit, as it is the designated major trauma centre for the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The hospital has excellent infrastructure, with cutting-edge technology and state-of-the art equipment.
The hospital employs highly qualified and experienced consultants from the UK as well as many other countries. SSMC has a vision to be a regional specialist hub for complex plastic and reconstructive surgery. They were looking for a surgeon with expertise in limb reconstruction and so I felt that it was a great opportunity to use my skills and build up the service here.
Has your practice changed since working here?
My surgical practice is similar to what I was doing in the UK. I see a variety of pathology, including a high volume of major trauma, limb reconstruction, free flaps, and microsurgery. There are three other plastic surgery consultants in the department and we each have our own area of expertise. We are a dynamic team, working together and learning from each other. As the hospital is a major trauma centre, we have a constant flow of trauma patients.
I’m doing some complex surgeries here that I wasn’t doing regularly in the UK. I feel that I am not only maintaining my skills but improving them. The number of elective surgeries has also been building up during the last year, after a temporary pause due to the COVID pandemic. We are planning to offer breast reconstruction surgery following mastectomy for breast cancer patients. I also do some cosmetic work, such as body contouring.
My clinic is getting busier and busier. In this healthcare system, patients can choose from a variety of hospitals and doctors. We find that many patients requiring elective treatment come to us through word of mouth and recommendations.
What differences have you found working here, compared to the UK?
There was a transition period coming from working in the NHS. I had to get used to working in an insurance based system and obtaining pre-approval for certain treatments, but it didn’t take too long to adapt. I asked for help from my chospital’s clerical staff were also very supportive. Another difference is that we have consultants who have trained in different parts of the world, such as North America, Europe, Australia, using different guidelines and protocols.
This requires working together with other specialists to develop multidisciplinary care plans according to best international practices. Departments are developing local guidelines based on international standards of care in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. In the UAE, we have a purely electronic records system, while in Wales it was still a more paper-based system.
This means that everything is linked, including results, operation notes, ordering tests and scans, booking operations, etc. It makes everything much easier. Also, in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, a unif ed digital medical records system, called Malaffi, links all the hospitals so that we can easily obtain patients’ medical records from other hospitals.
Do you have opportunities to continue teaching and research?
I enjoy teaching and did a lot of it back home, so I am happy to continue this in Abu Dhabi. SSMC currently has interns and medical students coming on rotation to different specialties from Khalifa University, UAE University, and Gulf Medical University. A collaboration with Abu Dhabi University’s medical school is also in the pipeline. At the moment, there is no specialist training pathway for plastic surgery in Abu Dhabi, but we hope this will come in the future. As for research, the hospital has a well-established research department. I have recently been invited to join the scientific advisory committee for research at SSMC, so I am looking forward to getting involved in research here.
How are you and your family enjoying life in Abu Dhabi?
We love it here. We are staying in a great apartment in a very safe and secure gated community, right on the coast. The complex even has a private beach and park. Compared to the UK, I feel very comfortable about our kids running around and playing in our community, as the streets inside are all pedestrianised and there is facial recognition security for entry.
We have made friends with a lot of other like-minded families. Another great thing is that we live close to Yas Island, the leisure and entertainment hub of Abu Dhabi. We bought an annual pass which allows us to visit all the theme parks as many times as we want including Warner Brothers World, Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld and Seaworld.
Yas Bay has many great places for eating out and the Etihad Arena, the Middle East’s largest indoor entertainment venue, where we have been to concerts and shows. I love golf and have been enjoying playing on the great golf courses here. Our children have settled in very quickly in a British curriculum international school, despite moving part-way through the academic year. We all love the weather and the opportunity to do more outdoor activities.
Do you have any advice for other consultants who may be considering a similar move?
You need to do your research to find out where is the best place for your subspeciality and particular experience, as there are a wide range of different hospitals in the UAE. It helps to speak to those who have already relocated, especially in your speciality. I would also say that you must make a visit and see the place for yourself before making any decisions. I highly recommend the team at Allocation Assistance.
They made the whole process a lot easier; they kept me well informed throughout the process. It actually happened quite quickly; from first seriously considering relocating to the UAE to starting my new job, it took about nine months. I don’t think it would have gone so smoothly without the help of Allocation Assist. The HR team at SSMC has also been very supportive. I have no regrets about making the move.
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