Life after graduate medicine

Quirke3

Just wondering what the money's like once you graduate from GEM. Do you get paid in your first year after graduating? Does it go up each year? Or does it not change until you are fully qualified?

I am in NO WAY AT ALL entering medicine for the money so please don't give me a lecture about it.
I am also fully aware that the hours you work as a graduate are extreme, extreme enough to not be able to hold down a part time job, hell there's not even enough time to sleep therefore I would like a rough estimate of the expected income in the years following graduation.

While like I said I'm not in this for the money if I cant afford to put a roof over my head after I graduate I will seriously have to start considering other options.

Also how many years training does it take until you are fully qualified?

Pookla

When you graduate medical school you are a professional doctor and get paid for this work.

Your pay does increment (as does the pay for all public sector workers).

The time it takes to reach "fully qualified" (i.e. registered on the specialist register) is highly variable. The shortest is 5 years once awarded with your medical degree to become a GP (and being lucky enough to get on the training scheme straight away and pass all of your exams straight away on the first go).

Money will be tight as you will have to pay for courses, exams, extra training etc. etc. (the HSE will refund you less than half of the cost for a small number of these courses).

You are very likely to need to undertake a masters degree of a PhD at some point if you work in a hospital based specialty. You will need to pay for this yourself.

Most of your overtime is not paid.

I would strongly advise you doing a lot of your own independent research before considering committing yourself to this.

RickDeckard1

Hi Pookla, do you know if that applies to emergency medicine as well?

Pookla

It does and it doesn't.

The training takes 7 years total from when you begin the training scheme (so 8 overall if you include internship).

It's difficult and the conditions can be horrendous (the manner in which the public and the media will treat you is consistently shocking and deplorable) but you won't do quite as much unpaid overtime (they work in shifts so it's harder for management to fail to pay you).

It's one of the most challenging fields to work in (none of them at all are easy tbh but this is notably demanding) but the training is particularly well structured. It's run officially by the royal college of surgeons and they've recently overhauled the whole programme.

RickDeckard1

That does sound pretty gruelling but seems like shift work has its advantages in regards to overtime. Its the speciality that I'd be most interested in pursuing. Im pleasantly surprised that the training is particularly good though. That saves having to jump to England for interning. Thanks for your reply Pookla

sReq | uTeK

Is achieving consultant doable starting medical school at 32?

Pookla

Yes, it is. Starting at 32 puts you finishing at about 38. You'd finish internship at 39 or so and then be a consultant by about 50 or so.

Nonoperational

Pookla wrote: »

When you graduate medical school you are a professional doctor and get paid for this work.

Your pay does increment (as does the pay for all public sector workers).

The time it takes to reach "fully qualified" (i.e. registered on the specialist register) is highly variable. The shortest is 5 years once awarded with your medical degree to become a GP (and being lucky enough to get on the training scheme straight away and pass all of your exams straight away on the first go).

Money will be tight as you will have to pay for courses, exams, extra training etc. etc. (the HSE will refund you less than half of the cost for a small number of these courses).

You are very likely to need to undertake a masters degree of a PhD at some point if you work in a hospital based specialty. You will need to pay for this yourself.

Most of your overtime is not paid.

I would strongly advise you doing a lot of your own independent research before considering committing yourself to this.

That's not true in my experience. Have never not been paid OT.

Pookla

Nonoperational wrote: »

That's not true in my experience. Have never not been paid OT.

Then you are unbelievably lucky. I actually feel compelled to ask if you're definitely a doctor.

I've found this to be a widespread problem in Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Galway, Castlebar and Sligo.

You are one of very few I've ever met who hasn't had an issue.

You must also be able to always leave on time!

sReq | uTeK

Pookla wrote: »

Yes, it is. Starting at 32 puts you finishing at about 38. You'd finish internship at 39 or so and then be a consultant by about 50 or so.

I'd be doing GEM so finishing at 36, 4 years compared to 6.

Nonoperational

Pookla wrote: »

Then you are unbelievably lucky. I actually feel compelled to ask if you're definitely a doctor.

I've found this to be a widespread problem in Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Galway, Castlebar and Sligo.

You are one of very few I've ever met who hasn't had an issue.

You must also be able to always leave on time!

I've only worked in Cork. Have been paid every cent of rostered and unrostered OT for the 1.5 years I've been working.

j.mcdrmd

"You may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all the time."

Who knows who said it, that is not important. What is important is that it is true.

I asked Doctors a slightly different question.

"Have you been paid everything you were owed by the HSE?"

To a Doctor the answer was "NO."