Offer of Medicine, thinking bout not taking it.

MLH1

Got an offer on UL medicine, from GAMSAT result 2 years ago, am I mad not to take it. Just when I look at 4 years of college, intern year, SHO years, bringing me to ten years time, no guarantees - actually probably impossible to stay in the Country I dunno, I am in my mid 20's and cant see the motivation. Nothing is ever written in stone, could always resit the GAMSAT in years again. Cant believe UL went so low, not entering into a chat about UL bashing please. Any info gratefully appreciated.

opinion guy

If you really want to do medicine do it. Then again if you are not that pushed don't.
I wouldn't kid yourself that you could always sit it again in the future - the road ahead will be just as long and you will be older.
Time abroad will likely always be a part of Irish docs careers at one point or another. But abroad can just be the UK of course.
Seems like now is your time to make decision, no ?

imported_guy

if you're not motivated enough dont do it and pass your place on ... someone might be dying to take it on the waiting list... you might end up wasting 13-15k or what ever the fee is if you accept and then get second thoughts later on...

Mack_1111

Hey,

I'm 32 and went back to college last year as a mature student to study medicine. 1st year down and looking down the barrel of another 4 years as well, but I'm looking forward to it! It's an interesting course, challenging and rewarding.

If you'r going for medicine for the right reasons and if you think you have an aptitude for it then I'd say go for it.

If you want to know more send me a PM.

MLH1

Well its more the though of how could I live with myself if I missed something in a patient and they died or were left with a preventable illness as a result of it.

imported_guy

MLH1 wrote: »

Well its more the though of how could I live with myself if I missed something in a patient and they died or were left with a preventable illness as a result of it.

sorry if i sound condecending but thats something you think about before sitting the gamsat/embarking on a new career. all is not lost though if thats the only reason, you should accept it, its part of the job you lose people but you also save people. you could later on chose a speciality where you dont have to deal with people dying (much), dermatology, opthamology, diagnostic radiology, pain management how ever theres only so much shelter you can have from seeing people die, there would obviously be senarios in the above mentioned specialities where you might have patients die.

ballsymchugh

when you're in a hospital, you'll have a team of people around you that will have been doing their work for years, so will be able to point you in the right direction.
then, if you're still not sure, you can call your consultant. the worst thing you can do is fire ahead if you're not sure. there's always people to ask.
even if you go the GP route, once in a while someone will come in that doesn't have a cold or something and you'll be racking your brains trying to remember what it is. your phone will be beside you and you can refer on to someone who will know.
i know plenty of people who went back to do medicine in their mid 20's and have gotten on well in it.
what are you doing now if you don't mind me asking? there's very very few people who reach the top of their non-sporting career in their late 20s.

MLH1

Currently I am work in a lab. 9-5 regular hours, not running about the place, prospect of good wages and eventually permanent job. Would be 12-15 years before I would have a job in medicine where I would be in the same place year after year.

spagboll

time wasters need not apply

Larianne

You have to ask yourself why you applied for Medicine in the first place.

ballsymchugh

12-15 years would be an extremely long haul these times. you can get training programs that take 6-8 years nowadays, but due to funding cuts, you'd need to factor in a year or 2 in the UK/USA/Canada.
if you don't want to settle in one place, then you really shouldn't be in any job looking for a permanent position. that argument doesn't make sense.

MLH1

Well sat the GAMSAT initially, as I was unemployed and really wanted to be a doctor, about 2 years ago, but honestly think that has all gone by the wayside, really cant believe how UL went to 54* is anyone else so shocked by this?

Larianne

MLH1 wrote: »

Well sat the GAMSAT initially, as I was unemployed and really wanted to be a doctor, about 2 years ago, but honestly think that has all gone by the wayside, really cant believe how UL went to 54* is anyone else so shocked by this?

Well don't accept the offer and allow someone who has their heart and soul set on doing medicine take the place.

MLH1

ballsymchugh wrote: »

if you don't want to settle in one place, then you really shouldn't be in any job looking for a permanent position. that argument doesn't make sense.

No sorry I mean I dont want to be a 35 year old doctor, moving from Letterkenny to Waterford to Dundalk every 6 months, when the rest of my piers are settled, sorry for the confusion.

imported_guy

MLH1 wrote: »

Well sat the GAMSAT initially, as I was unemployed and really wanted to be a doctor, about 2 years ago, but honestly think that has all gone by the wayside, really cant believe how UL went to 54* is anyone else so shocked by this?

well yes we are shocked lol, more shocked at people with 55s wanting to refuse because now all of a sudden they dont want to study medicine or dont want to do it at UL cause thats all they were able to get etc, some people would be happy to study medicine from a cave in afghanistan given the opportunity and a internationally recognized degree parchment at the end of it all

ballsymchugh

MLH1 wrote: »

No sorry I mean I dont want to be a 35 year old doctor, moving from Letterkenny to Waterford to Dundalk every 6 months, when the rest of my piers are settled, sorry for the confusion.

ah ok. you need to think about number 1 though. a good training program is usually centred in one area (near what some might call a centre of excellence!) so if you get through unscathed and have a fair idea where you want to end up, then the moving won't be that big a deal. you'd only be moving like that if you apply for posts at the last minute.

MLH1

Thanks for all the imput guys I def keep ye posted.

imported_guy

MLH1 wrote: »

Thanks for all the imput guys I def keep ye posted.

deffo! and what ever your decision let us know what influenced it incase someone else is in this position next year! good luck!

theg81der

MLH1 wrote: »

Well its more the though of how could I live with myself if I missed something in a patient and they died or were left with a preventable illness as a result of it.

The fact that you care makes you a better candidate than a lot of docs out there at the moment. If your cabable of doing the course and your health and stamina allow you to put up with the first few difficult training years why not? At worst you have a portable qualification with access to any country in the world at best you have an opportunity to make a difference in the world.

I hope you always care if you make the mistakes, there aren`t enough good doctors out there! Wish I had you aptitude and ability.

bluewall

I'm sorry but this is why the Irish system needs to change!! It allows too many people to dip their toes into the water with no commitment or intentions of following through. In no other country would this be acceptable. Aside from the academics and exam scores you need to get through interviews, display a relevant CV with adequate work experience - show true commitment to your future cause!!

It's very sad to see, especially when other people with good aspirations miss out.

IMO, If you decide to go ahead with the offer then keep up the research on career paths and work hard toward where you want to go. If, as you say, you have been working in labs and happen to be involved with studies & research paper's etc then you are doing yourself a lot of favours when it comes to applying for training posts and so on.

Otherwise you should step aside and give someone else a fair chance. The longer you leave it, the more you are disadvantaging some one else coming in late to the course - finding accommodation, orientation of libraries/lecture theatres, new books & info, catching up on missed work - the list goes on. Never mind the 13k you'll lose if you start and then drop out!!

Best of luck with whatever you do. You're making a bold but wise decision if you take a place on any medical course. But one thing, expect to work bloody hard because it's very different to sitting in a lab 9-5 every day (I did it myself for 2 years) I can tell you!!

opinion guy

theg81der wrote: »

The fact that you care makes you a better candidate than a lot of docs out there at the moment. If your cabable of doing the course and your health and stamina allow you to put up with the first few difficult training years why not? At worst you have a portable qualification with access to any country in the world at best you have an opportunity to make a difference in the world.

I hope you always care if you make the mistakes, there aren`t enough good doctors out there! Wish I had you aptitude and ability.

This x 1000.

For what its worth OP - you are the type of person we need as doctors. please ignore all this guff about moving aside for people who really want it etc. We actually need people like you with standards, ethics and a conscience to come in and challenge the system. We don't need more mindless drones who always wanted to be a doctor so badly they will work through an unchallenged retarded system without complaint that puts lives at risk only to settle down and reap the rewards with a nice fat consultant job after "serving their time".

MonDieu

If its any consolation MLH1, I'm on the fence as well. Received a offer of a place in UCC and while I'm delighted to get it and have done oodles of research, thinking about the next 8-10 years is a little daunting and scary. Reckon its now or never for me as I'm turning 29 this year, but I'm going to take the weekend to decide. Remember, its your decision at the end of the day and I wish you the best of luck with it!

Nonoperational

I just finished first year GEM. I found the thought of going back much worse then the reality of being there. It was a great year, really enjoyed it.

Your point about making a mistake or missing something is understandable, but in reality it becomes less and less of an issue as you go forward. If you act honestly and within the your area of expertise and do the best you can for the patient then you won't be doing anything wrong.

Wilhelmet

bluewall wrote: »

I'm sorry but this is why the Irish system needs to change!! It allows too many people to dip their toes into the water with no commitment or intentions of following through. In no other country would this be acceptable. Aside from the academics and exam scores you need to get through interviews, display a relevant CV with adequate work experience - show true commitment to your future cause!!

It's very sad to see, especially when other people with good aspirations miss out.

Gotta say, I completely agree. The irish system needs to tighten up it's application procedure to make sure that people are as committed as possible before they are allowed to study. In the UK, you won't even get a sniff of a place if you haven't put in an immense amount of work experience in advance (I'm talking at least 6 months, but more like 1 year plus), and written a personal statement that absolutely 100% convinces them that you have thought your choices through and are committed to doing this, and for the right reasons, and ONLY then, do you actually get an interview, by which they determine if you're a genuine case or not. Medicine isn't just a career choice.....as mentioned above, there are serious consequences in it as a job. It deserves to have people doing it that are certain they want to it. It demands it, really. The irish system needs to come up to speed on this.

Sorry MLH1, please don't think I'm having a go.....far from it. But as someone mentioned above, there are probably people who would give their right lung to study medicine in a shack in afghanistan, let alone the opportunity you have.....and age will be the furthest thing from their mind. I'm 30, and will be starting this year......and really, I couldn't give a monkey about the years, and I'm uprooting my life completely to do it. I'm not saying everyone has to have that 'extreme' commitment....but I just know that I need to study it, and I know it's not going to go away.

But really, best of luck with the decision, though. Just think it through fully..

bubbleking

re the application procedure

because Ireland is such a small place (in relative terms) we cannot adopt the same college entrance methods as the UK. Someone is bound to know someone on the interview comittee or the personal statement could be taken in a bias way.

The CAO and the GAMSAT is designed to pick the best canditates and is the fairest way that cannot include bias.

Im not saying I agree with it but its hard to change something that is 100% fair

Wilhelmet

bubbleking wrote: »

re the application procedure

because Ireland is such a small place (in relative terms) we cannot adopt the same college entrance methods as the UK. Someone is bound to know someone on the interview comittee or the personal statement could be taken in a bias way.

The CAO and the GAMSAT is designed to pick the best canditates and is the fairest way that cannot include bias.

Im not saying I agree with it but its hard to change something that is 100% fair

Yeah, I know what you mean bubbleking, and unfortunately you're right. I mean, if they had the system here that they have in the UK, the gamsat pass score for 'just an interview' would probably be in the 40's!!

But yeah, it's just disappointing that there isn't something a tad more comprehensive to judge people going into the profession. But like I said, you're right, it's hard to see what could be done for a country like/the size of Ireland. I do think they should insist on some work experience though, just to show a basic level of commitment, beyond academia.

opinion guy

Sorry MLH1, please don't think I'm having a go.....far from it. But as someone mentioned above, there are probably people who would give their right lung to study medicine in a shack in afghanistan, let alone the opportunity you have.....and age will be the furthest thing from their mind.

This does not qualify someone to do the job. MLH1 got better grades. If someone really wants it they can apply again next year.

Wilhelmet wrote: »

and written a personal statement that absolutely 100% convinces them that you have thought your choices through and are committed to doing this, and for the right reasons, and ONLY then, do you actually get an interview, by which they determine if you're a genuine case or not.

Personal statements are a god-awful, formulaic, inefficient, arbitrary way of judging whether someone is fit for a job or not (much less an interview for a course for a job) and the entire concept should be pissed on, burned with fire, doused in acid, sealed into a canister, and sent back to America whence such notions have come from in the first place

Wilhelmet

opinion guy wrote: »

Personal statements are a god-awful, formulaic, inefficient, arbitrary way of judging whether someone is fit for a job or not (much less an interview for a course for a job) and the entire concept should be pissed on, burned with fire, doused in acid, sealed into a canister, and sent back to America whence such notions have come from in the first place

While I'm certainly no fan of them myself, they only really make sense in the specific context of the other UK application requirements. Ie: The personal statement is used by the applicant to discuss the details of the work experience/etc they've carried out, and is then used in the interview as something for the interviewer to use to ask questions against.

On it's own, sure.....turd-water, pretty much. But it serves a purpose when put together with the other elements required.

Wilhelmet

opinion guy wrote: »

This does not qualify someone to do the job. MLH1 got better grades. If someone really wants it they can apply again next year.


Ok, of course MLH1 got better grades and is therefore perfectly entitled to take their rightful place, no one is questioning that. However, they're also asking for advice about whether they 'should' or not, and whether it will be right for them.....which was the point of that comment.

opinion guy

Wilhelmet wrote: »

opinion guy wrote: »

This does not qualify someone to do the job. MLH1 got better grades. If someone really wants it they can apply again next year.


Ok come on, this is a bit pedantic. Of course MLH1 got better grades and is therefore perfectly entitled to take their rightful place, no one is disputing that. However, they're also is asking (this whole threads' point) for advice about whether they 'should' or not, and whether it will be right for them.....which was the whole point of that comment.

But the guy is entitled to his doubts is he not ? He entitled to ponder his decision before making it ? He's taking real stock of his fears, and giving genuine consideration to the commitment. Frankly I think he should be applauded. Instead he is being beaten up by those who seem outraged that he dare ponder things. Let me guess - you all didn't get in first time or via your preferred route???

Just because someone is gun-ho to do medicine does not mean they are any more likely to get through it that MLH1. In fact I think if MLH1 runs into problems along the way he will have at least had mature reflection done ahead of time and less likely to freak out. The gun-ho wannabe docs who haven't ever considered doing anything else are far more likely to freak out and crash out if you ask me

imported_guy

opinion guy wrote: »

But the guy is entitled to his doubts is he not ? He entitled to ponder his decision before making it ? He's taking real stock of his fears, and giving genuine consideration to the commitment. Frankly I think he should be applauded. Instead he is being beaten up by those who seem outraged that he dare ponder things. Let me guess - you all didn't get in first time or via your preferred route???

Just because someone is gun-ho to do medicine does not mean they are any more likely to get through it that MLH1. In fact I think if MLH1 runs into problems along the way he will have at least had mature reflection done ahead of time and less likely to freak out. The gun-ho wannabe docs who haven't ever considered doing anything else are far more likely to freak out and crash out if you ask me

if i'm a consultant, i'd rather have an active 26 year old as an intern rather than an unmotivated 36 year old. that is all.

opinion guy

imported_guy wrote: »

if i'm a consultant, i'd rather have an active 26 year old as an intern rather than an unmotivated 36 year old. that is all.

Well if you are a consultant you are not going to notice your interns anyhow :P

Why do you assume that because he has having doubts that he is now, or will be in 5 years unmotivated ?

Wilhelmet

opinion guy wrote: »

Wilhelmet wrote: »

But the guy is entitled to his doubts is he not ? He entitled to ponder his decision before making it ? He's taking real stock of his fears, and giving genuine consideration to the commitment. Frankly I think he should be applauded. Instead he is being beaten up by those who seem outraged that he dare ponder things. Let me guess - you all didn't get in first time or via your preferred route???

Just because someone is gun-ho to do medicine does not mean they are any more likely to get through it that MLH1. In fact I think if MLH1 runs into problems along the way he will have at least had mature reflection done ahead of time and less likely to freak out. The gun-ho wannabe docs who haven't ever considered doing anything else are far more likely to freak out and crash out if you ask me

Oh come on, 'being beaten up'? Of course it's great for someone to be pondering whether it is the right thing to do or not.....of course it is. Everyone should do so, and all our responses in the world shouldn't have any bearing on their eventual decision. MLH1, if you're reading, apologies if anything above seemed in any way heavy-handed.

I guess I'm coming from the point of view that medicine is something that should probably be 'pondered' upon as such:

A - Before you actually apply.
B - If not then, then once you have your gamsat and before you get the actual offer.
C - Basically, you should probably know if you want to do it or not before it's 4 weeks until the course actually starts.

This isn't an IT course. (no disrespect to IT, of course) It's not something that someone does on a whim, is it? I mean, most of us are looking at 4 years of intense study (at least), and 100k in debt (again, at least).

Once again, apologies MLH1, I really don't mean this aimed at you. To be honest, I completely related to the fear you mentioned about 'people dying' and stuff. That's one that constantly sticks in my brain.....and I'm just hoping that it's a normal thing, and possibly a good sign. But yeah, it still freaks me out a bit. This is the first time I've applied to study medicine, and am absolutely delighted to be have gotten in...and at the age of 30, have had plenty of time to have "considered doing anything else". I'm not really interested in shooting back and forth opinion_guy.....but hope these points make sense.

Apologies MLH1 if anything seemed heavy.....really hope you make the right decision for you. That's all that matters in the end. Really, best of luck..

MLH1

Thanks for all the imput guys, but I dunno, lets be honest it was pretty easy to get into medicine in UL, considering at first round it 54*,from watching the front line a few months ago and seeing 30 year old docs, I'd be 35/6 at the same stage in a medical career, working 90 -100 hour weeks regularly, with the prospect of having to emigrate to america for the rest of their life in a year or two if they want to continue! I dont know, at that stage I like a regular 9-5 job, no worries about huge hours, making life and death decisions, no matter what anyone says its a huge decision to order the administration of any medication into another human being. I reapplied this year with a score of 55 never thinking I would get a place, and probably would be alot happier if I didnt, reapplied as a matter of form, I wont be depriving anyone a place because it will go to the second round. Even today at work I encountered a Consultant in a particular area unsure about a type of medication to give to a patient in an area fairly closely related to his field.

FrankAmazing

for what it's worth, you have until october 31st to get your fees back if you start the course and dont like it and drop out.

MLH1

FrankAmazing wrote: »

for what it's worth, you have until october 31st to get your fees back if you start the course and dont like it and drop out.

Definately wouldnt do that

jtsuited

MLH1 wrote: »

Thanks for all the imput guys, but I dunno, lets be honest it was pretty easy to get into medicine in UL, considering at first round it 54*,from watching the front line a few months ago and seeing 30 year old docs, I'd be 35/6 at the same stage in a medical career, working 90 -100 hour weeks regularly, with the prospect of having to emigrate to america for the rest of their life in a year or two if they want to continue! I dont know, at that stage I like a regular 9-5 job, no worries about huge hours, making life and death decisions, no matter what anyone says its a huge decision to order the administration of any medication into another human being. I reapplied this year with a score of 55 never thinking I would get a place, and probably would be alot happier if I didnt, reapplied as a matter of form, I wont be depriving anyone a place because it will go to the second round. Even today at work I encountered a Consultant in a particular area unsure about a type of medication to give to a patient in an area fairly closely related to his field.

I think you're really letting this life/death/holy-sh1t-i-just-killed-somebody-by-accident hypothetical situation get to you too much.

Statistically speaking, doctors inadvertently kill people every day. The laws of probability and the complexity of human biology are the reason for this. Nothing is ever 100% safe (and not just in medicine, going out the door of your house you take risks).

The flipside of being able to save lives is that you run the risk of taking them.
In much the same way, the flipside of living a real life (as in not hiding in a bunker somehwere) is running the risk that you may die at any moment from any number of uncontrollable things.

opinion guy

jtsuited wrote: »

I think you're really letting this life/death/holy-sh1t-i-just-killed-somebody-by-accident hypothetical situation get to you too much.

Statistically speaking, doctors inadvertently kill people every day. The laws of probability and the complexity of human biology are the reason for this. Nothing is ever 100% safe (and not just in medicine, going out the door of your house you take risks).

The flipside of being able to save lives is that you run the risk of taking them.
In much the same way, the flipside of living a real life (as in not hiding in a bunker somehwere) is running the risk that you may die at any moment from any number of uncontrollable things.

Indeed. OP bus drivers hold many lives in their hands on a daily basis too

kate.m

I applied for undergraduate medicine ( and I'm not one of those psyho teenagers with med. already programmed into my head.... I think I rather be a nurse)

I think if you really want to be a doctor, you will take the place. I know you're uncertain but think of the pros and cons. If you are only interested in being a doctor go for it. If not, don't.

It sounds to me like you have already convinced yourself not to do it. ( sorry if I'm wrong)
I have no doubt that you would make a fantastic doctor though if thats what you want.

Also...in relation to what earlier posters said, what do you mean By having work experience? I did volunteering in the hospice for close on a year, and trailed around a few doctors in two hospitals.....Does that count as work experience?

line_of_fire

I understand where MHL1 is coming from. I also recieved an offer and am considering not taking it. I always wanted to be a doc when I was in school but never actually felt it was possible in school so studied Biomedical Science( which I loved). It was only when I qualified and could not get a job that I realised that the opportunity to become a doctor was still there. Since applying for medicine I have started working and am currently very happy with my life.

I feel that I need a few years of actually living, travelling, not been broke and just been a 23 year old before I commit myself to medicine, which is a life altering decision.

I know many would give there right arm to be doctor, but in my opinion I will make a better Doctor further down the line when I am ready to give 100% of me to it and not just do it because the opportunity arose. However in saying that my head is melted waying up the pros and cons of both. heres hoping i make the right decision!

tiredcity

I think this thread is actually really important and it's great to see a (mostly) mature discussion on the subject. I love our class, half of whom are North Americans, but it's very interesting to see the split in perceptions about medicine. The vast majority of the NAs have lived, breathed and dreamed of medicine their entire lives. They won't even countenance doing something else by the time they end up in medical school. This is partly the product of even more whopper fees than we're subjected to and having to jump through many hoops (interviews, MCAT etc) to get there, but also many have been disappointed with failed applications at home and so their continued determination to find a way to do the course speaks to their certainty that this is what they want to do for the rest of their lives. They'll never admit otherwise anyway

At the opposite extreme are the Irish. Off the top of the head I can think of over a third of that cohort in our class - including myself - who admitted at one time or another to a serious period of doubt as to whether medicine was right for them. None of us are feckless idiots, we'd all done well on the GAMSAT and thought long and hard (daily! for months/years!) about committing to the course prior to starting, but when confronted with the reality of sheer - and seemingly insurmountable - at times body of work to be absorbed and all the emotional stuff that comes with watching hard decisions at play in the hospital, you do naturally have fleeting thoughts of 'would the 9-5 be so bad?'. People had those episodes at different stages throughout the year. Personally I never thought I was 'good' enough for medicine after being a bit of a messer in school and was v intimidated by all these bright, enthusiastic people who seemed utterly fearless for the first day or two. I ended up going home after the first anatomy lab - a sort of baptism by fire - and crying for about 3 hours because I was so overwhelmed. Not by the cadaver itself but more the responsibilties learning this stuff would eventually lead to. I'd obviously worried about being in charge during life or death situations before and it still sometimes keeps me awake at night. I had someone talk me through it and decided to give it a chance, and I never had a day that bad again. Having finished first year and passed all my exams I can honestly say that I'm delighted I stuck it out this far. As we moved from classmates to friends the support network between us grew greatly and now there's always someone to talk to if you're having a rough day. That helps immensely.

I couldn't agree more with line_of_fire; get some living done first if you crave it. Being a couple of years older graduating is much less important than feeling in the right headspace when you do finally start (unless possibly you want to be a surgeon, but even then I know of older students determined to challenge that ageism). Medicine is constantly evolving and the health service in which we're working will never be perfect. It won't be an easy ride but the majority would - if pushed - still choose to do it because usually your reasons for even considering it are sound and it's those guiding principles which will push you forward. It's a very broad church and even if the science-intensive first 2 years may not seem right for you, the clinical setting is an entirely different world. Or vice versa. For me the best thing about medicine at this early stage has been a) the patients - it's amazing getting that kind of access to someone's life and having the potential to help and b) never being bored. Ever. It's fascinating and such a privilege to have access to this level of knowledge about something so fundamental to our everyday lives. In the future yes, everyone will make mistakes (approx 20% of diagnoses are found wrong at autopsy) but we've already had it drilled into us that no man is an island and when in doubt, there should always, ALWAYS, be someone more experienced to ask, even if sometimes that is of the scary 'wake your consultant' variety. Patient care is everything. Also owning up and saying 'I don't know' instead of bluffing if you're not sure. It's hard going in as a graduate student where you may have been one of the better students in your class previously only to realise that here, you feel like the biggest idiot in the world. Get used to it, keep learning, keep trying. The fact you care about making mistakes is, as others have said, an excellent indication that you would make a good (and safe) doctor some day. But just because you would doesn't mean you should, and medicine is not the be all and end all.

My final thought on this whole thing is if you are starting, it's going to feel like its eaten your life for a while. Don't let medicine become your sole identity because while that can sometimes be a blessing, it also seems to lead to alienated 'is this it?' type negative thoughts. Keep up your outside interests and read books other than medical books in the bit of free time you have and don't forget your old friends. It's a balancing act but having other things in your brain will help preserve sanity during exam season and keep things in perspective if you have a bad day.

Best of luck to all of you in making these decisions; if you choose to give it a go, it's a fantastic course and time flies!

Bonnieaurstomp

Wonderful post Tiredcity:)

drspock

Wow!!! that was such an honest and refreshing post. Thanks tiredcity

Wilhelmet

Fantastic post tiredcity. Really well said. And personally speaking, good to hear a lot of that stuff. I feel like printing it out and laminating it as a reminder for the next few years...

Thanks.

tiredcity

No prob guys, remember how I felt this time last year Lots of excitement but a fair bit of nerves too about the whole thing!

hurdygurdy85

Well I'm glad that some other people have felt or are feeling the same way as me. While I'm really excited and delighted at having accepted a place, it's now becoming a reality and the thoughts of "what-if's" and general uncertainty as to whether it would happen that were present before the offers came out have now been replaced with thoughts along the lines of "holy crap I've signed myself up for something really serious here!".

I guess we'll all have our freak attacks at some point. And it probably wouldn't be such a rewarding career if it didn't have some degree of responsibility.

It's nice to see other people being so honest about their experiences. Good encouragement for us newbies!

MLH1

Thanks for all the imput guys, offer closed today and I didnt take it, to be honest not in the right mind frame currently to be running round chasing my arse for the next 15 years, and dont think I could live with the responabilty of the job. I never though I would refuse a place in Limerick this time 2 years ago, but happy with my decision. One lesson I have learnt in life is never say never, except about one thing - death.

Hopefully prospective GEM's have learnt from this thread and I feel I probed several intereting topics by starting it.

Yillan

MLH1 wrote: »

One lesson I have learnt in life is never say never, except about one thing - death.

Where did you learn that?

dissed doc

MLH1 wrote: »

Got an offer on UL medicine, from GAMSAT result 2 years ago, am I mad not to take it. Just when I look at 4 years of college, intern year, SHO years, bringing me to ten years time, no guarantees - actually probably impossible to stay in the Country I dunno, I am in my mid 20's and cant see the motivation. Nothing is ever written in stone, could always resit the GAMSAT in years again. Cant believe UL went so low, not entering into a chat about UL bashing please. Any info gratefully appreciated.

Decide if you want to do medicine or not first. If you really do, then decide if it's worth leaving the country for. There is zero point in doing any postgraduate clinical training in Ireland given the job insecurity and financial pressures.

(people complain about doctors not caring about patients, but as we see in Maslow's hierarchy of needs - security of job, money comes first for everyone. Ireland doesn't provide that for doctors, instead moving them around on 6 month contracts, no home, no job for more than half a year - no wonder people burn out).

Seeing as you got the offer, you know if you will take it then or not and with all cards on the table if you really wanted it. Don't regret it, make the most of your life.

MLH1

Thanks for the post dissed doc, didnt take it just couldnt face into the 4 years of college to be only starting another looong path. I have a huge resoect for the medical profession and it frustrates me that the barriers are in place for doctors to do good by people. Hopefully James Reilly will sort this out.