Questions about medicine.. Help appreciated ❤️

Futuremedmum

Hi, hope you are all well and happy.

So I have had an on again off again dream to become a doctor. But it won't leave me alone because I have questions and if I get answers it will rule it out for good this time or allow me to actually give it a good shot.

Background: I studied nursing until final year left to have baby, never went back. Nursing never felt like the right fit and I didn't want to go back. (I am totally aware of how much learning off there is to do in medicine and how demanding it is.)

I loved the medical side of it though and I love the human body and learning about it. Had a stint in hospital with my second child after he was born was there for 2 months and it made me really think about the job.

I had two emergency situations on my own. And I found I was very calm and in control in these situations and didn't hesitate to help.

I also lost my third child which really has pushed me to make sure I live a full life and achieve what I want in life and changed my perspective on what's fundamental to happiness.

So my questions are in relation to hospital placements....

1. So generally a medical degree is 5/6 years. In what year do placements start?

2. What are the hours for the placements while you are a student?

3. Do you ever work nights as a student?

4. When you qualify do you have a choice where you go in the country?

5. Could anyone describe the typical hours per week as a junior doctor?

If you can only answer one of the questions even I would appreciate it. I have 2 children and I am willing to wait a year or two until they are a bit older but I just want to be able to decide when I could start and what support I would need, cost and obviously to rule it out completely if it just a non starter.

I would really appreciate any help and maybe someone else has the same questions.

Thank you in advance ðŸ‘

RoamingDoc

Futuremedmum wrote: »

1. So generally a medical degree is 5/6 years. In what year do placements start?

It generally starts in year three of a five year programme.
You may have the opportunity to do mini-placements in the years before that but not very common and certainly not all that often. It's mainly lectures for the first two and a half years.

Futuremedmum wrote: »

2. What are the hours for the placements while you are a student?

Usually follows a rough 9-5 pattern depending on the rotation. Surgical rotations usually start a little earlier than medical ones. You still have a lot of studying to do so staying past five would be uncommon.
There are also still lectures and tutorials to attend and these can signal as good end points to your day as well. (E.g. if a student in my department has an hour long tutorial at 3pm, I don't expect them back until the next day usually).

Futuremedmum wrote: »

3. Do you ever work nights as a student?

Not really. Occasionally when you're attached to obstetrics and observing births you might stay overnight. This is your choice and wouldn't be required (students have to observe a minimum number and sometimes it's easier to get this overnight). I've also had students shadow me in the ED for nights. Again, this was their choice and certainly not mandatory.

Futuremedmum wrote: »

4. When you qualify do you have a choice where you go in the country?

Kind of. You can rank which intern jobs appeal to you the most and then you get the highest one that you can based on your class rank and what other doctors (almost wrote student!) put down. You might find that you'd apply for a lot of spots in Cork city but also have to spend two months in Mallow (half hour away). It's easier to expect to spend time in larger cities with more hospitals than smaller towns (so 12 months in Cork is possible but 12 months in Tralee or Bantry is not).
After this, it's training schemes or standalone posts. You have complete control over standalone posts, and then it's the same ranking activity for training spots.

Futuremedmum wrote: »

5. Could anyone describe the typical hours per week as a junior doctor?

Extremely variable based on what team you're with and what type of medical specialty you're involved in. The contracted hours are 39/week. Typically, you're talking about finishing around six most days (supposed to be five pm or four pm on Fridays). Call arrangements vary a lot by region so couldn't advise. Having children is not an issue for this is that's your concern, you'll just need to put in a lot of effort with planning (something all parents do anyway to be fair).

Futuremedmum

RoamingDoc wrote: »

It generally starts in year three of a five year programme.
You may have the opportunity to do mini-placements in the years before that but not very common and certainly not all that often. It's mainly lectures for the first two and a half years.



Usually follows a rough 9-5 pattern depending on the rotation. Surgical rotations usually start a little earlier than medical ones. You still have a lot of studying to do so staying past five would be uncommon.
There are also still lectures and tutorials to attend and these can signal as good end points to your day as well. (E.g. if a student in my department has an hour long tutorial at 3pm, I don't expect them back until the next day usually).



Not really. Occasionally when you're attached to obstetrics and observing births you might stay overnight. This is your choice and wouldn't be required (students have to observe a minimum number and sometimes it's easier to get this overnight). I've also had students shadow me in the ED for nights. Again, this was their choice and certainly not mandatory.



Kind of. You can rank which intern jobs appeal to you the most and then you get the highest one that you can based on your class rank and what other doctors (almost wrote student!) put down. You might find that you'd apply for a lot of spots in Cork city but also have to spend two months in Mallow (half hour away). It's easier to expect to spend time in larger cities with more hospitals than smaller towns (so 12 months in Cork is possible but 12 months in Tralee or Bantry is not).
After this, it's training schemes or standalone posts. You have complete control over standalone posts, and then it's the same ranking activity for training spots.



Extremely variable based on what team you're with and what type of medical specialty you're involved in. The contracted hours are 39/week. Typically, you're talking about finishing around six most days (supposed to be five pm or four pm on Fridays). Call arrangements vary a lot by region so couldn't advise. Having children is not an issue for this is that's your concern, you'll just need to put in a lot of effort with planning (something all parents do anyway to be fair).

Thank you so very much RoamingDoc. I very much needed this information and really appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions.

It sounds like it is something that is achievable strategically with my two small people along for the journey especially as they will both be in secondary school (frightening) by the time working unsociable hours enters the equation. I am very enlightened by your response.

Thanks again

RoamingDoc

You're very welcome.

It is a very difficult career. To quote another poster from here a while back, I wouldn't do it again, but I wouldn't not do it the first time. (That may not make too much sense tbh).

But it is rewarding, and either frequently or occasionally fun once you find what area appeals to you the most.

I have loads of colleagues with children of varying ages and it's completely doable. The main impact it has is that if I'm rostering, I try to let those with kids have the school holidays as much as is feasible.