Junior doctor in scotland

Hiya Im currently a final year medical student and have put Scotland down as my second choice on Oriel, but thinking of changing in to 1st. I was just wondering what junior doctors' experience is of being in Scotland, as my ranking is very low if I do get scotland I would probably get put in more rural areas which right now sound pretty cool to me as I am a massive fan of outdoors, and being in the highlands sounds pretty cool but not sure if that is actually true, and how social the hospitals in rural areas would be. I also probably won't be able to drive when I start f1. If any current doctors up there could share their experience or tips of being in scotland, I would greatly appreciate it

I made the move from Birmingham to North Scotland for Foundation and haven't looked back. I've worked in Aberdeen, Elgin, and now Inverness. Haven't made it out to the islands yet but I do intend to. Everyone out here is super outdoorsy and there's loads of options for cycling, mountain biking, ski, surf, hillwalking, climbing, whatever you're into. I didn't find Aberdeen particularly communal, but Elgin very much was (Only like 24 F1s and F2s combined so we were all pretty tight), and Raigmore is very friendly as well and has a great mess so I feel like I've definitely gotten to know people.

Another advantage is most people want the central belt so if you do fancy going rural it's less competitive and you are very likely to get the jobs you want. I got my top choice job in the whole country as a VERY average applicant, because I guess not many people specifically want to go to Elgin.

If you do come up here I would recommend learning to drive ASAP though. Nothing is close and not driving can be really limiting. Public transport doesn't go to any of the really cool rural locations around Scotland, so if you want to make the most of it, definitely learn to drive

Let me know if you have any specific questions!

You should go for Scotland if you love outdoors and definitely go for North if you want highlands. On site accomodation at Raigmore isnt great but its on site, barely 5 min walk away but you can easily rent anywhere else - its certainly very affordable and good bus routes too. Raigmore itself is a great hospital and its a stone throw away from some amazing places.

I would recommend as an Aberdeen student and current FY1. I spent best part of 30 weeks (broken up) as a student there and also finished as an interim FY1 there and I hugely enjoyed it. Ive friends that spent a year studying there who were big in their outdoor pursuits, and they all seemed to love it. I'd put it first choice really for that opportunity alone - though im hoping to go elsewhere now as an FY1.

Thank you very much for your reply, I am now excited about potentially going to Scotland. How social is the mess in Raigmore Inverness and Royal Infirmary in Aberdeen?
Thank you