Any regrets about medicine?

Basically what is said in the tittle, any regrets? from both those student who are currently studying and those who are qualified would be helpful.

Being realistic, I do occasionally have feelings of 'why am I doing this?', but not so much regret. Usually just thoughts like:

Knowing I will spend the rest of my adult life sitting exams and constantly paddling upstream.
Knowing that the job comes with that anxious, gut feeling of 'did I miss something?', 'did I do something wrong?' and 'can I really cope with this?'
Knowing that I could well have entered careers which are more lucrative or more 9-5.
And occasionally I wonder why I should dedicate so much of my youth and energy caring so much about other people when, in all honesty, I feel as though nobody really cares about me.


But then I remember:
That medicine is a career which is stimulating and challenging - a rare thing in the modern, consumerist world.
That medicine is intricate, complex and always surprising.
Not a day goes by when I don't learn something new about the human body or mind.
That, in a society that breeds detachment, individualism and inherent loneliness, being a doctor is an open door into the lives of others in a positive way.

And I also think about the moments of connection that I've had with some of the patients I've met. One particular small, but memorable event was when a woman twice my age thanked me for holding her hand during a procedure. It's lots of little things like this that make it worth it.

Basically what is said in the tittle, any regrets? from both those student who are currently studying and those who are qualified would be helpful.

As has been said before - it's not a regret exactly, but I wish I had been more aware of all the constant changing jobs and moving around that was required. Certainly when I was 18 and applying, I wasn't aware of just how much this would be and for how long. And that whilst I could express preferences for where in the country I wanted to be, in reality you can be sent anywhere and don't have a huge amount of choice in the matter. I am already in my mid thirties and would really like to just know that I am settled somewhere, rather than still continuing to move.

Apart from F1 & 2 placements, how often do you have to move and for how long?

Effectively, up to the point of having a consultant / GP post. I am currently doing specialty training (ST run-through) in a large deanery, and change post every 6 months, It doesn't always mean having to move every 6 months, but I already know for example that my next job will mean moving away for just 6 months and then moving back again. My training is 8 years. It depends on the specialty and on the area - GPs may wish to correct me but I think that certainly in my Deanery at least, trainees are allocated north / south / east / west etc which makes things a bit easier. I had to move between FY1 and FY2 - and this was my choice, as I wanted a particular 'niche' post that there weren't many of, and I was fortunate to have a decent F1 score which allowed me to choose the job I wanted. But that move could well have been enforced and not chosen, for example. Different Deaneries allocate jobs in different ways at different stages - so some will allocate both F1 and F2 jobs together at the beginning whereas my Deanery allocated F2 jobs competitively partway through F1. I am currently doing paediatrics, but also applied for and was accepted to core medicine, and they offered me 3x 4 month posts at 3 different hospitals for CT1. Which I could have commuted, but it was just going to be a complete pain, not to mention learning 3 different hospitals over the course of what would already have been a hardcore year.

For doctors who do core training first and then specialty training, this can potentially mean moving for Foundation, moving for core training and then moving again for specialty training - as well as potentially moving within a training programme as well. i think you'll find a whole spectrum of experiences, from those who didn't have to move very much, to those who fell foul of the moving lottery at every hurdle. It also has to be said that some people will put up with commuting insane stupid distances rather than move, whereas others prefer to move - but this too comes with its own difficulties. Having to drive > 1 hour after a night shift, petrol costs / car expenses, the time lost every day when travelling...

--> Edited to add that of course sometimes moving can be a positive experience, and I certainly know people who said "I'd like to live in London / Scotland / wherever for a couple of years, but then move back" and the fact that there are these points in training where you apply for the next level, does make this possible - if you have the scores and play the training lottery correctly, of course.

Alright, thanks for your informative reply. I don't mind moving during and few years after F1/2, but I would like to settle somewhere shortly after. I will just have to work hard to get competitive scores or just put up with it! Thank you again!

I'm just about to finish my 5th year of 6 at Sheffield. No I don't regret it at all. I feel happier with my choice with every year that passes by. It's a very noble profession and it's nice to see the respect that patients and the general public give to medical students and doctors which gives you a sense of worth and that you're doing something good with your life. The clinical years are great - you get to see what you've read in textbooks/lectures for so long!

HI there, I haven't taken the right alevels for medicine.... (Geography, maths, economics and physics). I really want to do medicine (im still at AS). I've heard of a foundation course at Sheffield, would if possible for you to find out some more about this and what I need in terms of grades etc and get back to me??


Thanks alot

that's incredibly rude asking someone to research something for you.

It's all on the internet, only a few clicks away. In other words, do it yourself!

I asked because the person goes to the uni already and they know about this more than what i can find on the internet. Plus i didn't ask you