If the Doctor offered you a trip in the TARDIS...

Amnesiac_ie

A question for posters with a medical degree...

If you could go back in time would you still choose to study medicine?

I try not to think about "what could have been" but if I had my time over I would not have studied medicine. It's eight years since I did my Leaving Cert and I'm working 60+ hours a week. I'm treated like dirt for a lot of the working week, in a way I was never treated in any of the low paid jobs I worked before becomign a doctor. I have no long term job security; I'm still studying for endless exams and really feel I'm missing out on various other aspects of my life.

If I could take a spin in the TARDIS I would convince my 17 year old self to go to college and do a broadbased degree after the Leaving and then to do some travelling before making any other career decisions.

What would other posters do?

haemfire

look at my situation, i'm praying iget a 2.1 so i am at least eligible to sit the gamsat and am even comtemplating going to hungary to study medicine, while one of my lecturers is a qualified doc(public health ) and after all that training spends her working day talkin to us about case control studies

sunnyjim

Haemfire:

You've claimed to have gotten results from the GAMSAT. You've also claimed to have done the leaving cert 6 years ago. You've given 2 different accounts of your LC score. You've gone on about doing Biomed Science, yet claim to have gotten a 2.1 in Business studies. In a thread that was locked in PI, you claimed that you've been donating blood for the last 3 years since you became eligable.

What's up?

DrIndy

Amnesiac_ie wrote: »

A question for posters with a medical degree...

If you could go back in time would you still choose to study medicine?

I try not to think about "what could have been" but if I had my time over I would not have studied medicine. It's eight years since I did my Leaving Cert and I'm working 60+ hours a week. I'm treated like dirt for a lot of the working week, in a way I was never treated in any of the low paid jobs I worked before becomign a doctor. I have no long term job security; I'm still studying for endless exams and really feel I'm missing out on various other aspects of my life.

If I could take a spin in the TARDIS I would convince my 17 year old self to go to college and do a broadbased degree after the Leaving and then to do some travelling before making any other career decisions.

What would other posters do?

Go to australia.

Oops - already there! ;-)

haemfire

im a mature student

laura27314

I'm not medical, I'm dental, but the stresses seem to be similar enough! I'm still in college but also feel like my life has been surrendered for the duration.

If I could go back in time I think I would try desperately to convince myself to ignore the 'prestige' element of jobs, and to some extent but less emphasis on what I can earn. I think if I could do it again I'd study nutrition, horticulture, or train to be a chef (or baker). I am still young and I think I should finnish out Dentistry because I've put so much in but I can't see myself working full time at it. I'm strongly considering doing a certificate in horticulture next year which I can then expand on after I qualify. My ideal situation would be 2 days a week to pay the bills, move out of the city, and pursue my other interests 5 days a week, have a family etc. Hopefully it can become a reality.

haemfire

i did first year of medicine and then dropped out to become a mechanic

haemfire

i can imagine stressing yourself for medicine, but y in the name of god wou some1 want to postpone their life for teeth,

tallaght01

I would have gone to Oz earlier, and would have worried less about getting onto competitive rotations as an SHO.

If there were only strictly clinical careers on offer in med, then I'd have regretted it. But, I love doing public health, with the bit of paeds and my refugee clinic that I do on the side.

So, wouldn't change much as things stand. ut would have done less hours in the last few years.

tallaght01

haemfire wrote: »

look at my situation, i'm praying iget a 2.1 so i am at least eligible to sit the gamsat and am even comtemplating going to hungary to study medicine, while one of my lecturers is a qualified doc(public health ) and after all that training spends her working day talkin to us about case control studies

You're aware that not everyone works in A+E, aren't you??

haemfire wrote: »

i can imagine stressing yourself for medicine, but y in the name of god wou some1 want to postpone their life for teeth,

Dental problems are important to people, as well as being potentially complex, and are often important in the broader context.

My nan's dentist just removed some of her teeth while she's on warfarin. She needed them out so she would be allowed to go for cardiac surgery. I'm pretty glad tghat dentist worked hard at uni!

haemfire

on a side note, which SHO rotations are competitive to get on?

angeldelight

I'm a pharmacy graduate - I'd go back to when I was 4 and persuade my parents to let em start primary school at 4 not 5 so I'd have qualified last year and earned 20k a year more than I will now! I'd still pick pharmacy though, I love it no matter the money, it would just be nice

haemfire

I BET UR STILL ON 50K + A YEAR:D:D:D

angeldelight

haemfire wrote: »

I BET UR STILL ON 50K + A YEAR:D:D:D

Still doing my pre-reg at the min but I more than likely won't be - the generally highest paying for newly qualifieds is paying circa 50 but I don't want to work there and from what I've seen others are offering about 40-45

Dr Galen

part of me would go back and do nursing straight from when I left school, and not have had to go down the mature student route. but then another part of me thinks that I wouldn't have enjoyed it all half as much if I had of been younger.

I actually wanted to do medicine on leaving school, but in the last 2 years of school a lot of life stuff got in the way and I took the eye off the ball and did't get the points. I think I'd go back a few years with the winning lotto ticket for a decent sized draw, that way I could have gone on and done post-grad medicine somewhere and not have had to worry about the money

sam34

all things considered, i would do medicine again, and i would still go into psychiatry. there is simply no other career i would rather have,(apart from being an astronaut, but i have accepted thats not gonna happen!)

however, looking back i do think that i was a bit naive and i really had no idea what i was letting myself in for, in terms of workload, conditions, duration of training etc.

Traumadoc

Yep,I would do it again, there were a few bad years as a registrar, but came good in the end.

DrIndy

Medicine all the way and ED with it - shift work is anti-social but the job is varied, interesting and fun. You bring people back from the brink one minute and then 30 minutes later you see someone who has had thrush for the last week!

I sometimes think back about doing engineering (maths and physics were my best and easiest subjects to study) but I know I couldn't handle an office (I loathed outpatients when I did medicine and used to actively find patients to "review" and families to meet to dodge out of it! )

drzhivago

Traumadoc wrote: »

Yep,I would do it again, there were a few bad years as a registrar, but came good in the end.

Interesting Topic
I remember IMO did a study on this among IMO members in either 2001 or 2002

46% of NCHDs would not choose medicine again, that was kind of understandable given that its a transitory job and that its the most unstable part of your career

Strangely 30% of consultants I think said they wouldnt do it again either

I am sure it is available on their website
It was called the benchmark survey or study if I recall correctly

Amnesiac_ie

46% in the IMO study; yet I appear to be on my own here! Having said that, I'm still young and anyone I have discussed this with has invariably asked "What's stopping you from leaving now then?" and I've never been able to fully answer them or myself.

I do love the idea of being Ireland's first astronaut though!

sam34

Amnesiac_ie wrote: »

I do love the idea of being Ireland's first astronaut though!

i met neil armstrong once - thats as close as i'll get i'd say.

unless i win the euromilions or ryanair start doing space tourism...

drzhivago

Amnesiac_ie wrote: »

46% in the IMO study; yet I appear to be on my own here! Having said that, I'm still young and anyone I have discussed this with has invariably asked "What's stopping you from leaving now then?" and I've never been able to fully answer them or myself.

I do love the idea of being Ireland's first astronaut though!

http://www.imo.ie/IMOPage_3_54.aspx?ID=460&No=0

is the link for that
mea culpa it was only 42% of NCHDs

drzhivago

Amnesiac_ie wrote: »

I do love the idea of being Ireland's first astronaut though!

Sorry that honour has gone, well one current consultant did go through the astronaut training program during his working period in the US but unfortunately did not get to go on a mission


Answers on a post card please

Traumadoc

http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/candidates/english/bolger_claran.htm

drzhivago

Traumadoc wrote: »

http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/candidates/english/bolger_claran.htm

well done that man
a pint for you trauma when ever we meet

eth0_

sunnyjim wrote: »

Haemfire:

You've claimed to have gotten results from the GAMSAT. You've also claimed to have done the leaving cert 6 years ago. You've given 2 different accounts of your LC score. You've gone on about doing Biomed Science, yet claim to have gotten a 2.1 in Business studies. In a thread that was locked in PI, you claimed that you've been donating blood for the last 3 years since you became eligable.

What's up?

Agreed. Ban this Walter Mitty goon!

"i have a 2.1 in business from sligo IT, i cant believe it, this time 6 years ago I got 225 points in my LC, just worked like a dog for the last year." <-- Haemfire

"I am 19 and have been going out with a girl for about 3 years" <-- Haemfire

"to quote from my training in the IBTS" <-- Haemfire

Vorsprung

drzhivago wrote: »

well done that man
a pint for you trauma when ever we meet

<information removed by request - drindy>

eth0_

Hmm no reply from Haemfire on the stuff i've called him out on.

CAUGHT ROTTEN!

tallaght01

c'mon etho, you're just stirring now. I don't think you're the only one to have doubts about haemfire's background, but he's not breaking any rules at the moment.

drkpower

drzhivago wrote: »

Sorry that honour has gone, well one current consultant did go through the astronaut training program during his working period in the US but unfortunately did not get to go on a mission


Answers on a post card please

There is a story about him that a friend who knows him always tells me but i've always found dubious.....

Apparently, he was on call and on his way into beaumount on an emergency. He was stopped by a Garda cause he was speeding. He insisted that he was in an emergency and needed to get to hospital asap. The Garda enquired what the rush was to which Bolger replied, "Im a Brain Surgeon" to which the Garda replied, "sure, and I bet your an astronaut aswell........". Cue hilarity all round.

Told you it was dubious but my buddy insists its true......

Dr Galen

long story why

but i had to get to a certain hospital in Louth once for a medical emergency. was in St James at the time. Got stopped by a bike Garda for going a little fast. explained the story, told him he could ring and verify. he was sound, believed me. and gave me an escort through Drumcondra and up the M1. Was soooo cool!