Shortest Medical specialty?

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But, if some one ( such as my bro in the US) keeps pestering me to do the usmle and come to america, then what valid points can i give him for staying in the UK ( medicine/training/career) reasons.

It's very difficult for overseas graduates to get jobs in any but the least competitive specialties. You don't want the horrendous working circumstances as a trainee for relatively poor pay. You don't want to be sued (as much).

Reply 21

annaroberts20

Original post by Jamie

And by this you of course means to say maxfax surgery...

longest training by far. and most expensive

Yes fair enough. I didn't think of maxfax, that tends to be so long cuz you have to be a doctor, dentist and surgeon all at the same

Reply 22

aeneas745

Original post by fizz123

yeah thats true , is anyone interested in taking the USMLE'S? I know some docs in the US, and as you all must know- they earn megabucks back in the US. Money is not my motivation, but i wonder how the US compares to the UK in terms of quality of training.

Once you qualify in the UK how long does it take to take the USMLE's?

Reply 23

Egypt

How about if you like living in the UK? I'd want to live here irrespective of work. Just my own opinion.

Reply 24

Huw Davies

Original post by aeneas745

Once you qualify in the UK how long does it take to take the USMLE's?

The people I know who are planning to do the USMLEs at the same time as their medical degree - Part 1 round about the time of pre-clinical exams and the other parts around the time of the finals. That way you kill two birds with one stone revision-wise. You can take the exams before actually qualifying as a doctor, though I presume you wouldn't be allowed to practise in the states with only the USMLE pass and no primary medical qualification.

Reply 25

fizz123

apart from the US as potential destination to work as a doctor, what are your views on australia? many UK grads go there to work/train. Middle east?

Does anyone know what sort of salary range a psych specialty training doc earn?

Reply 26

Organ

Original post by fizz123

what is your motivation for going overseas?

Reply 27

Lawlet

Original post by Chwirkytheappleboy

Dude. I'm 25 and have just started medicine... and I'm not the oldest one on my course by far! Stop worrying about time and do whatever you want to do. You'll have plenty of time do build your career anyway since the government will probably push the retirement age to 120 soon enough

are you doing a GEP course or you just started uni late?

Reply 28

Chwirkytheappleboy

Original post by Lawlet

are you doing a GEP course or you just started uni late?

I did a 4 year degree to begin with then worked for a couple of years in finance technology before changing career and going into medicine. Not doing GEP though - just the standard 5 year course

Reply 29

Lawlet

May i ask you why you didn't go for the GEP?

50% lawyer did a non-law degree, same go for medicine, any do it as a second degree so OP, don't worry. But bare in mind it is very hard to maintain a healthy social life whilst on intership because of the working hours

Reply 30

Chwirkytheappleboy

Original post by Lawlet

May i ask you why you didn't go for the GEP?

I would have liked to have done but didn't get the opportunity unfortunately. I applied for 4 GEPs, but only came away with one offer and that was for a 5 year course

Reply 31

winter_mute

Original post by Captain92

Assuming you mean in the UK:
"Specialty doctor and associate specialist (2008) (SAS doctors)
Doctors in the new specialty doctor grade earn between £34,584 and £64,632. See www.nhsemployers.org/sas for more details.

Consultants
Consultants can earn between £73,403 to £173,638, dependent on length of service and payment of additional performance related awards."

Bearing in mind that has to be adjusted for inflation, so from between 2008 until April 2011 (the end of the financial year) it *should* be around 7-8% higher.

The problem is whether the NHS has raised wages to match that, and for example most NHS wages are taking a pay freeze. From what we've seen with inflation, that means the workers are taking a real terms cut, proportional to the rate of inflation.

In any case the NHS will fun 3/4ths of my degree, and for that alone I feel like I must for there to pay back that debt. I'd love to live in America as I have so many friends and family. One day maybe :smile:

Reply 32

Huw Davies

Original post by Captain92

"Specialty doctor and associate specialist" jobs aren't specialty training (ST1-8) posts: they are non-training posts.

Pay is around that sort of range though I believe.

Reply 33

Beska

Original post by fizz123

Does anyone know what sort of salary range a psych specialty training doc earn?

According to So you want to be a brain surgeon? the pay for junior doctors, not taking account year-on-year inflation, is:

Basic pay for F1: £21700
Basic pay for F2: £26500
Basic pay for ST1/CT1: £28200

This basic pay is then multiplied by a 'banding supplement' based on the number of hours worked (rated as 1 or 2) and the unsociability of those hours (rated A to C). Most junior doctors work at 2B or below:

Band 2A: 1.8
Band 2B: 1.5
Band 1A: 1.5
Band 1B: 1.4
Band 1C: 1.2

I also believe there is a small supplement for junior doctors that work in London.

e: Just to add, according to the book Psychiatrist posts at a round consultant level earn below-average/average.

e2: These are a bit out of date, check out the post by Helenia later in the thread. vvvvv

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 34

fizz123

Thanks all for the above info!.

Reply 35

Aspiringlawstudent

Dwarf medicine?

Edit: did not read thread :facepalm2:

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 36

Helenia

Original post by Beska

Those are a bit old - the basic information is correct, but all those salaries have increased a bit, and band 2 jobs are now illegal so the highest banding anyone should be on is 1A. London weighting is just over £2k a year for most places within the M25 - not sure exactly where it changes to a lower rate/stops; I get it for my current job which is not exactly central!

Reply 37

Beska

Original post by Helenia

Thanks for the heads up.

There's a more updated banding scale page here but it's not labelled very well and I don't really understand it. Are the three different basic pays for F1/F2 for the three different bands?

Reply 38

Silver fern

Original post by fizz123

apart from the US as potential destination to work as a doctor, what are your views on australia? many UK grads go there to work/train. Middle east?

I have two friends that went abroad - one went to Oz, the other NZ. Both intended to do just a year and neither returned :wink:

I know more about NZ than Australia - bear in mind that a load of Kiwi graduates go to Australia after qualifying, and competition for places like New South Wales is fierce. Depends on your reasons for going, how long you want to stay out there and what you want to contribute and get out of it