Medicine is shit!!! (3 Viewers)

[72stars]

I left medicine over 10 yrs ago now after a couple of years in the hospital system. Found it incredibly stressful, was completely overwhelmed by the long working hours and constant need to think on your feet *while incredibly sleep deprived*. To test yourself on how you would cope with this, it's really worth setting your alarm for 3 am then, when woken, finding a very intellectually challenging and time-pressured task to do, or something that needs great hand-eye coordination (the nurses page you as they can't find a vein to insert a cannula in someone who's very shut down and veins are shot, and needs an IV infusion), or something emotionally horrendous like telling NOK that their loved one has died, or talking down a psych patient who is delusional and violent. I can guarantee what ever you choose will not be as stressful as the actual task in hand. Part of this is just that my personality was just not a great match for the demands of the job. The real job, as dictated by the system we find ourselves practicing in is so different from what's portrayed in the media. Having said that, there are many career paths in medicine, many not in the front-line, and if I'd been an Aus graduate with the opportunities that they have (vs. O/S grads - limited in terms of geography and type of post available without further exams) then I would have stuck with it while I found a less stressful career path within medicine.

 

[thedemonpk3r]

Hey guys,

im still waiting on hsc results, but just wanted to ask a few questions..

can anyone tell me if it is possible to
transfer from biomedical science to medical science at uts
transfer from medical science uts to medical science usyd
transfer from chiropractic macquarie to any science degree at uts
transfer from pharmacy usyd to medical science usyd

 

[Schmeag]

In the end, when you are lying on your deathbed you wont be in a happy state but rather you will be thinking about what you have accomplished in your life that has made a difference- not money, not respect, absolutely nothing. First thing you will remember is what you have accomplished for other people. And I never said this is not selfish. This is in itself an act of part selfishness and it makes you feel that you have done something for someone. But as to your part. Yes the career should interest you, otherwise you wont be able to do your best:
Well I do have an interest in Surgery. I am interest in neurosurgery specialisation. The brain itself is such a complex thing and I want to learn as much as I can about it. Hahaha I even got a human brain book which I still havent opened cos of HSC.

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Interesting ^ :

You need a lot of hunger and ambition to do neurosurgery. The surgical training program relies on connections as much as it does your know-how. Working in medicine is definitely about yourself. The medical profession has higher rates of suicide (beaten by dentistry!) than the average population. For some, medicine is just not suited for them (see above comments), and that is fair enough.

Medicine is rewarding, but as someone said before, it is not something most jump out of their seats for. Medicine is diverse and different aspects appeal to different people. Internship is the real trial for many and is quite unlike medical school, which can be a trial in itself. I have heard that about 50% postgrad med end up doing GP (where most workforce needs are) - many are faced with having to realistically choose their speciality in balance with their life goals. Some find a large discrepancy between expectation and reality. Others find that they simply fall into their specialty. Few start pre-med with their chosen specialty and end with it as a fully fledged consultant. This is just my anecdotal experience.

Re: ED/trauma - agree with Medman. There's plenty of shifts for ED during the day for DITs. I wouldn't call the vast majority of ED simple though (abdo pain FI) - non-emergent, perhaps. Blood-rushing - yes, but more regarding the 4-hr rule. Some EDs have outpatient clinics for expected represents. There are private EDs as far as I am aware. Not sure re: trauma in NSW, but they seem to have at least 6 Level 1 trauma centres (at least in name).

 

[Bearman]

No regrets so far. Some of the posts in this thread are a little bit over the top - you're going to be working long shitty hours no matter what career you pick while you're junior. The situation improves when you're senior. This advice can be applied to law, engineering, whatever.

I'd like to caution all the young med hopefuls that these anecdotes are all over the internet and are sometimes just due to a vocal minority. The vast majority of doctors I've spoken to (ranging from interns to consultants) are completely satisfied with their career choice, but I'm aware of plenty that are also not happy with it. You'll find this is the case for a lot of careers.

 

[iStudent]

No regrets so far. Some of the posts in this thread are a little bit over the top - you're going to be working long shitty hours no matter what career you pick while you're junior. The situation improves when you're senior. This advice can be applied to law, engineering, whatever.

I'd like to caution all the young med hopefuls that these anecdotes are all over the internet and are sometimes just due to a vocal minority. The vast majority of doctors I've spoken to (ranging from interns to consultants) are completely satisfied with their career choice, but I'm aware of plenty that are also not happy with it. You'll find this is the case for a lot of careers.

Just how long are the hours, if you can elaborate? (preferably for each stage of the career till consultants if you can). A lot of the info on the net refers to US doctors and according to someone I know, Australian doctors have much better working conditions and it's not too bad!

 

[Bearman]

Just how long are the hours, if you can elaborate? (preferably for each stage of the career till consultants if you can). A lot of the info on the net refers to US doctors and according to someone I know, Australian doctors have much better working conditions and it's not too bad!

PGY = Post-graduate year (i.e. how many years out of uni you are)

Interns/Residents (PGY1/PGY2) - about 45-50 hours on average I believe, I've known of people who do more and people who do less. A lot of hospitals will offer you the option of taking on more rostered overtime shifts if you'd like to work longer hours (i.e. to pay down debt, save for a house, whatever)
SRMO (senior residents - PGY3+) - these guys are basically gathering more referees/experience in a specialty so they can apply for a training program - similar responsibilities to residents (PGY2). Varies a lot but probably 45-60 hours? May also surrender their time to go assist in operations (e.g. if they're trying to get into a surgical program) so it's hard to say
Registrars (PGY3+, normally PGY4/5+) - "specialists in training". varies a lot depending on what exactly they're training in. surgical registrars are known to work insane hours (70+ is not at all uncommon). medical registrars are similar - some would claim a bit less. GP registrars vary a lot, tends to be a lot closer to the average working week though (e.g. 40 hrs)
Consultants (PGY10+) - fully trained, varies too much from specialty to specialty and individual setups to really comment on; anywhere from part time to insane hours. GPs are included in this category

Take all of this info with a grain of salt, working conditions vary a lot from hospital to hospital and from team to team (e.g. you may have a registrar who doesn't want to help you out much as an intern which will definitely add to your hours). All my info is second hand since I'm still a medical student but for the past 2 years I've basically been in hospitals full time.

I wouldn't worry about this too much, once you hit around PGY3 or so you have more choice regarding how much you want to work. You'll be able to find a satisfactory work-life balance, there are a lot of career options with a medical degree.

 

[Schmeag]

No regrets so far. Some of the posts in this thread are a little bit over the top - you're going to be working long shitty hours no matter what career you pick while you're junior. The situation improves when you're senior. This advice can be applied to law, engineering, whatever.

I'd like to caution all the young med hopefuls that these anecdotes are all over the internet and are sometimes just due to a vocal minority. The vast majority of doctors I've spoken to (ranging from interns to consultants) are completely satisfied with their career choice, but I'm aware of plenty that are also not happy with it. You'll find this is the case for a lot of careers.

Agree with Bearman.
Internship is usually the most difficult, as all doctors need to go through the same rotations (which they might dislike), there is a lot of new responsibility, the working hospital environment takes time to get used to, and they have to get used to thinking about medicine in a more practical way. By second year, doctors can already choose to enter as trainees for some specialties (ie internal medicine, pathology, psychiatry). By fourth year, most other specialties become easier to join. Some postpone their careers to travel/have family and do locum work (high pay 'fill in' doctor type of work). By whatever reason (ie too competitive to get in), some doctors are 'delayed' a few years. Specifically for surgery, the hours are tough in the years to follow with no guarantee for a training spot - most cynicism probably comes from this stream. In a non-clinical setting, there is also research, public health, health administration.

Different health services also have different cultures. Some will be more loyal to their employees, others will always try to recruit only the best. I hear some will expect you to work unpaid hours, but most will roster overtime. Junior doctors stay back for a number of reasons including dealing with a sick patient on the ward, finishing ward round/clinic/theatre late, waiting to hand information about their patients to evening/night staff, preparing for the next day or for educational reasons. I would say that doctors finish later a lot more than they finish earlier. As Bearman, says it could be like any other job (I have nothing to compare to).

Working length is also dependent on rotation. Surgical rotations usually end up having longer hours. Psychiatry is pretty cruisy. ED is shift work, but is intense due to the constant patient load. Barring rotation differences, non-trainees work the same amount as interns (otherwise Bearman has a good handle of the numbers).

I would say that clinical specialties including ED, GP, pathology, psychiatry seem to offer the most work-life balance throughout training and consultancy. I wouldn't say that you could pick any speciality and expect to have a good work-life balance. It can be a job or a life undertaking. It all depends on you.