Happy networker has got the blues

Name : David Green

Age : 38

Job : Medical representative for academici, the global networking site for academics; and consultant cardiothoracic anaesthetist and intensivist, University Hospital Birmingham National Health Service Foundation Trust.

Salary : NHS consultant - £80s.

Background : I graduated from Birmingham Medical School. During training I worked in Brisbane, Bristol and Birmingham. Before taking up my consultant post, I was a clinical lecturer at Birmingham University.

Working hours : Officially I spend 48 hours working for the NHS, but it is often more. I am a member of the heart and lung transplantation team, which results in frequently disturbed nights. Academici takes up another ten hours a week.

Number of students you teach : I teach medical students, nurses and paramedical staff. I lecture occasionally at the University of Central England. I also teach on cardiothoracic surgical courses in Birmingham and at the Royal College of Surgeons, London. Class sizes range from 5 to 60.

Fortunately, the days of lecturing 170 medical students are over.

Biggest challenge : Juggling my professional and personal commitments to find time for my wife and two small children.

Worst moment : The first time I lectured to a full medical student year at short notice with another lecturer's slides.

What is your working space like? I share an office with seven consultant colleagues and limited IT equipment. It's slightly cramped. Fortunately, we all get on well. I work on academici from home.

What university facilities do you use? The medical school library, the bookshop and, until recently, the nursery. I would like to add that I would use the sporting facilities but lack of free time dictates that I do not.

Do you socialise with people at the university? I've made wonderful friends through my work with academici. I also play the trumpet and flugel horn in a seven-piece outfit called Tubby Stubbs and the Big Fat Blues Band. We're a mixture of teachers, medics and professional musicians.

Most difficult customers : Medical students in groups. Individually very pleasant but potentially difficult as a crowd.

Best excuse for bad behaviour : Is there one?

Do you interact with other parts of the university? Not enough but increasingly so through academici.

www.academici.com/go/invite/3363443.cd07da