Medicine; what happens after graduation?

Robbiethe3rd

Hey all, Im a med student myself an was wondering for all you docs out there, what happens with regard to choosing your speciality after you finish in med school.
I know you have to do your intern year but when exactly do you apply for a spot on a team as SHO etc (Im asking in particular about hospital orientated specialities including med, sugery & path). What can give you the edge as Im always hearing how almost everybody leaves med school with the same qualification and how difficult it is to tell you apart come interviews!

Is it really that competitive? are there any particulrly difficult areas to get a place on? Would love to hear some of your own experiences!

tallaght01

Hi Robbie.

When you leave medical school you become an intern for one year. During this time you usually do 6 months of adult medicine and 6 months of adult surgery. During this time people tend to get an idea about what specialty they would like to do. So roughly around march/april of your intern year you will start applying for SHO jobs.

Some people apply for SHO rotations (eg a medicine rotation, where you do different medical specialties every 6months for about 2 years).

Some people will apply for individual or "stand alone" 6 month jobs, because they want a broader range of experience (say to prepare for life as a GP) or they didn't get a place on a rotation this time around, or because they want to do a 6month job in a specialty before committing to a 2 year rotation.

During your time as an SHO you try and sit your exams to become a member of one of the royal colleges (which exam you sit depends on the specialty you want to work in). Unless you wish to become a GP, when I believe you sit your exams during your registrar year.

After life as an SHO, you become a registrar in your specialty. The length of time you spend as a regsistrar depends on what specialty you're doing.

Hope that helps.

DrIndy

Mostly right Tallaght 01

You do your intern year which is one year - generally its 6 months medicine and 6 months surgery apart from a small handful of jobs that allow slightly more.

After this, apply for a Training Scheme job, GPT or general professional training for Medicine, BST or Basic Surgical Training for surgery, or Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Psychiatry, Laboratory Medicine or General Practise.

These are the SHO years and are two years long as standard. During this time you should try to get your Membership exams to the college of your choice as you must have this to apply for a Specialist Registrar post - which in the end turns you into a consultant.

After this, then you will go on to an SpR job ideally, but because of the crazy shortage of training places, probably go abroad instead or bum around for a while as a Registrar before getting on a scheme job.....

tallaght01

Some jobs in the Uk allow, say, 8 months of medicine and 4 months of surgery, or vice versa. I have friends who have done 4 months medicine and surgery and then 4 months of GP, paeds or ICU.

I was never convinced by those jobs, as I think your intern year allows you a good chance to get to grips with the basics, rather than spending time in ICU or GP land where you'll essentially be a spare part (although it's a nice easy break away form the madness of inter life).

What do others think. Has anyone done one of these jobs?

Vorsprung

There's talk of 3 month Paeds/Obs and Gynae intern spots being able in some of the Dublin teaching hospitals too, it's hoped that this will start in the next few years.

So Indy, are all registrar jobs off-scheme them?

Pet

Do you get paid during your intern year, and if so, how much?

After your 2 years as SHO, what qualification does that give you? What sort of money do you earn from then on?

Vorsprung

Pet wrote:

Do you get paid during your intern year, and if so, how much?

After your 2 years as SHO, what qualification does that give you? What sort of money do you earn from then on?

Here's all the pay scales, the intern/sho ones are near the top on the 2nd spreadsheet (IMO has them too but their document is down). Interns start on 33k (since December) and you'll get a bit more on overtime, I think average is about 50k but it depends on how demanding the rotations you're assigned to are.

With the EWTD coming into force over the next few years, the DoHC say they're going to increase the basic pay for NCHDs which will counter the salary drop from less overtime. Overall, the salary of an NCHD working in 2012 (ie post EWTD implementation) will be slighly less than the equivilent grade pre-EWTD, but not by much apparently.

tallaght01

whatever you do, though, don't be a doc for the money. It's really really not worth it. If you want cash, work in the city, or become a pharmacist/optician/accountant.

Robbiethe3rd

thanks for the replies,

Is it particularly competitive for say surgery (& subspecialities) and is it a good idea to stay and do the RCSI training programme or would you be better going abroad for training (for any area, not just surgery)

Pet

tallaght01 wrote:

whatever you do, though, don't be a doc for the money. It's really really not worth it. If you want cash, work in the city, or become a pharmacist/optician/accountant.

Yeah, if I was in it for the money, I'd do dentistry, or become an accountant! I'm just concerned about student loans, and how quickly I can get rid of them (if I go for it, I'll be doing graduate medicine), as well as putting my dad's mind at ease...

I'm prob gonna end up an accountant! Or in corporate law..
Does that mean I'm gonna be rich???!!

Back on topic:
If I wanted to medicine as a grad.. is there a special grad course or is entry to a standard medicine course as a grad?