THE thing that surprised former Canberran Dr Kate Haggar the most after watching the first episode of WIN TV’s new documentary series “Young Doctors” was being characterised as the “clucky, wannabe mum”.

The program follows seven young doctors, including Dr Haggar, as they complete their three-month posting at Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital. Not only do the doctors work together, but live together.

“I was very surprised to see my tagline was ‘clucky, wannabe mum’,” she said.

In the program, Dr Haggar works in obstetrics and gynaecology, hence the ‘clucky wannabe mum’ tagline.

“When working in obstetrics it’s a bit hard not be be clucky, you are surrounded by the miracle of childbirth,” she said.

“It’s an amazing, beautiful part of people’s lives. “I don’t think I’ll ever be blasé about childbirth.”

Dr Haggar, who grew up on a hobby farm between Canberra and Cooma, went to school at Tharwa Primary School (she was the only girl in her year of three students), Alfred Deakin High School and later Canberra College.

“It was a long search for me to find out what I wanted to do,” she said.

“At first I wanted to be a carpenter, then a mechanic. I wanted to do something that involved using my hands and brain, but also had a social aspect.”

It was an incident when she was swimming in a lake with a group of friends where she found herself cleaning up a friend’s head wound after he made a dive into the water and hit a rock.

“He had gaping wounds,” she said.

“But I didn’t faint at the sight of blood and loved being able to use my hands.”

After scoring outstanding marks at college, Dr Haggar had the choice of universities and chose Newcastle university to complete her medical  studies.

Little did she know that years later she would be starring in a reality TV show about her career.

“There was a bunch of us in a room when we were approached and half said ‘hell, no’ and the other half said, ‘aww, maybe’,” she said.

“Afterwards we thought: ‘This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience’.”

But with all new-found fame also comes negative attention. Since the first show aired, Dr Haggar has already copped flack for making comments about “pulling a baby out” and correcting a patient who thought she was a nurse.

“What I have learnt from the show is to not take myself too seriously,” she said. “And not to be too concerned about what people think.”

Dr Haggar is still tossing up whether to pursue obstetrics or to pursue her other passion to become a GP. And as for coming back to Canberra?

“I love Canberra,” she said.

“If I could convince my husband to move there I would, but I’ve married a man who needs the ocean!”

“Young Doctors” airs on WIN, 8pm on every Thursday.