{"id":109645,"date":"2026-02-03T12:59:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T12:59:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/?p=109645"},"modified":"2026-02-18T23:23:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T23:23:38","slug":"from-stethoscopes-to-style-guides-finding-hope-after-medicine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/from-stethoscopes-to-style-guides-finding-hope-after-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"From Stethoscopes to Style Guides: Finding Hope After Medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u00a0<\/strong>BY SHARN\u00c9 DENNER<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Whenever people hear that I left medical practice to pursue a career in copy-editing and proofreading, they tend to react the same way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018What the \u2026 WHY?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually followed by disbelief, head-shaking and occasional mutterings of \u2018You must be crazy.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a long time, I barely understood it myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My exit from medicine wasn\u2019t dramatic. There was no cinematic Eureka!<\/em> moment, no one slid down a wall in despair or slammed a door in a fury of existential rage. It was quieter than that: like a frog in a pot of slowly boiling water. One patient, one day, one weekend at a time, the unhappiness of being at work crept in until it became indistinguishable from the dread of having to do it all again tomorrow. I was counting down the hours whether I was on the clock or off it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how did I get here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The path I didn\u2019t realise I was choosing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I never declared: \u2018I\u2019m going to be a doctor!\u2019 At eighteen, I dabbled with ideas of accounting, music, art, journalism \u2013 even veterinary science. Medicine seemed prestigious, my marks were good, and shows like Grey\u2019s Anatomy <\/em>and House MD<\/em> made it look glamorous. So I applied. I was accepted. Off we went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical school rushed by in a blur of lectures, late nights, exams and hospital rotations. The three years of internship and community service were tough, yet I counted the days until I could \u2018be free\u2019 as a GP. Except, freedom never came. Instead, I carried around a persistent unease. Happiness remained elusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Trying to make medicine fit<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The truth no one tells you in medical school is what happens when you finish your degree \u2026 and realise you don\u2019t actually want to practise clinically. Reactions to this sentiment are not kind: What do you mean you don\u2019t want to treat patients? You swore an oath! <\/em>Medicine offers no vocabulary for opting out; leaving clinical practice is taboo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tried everything: small private practices, large corporate ones, locum shifts, taking weekends off, even clinical research as a study investigator \u2013 nothing fit. Emergencies \u2013 the moments clinicians rise to the challenge, Superman to the rescue!<\/em> \u2013 left me panicked and shaky. They were unavoidable, no matter the setting. After shifts, I\u2019d breathe into my hands, wipe away tears, and wonder: What\u2019s wrong with me? Why can\u2019t I cope like everyone else?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Sharn\u00e9 Denner as a young hospital intern.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

An unexpected door opens<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The turning point came through a postgraduate diploma in clinical trial management. The programme required me to write 25 scientific papers. I discovered that writing relaxed me, research felt natural and I found myself obsessing over the referencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But editing<\/em>? That\u2019s when everything clicked. Could this be my direction? Do people actually \u2026 work as editors?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea of leaving medicine was terrifying \u2013 I was abandoning years of hard work, a prestigious degree, paid-off student loans and the title \u2018Doctor\u2019, woven into my identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t want to burn bridges or disappoint anyone. I just wanted to slip quietly out the back door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Building a new life, one course at a time<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I cautiously explored my options. The MedComms Mentor website helped, and an email to a Cape Town editing company directed me to the Professional Editors\u2019 Guild (PEG). Through PEG, I discovered real courses, training, qualifications and a host of people asking the same questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, having a medical degree and a postgraduate diploma didn\u2019t quite automatically qualify me to be an editor. I needed skills, experience and guidance \u2013 and I needed them fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I joined SA Writers\u2019 College, completing my first copy-editing and proofreading course under Di Smith, followed by a three-month internship and an advanced grammar course with Marian Michaux. The coals of hope were faint, but warming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My first actual editing work? A 50-page academic manuscript. I agonised over every sentence and comma, but for the first time in years, I knew I was where I belonged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The realities of a new career<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Freelancing can be brutal. Anxious weeks may pass with no work, then suddenly a 200-page document lands at 7 pm on Friday, due Monday 8 am. Cue a caffeine-fuelled weekend of stress and determination. But, for me, the difference is clear. I love the work, the autonomy, the challenges and the creativity.  Choosing this kind of uncertainty over the stress of clinical practice? Absolutely. Every single day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Manson, in The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, <\/em>calls it \u2018choosing your suck\u2019. (A book I highly recommend to anyone having to make some hard decisions about where they\u2019re at in life.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hope, rediscovered<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Without PEG, SA Writers\u2019 College and my mentors Di Smith and Marian Michaux, I\u2019m not sure I\u2019d be writing this blog at all. Those early courses were lifelines in a stormy, uncertain transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After months of unsuccessful LinkedIn job applications, unanswered emails and moments of doubt, my first breakthrough came via a PEG job-board email. To be frank, I didn\u2019t even meet their minimum criteria \u2013 at least two years\u2019 editing experience and a degree in English \u2013 but I sent a wordy, professional email. They took me on as a work-in-progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m now editing full time (well, as full time as the work decides to show up!), building a career I actually want and aspiring to eventually becoming a medical editor for journals like JEMDSA or The Lancet<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the first time in years, I have hope. I have dreams \u2013 and they\u2019re filled with commas and semicolons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0BY SHARN\u00c9 DENNER Whenever people hear that I left medical practice to pursue a career in copy-editing and proofreading, they tend to react the same way: \u2018What the \u2026 WHY?\u2019 Usually followed by disbelief, head-shaking and occasional mutterings of \u2018You must be crazy.\u2019 For a long time, I barely understood it myself. My exit from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":109647,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"wds_primary_category":567,"footnotes":""},"categories":[623,567],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motivation","category-student-success"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109645"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109665,"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109645\/revisions\/109665"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sawriterscollege.co.za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}