Considering studying Medicine, unsure

Adherence

Hello, I'm sure there's a lot of threads on this already however a lot of them are quite dated and I'd like to get an idea of how things are at the moment. I'm considering pursuing a career in medicine, however I am unsure about things like strenuous working hours and that. I'm aware there's supposedly a 48 hours working limit but I've also heard it's abused and people work a lot of unrostered overtime.

I'm capable of getting medicine (I think) as long as I put the work in. I'm aware the first few years of college aren't all that fun and consist of a lot of memorization, this doesn't bother me so much. What bothers me is working relentless hours as an SHO. So, any interns/SHO's and students (curious to hear the years in uni too)- what's it like? Are the hours that bad at the moment? What are the working conditions like?

All answers appreciated.

Under_Graduate

48 hour limit??

lol - I lived with a bunch of junior doctors until about a month ago, and the standard one dude did was 3x24 hour shifts a week.
He was in surgery though.

General medicine may be a little more relaxed.

But 48 hours?
5x12 hour shifts is not uncommon; seems to be the norm.

Those limits are mostly not adhered to in Ireland from what I can tell.

In the Netherlands however, they are strictly adhered to.
I can compare with a few other countries....
Canada - lolno!!
New Zealand - lolno!!
Working environments differ on countries I guess (most obvious statement in the world, right?)

Under_Graduate

And, occasionally he might get a couple hours rest in that 24 hour shift.
But most of the time - no.

Arbie

It depends on the specialty, grade, and hospital.

Some specialties have stricter rostering (e.g. emergency medicine, anaesthesia) while general medicine and general surgery can be very variable.

Intern hours have been radically reduced from the 100+ hours a week, 36-hour shifts, no sleep, etc. Now most interns are rostered for reasonable hours and nights are taken as several 12-13 hour shifts in a row. SHO and SpR hours depend on specialty.

Hospitals also vary widely but the majority are rostering for max 24 hours shift and average 48 hours per week. That can change if overtime is required.

Medicine is tough if you want to be good. It can be exciting and offers a huge range of options depending on your interests. The best thing is to chat to as many doctors in as many specialties as you can and visit some of the medical school open days - that will give you a good insight.

Adherence

Yeah I'm aware the 48 limit isn't very well adhered to.

Arbie wrote: »

Hospitals also vary widely but the majority are rostering for max 24 hours shift and average 48 hours per week. That can change if overtime is required.

I've heard that a lot of them end up working unrostered overtime though? Curious to hear more about this - what is your experience with unrostered overtime? Is it just a choice (although maybe a pressured choice) to work those extra hours most of the time? (of course there'll be times when you simply can't leave, I understand that)

Arbie wrote: »

Medicine is tough if you want to be good. It can be exciting and offers a huge range of options depending on your interests. The best thing is to chat to as many doctors in as many specialties as you can and visit some of the medical school open days - that will give you a good insight.

I'll definitely be visting medical school open days. Thanks for the advice, really appreciate your help.

Arbie

Adherence wrote: »

Yeah I'm aware the 48 limit isn't very well adhered to.


I've heard that a lot of them end up working unrostered overtime though? Curious to hear more about this - what is your experience with unrostered overtime? Is it just a choice (although maybe a pressured choice) to work those extra hours most of the time? (of course there'll be times when you simply can't leave, I understand that)



I'll definitely be visting medical school open days. Thanks for the advice, really appreciate your help.

Unrostered overtime just happens. It can take many forms, including staying late for handover, covering for a colleague, staying late for busy clinic, helping clear ED, running late in theatre, etc. I've never felt pressured but certainly there is an expectation that you will pitch in and get stuff sorted. It depends on where you work. Some people expect interns and SHOs to be the first to arrive and the last to leave. Have a look at this thread: http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057605403/

Icemancometh

With regard to unrostered overtime, sometimes you have to stay late, simple as that. If you've admitted a lot of patients onto your list, they all have to be taken care of, and sometimes that'll take time. Rostered overtime is generally speaking "on call," and that's getting better. I think most hospitals are 24 hour compliant now. The 48hr week is an average, including leave, so some weeks you'll go way over that. The truly bad old days (before my time thankfully) are gone though.