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Some reasons why you should NOT do medicine...

First of all I'm not here to scare everyone away from medicine. I just want to inform applicants of the current more concerning issues around being a doctor. I'm a current Y4 medic and have an idea of what I want to do in the future after graduating. after research and speaking to some seniors, and foundation year doctors, I want to warn those looking to apply to medicine. please be aware of the current and upcoming issues doctors are facing today and in the near future. This will DEFINITELY affect you by the time you graduate.

1. Specialty positions are becoming VERY oversaturated over the last 3 or 4 years. Take an example Radiology, used to be about 4:1 in 2020 (4 people apply for every available radiology training job). Now its 12:1 aka very difficult to get in. Radiology may be an exceptional case, but across the board all specialties are going up. This is due to the increase in "noctors" such as PAs which reduce the need for increasing doctor specialist roles (without improving patient care and waiting times, a quick fix to a massive problem), as well as international doctors moving to the UK and taking a huge proportion of jobs compared to UK graduates.

This backlog issue leads to problems with people being "stuck" in foundation training and struggling to progress, with no pay rises. Many junior doctors I've spoken to have regrets about medicine, and stress over their career. The prospect of becoming a consultant is fading.

With med schools increasing the number of students they take in, this will only worsen the problem even more down the line. The government is showing no sign of providing any meaningful solution.

2. The pay is still abysmal despite BMA efforts. Furthermore, locum shifts (extra shifts for extra money) are almost all gone, with not much future of it left. The dream of working £60 an hour to fund a nice holiday or buy a house is fading quick. I used to think that was my plan, sadly I don't think I can get a house with my partner any time soon.

My reasons might be more financial issues, but speaking to seniors and colleagues and doctors, many people are concerned about finances and work life balance. At the end of the day, work is work and you'd like a lot of money if you work very hard. The last thing you want is to feel undervalued, underpaid with financial stress on top of work stress (another topic for another conversation).

Please take this into consideration, but with a pinch of salt. Your reasons for applying to medicine will always trump mine or anyone else's opinion against medicine. Best of luck everyone :smile:
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GCSE Requirements for Medicine
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Work Experience as a Graduate or Mature student
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Original post by Angusburgerman
First of all I'm not here to scare everyone away from medicine. I just want to inform applicants of the current more concerning issues around being a doctor. I'm a current Y4 medic and have an idea of what I want to do in the future after graduating. after research and speaking to some seniors, and foundation year doctors, I want to warn those looking to apply to medicine. please be aware of the current and upcoming issues doctors are facing today and in the near future. This will DEFINITELY affect you by the time you graduate.
1. Specialty positions are becoming VERY oversaturated over the last 3 or 4 years. Take an example Radiology, used to be about 4:1 in 2020 (4 people apply for every available radiology training job). Now its 12:1 aka very difficult to get in. Radiology may be an exceptional case, but across the board all specialties are going up. This is due to the increase in "noctors" such as PAs which reduce the need for increasing doctor specialist roles (without improving patient care and waiting times, a quick fix to a massive problem), as well as international doctors moving to the UK and taking a huge proportion of jobs compared to UK graduates.
This backlog issue leads to problems with people being "stuck" in foundation training and struggling to progress, with no pay rises. Many junior doctors I've spoken to have regrets about medicine, and stress over their career. The prospect of becoming a consultant is fading.
With med schools increasing the number of students they take in, this will only worsen the problem even more down the line. The government is showing no sign of providing any meaningful solution.
2. The pay is still abysmal despite BMA efforts. Furthermore, locum shifts (extra shifts for extra money) are almost all gone, with not much future of it left. The dream of working £60 an hour to fund a nice holiday or buy a house is fading quick. I used to think that was my plan, sadly I don't think I can get a house with my partner any time soon.
My reasons might be more financial issues, but speaking to seniors and colleagues and doctors, many people are concerned about finances and work life balance. At the end of the day, work is work and you'd like a lot of money if you work very hard. The last thing you want is to feel undervalued, underpaid with financial stress on top of work stress (another topic for another conversation).
Please take this into consideration, but with a pinch of salt. Your reasons for applying to medicine will always trump mine or anyone else's opinion against medicine. Best of luck everyone :smile:

If it was easy everyone would do it. That's that.
Reply 3
Original post by Angusburgerman
First of all I'm not here to scare everyone away from medicine. I just want to inform applicants of the current more concerning issues around being a doctor. I'm a current Y4 medic and have an idea of what I want to do in the future after graduating. after research and speaking to some seniors, and foundation year doctors, I want to warn those looking to apply to medicine. please be aware of the current and upcoming issues doctors are facing today and in the near future. This will DEFINITELY affect you by the time you graduate.
1. Specialty positions are becoming VERY oversaturated over the last 3 or 4 years. Take an example Radiology, used to be about 4:1 in 2020 (4 people apply for every available radiology training job). Now its 12:1 aka very difficult to get in. Radiology may be an exceptional case, but across the board all specialties are going up. This is due to the increase in "noctors" such as PAs which reduce the need for increasing doctor specialist roles (without improving patient care and waiting times, a quick fix to a massive problem), as well as international doctors moving to the UK and taking a huge proportion of jobs compared to UK graduates.
This backlog issue leads to problems with people being "stuck" in foundation training and struggling to progress, with no pay rises. Many junior doctors I've spoken to have regrets about medicine, and stress over their career. The prospect of becoming a consultant is fading.
With med schools increasing the number of students they take in, this will only worsen the problem even more down the line. The government is showing no sign of providing any meaningful solution.
2. The pay is still abysmal despite BMA efforts. Furthermore, locum shifts (extra shifts for extra money) are almost all gone, with not much future of it left. The dream of working £60 an hour to fund a nice holiday or buy a house is fading quick. I used to think that was my plan, sadly I don't think I can get a house with my partner any time soon.
My reasons might be more financial issues, but speaking to seniors and colleagues and doctors, many people are concerned about finances and work life balance. At the end of the day, work is work and you'd like a lot of money if you work very hard. The last thing you want is to feel undervalued, underpaid with financial stress on top of work stress (another topic for another conversation).
Please take this into consideration, but with a pinch of salt. Your reasons for applying to medicine will always trump mine or anyone else's opinion against medicine. Best of luck everyone :smile:

There are plenty of opportunities overseas if making money is what you have in mind and I don't blame you, after so much hard work and stress, expecting a decent renumeration is not too much ask.
You can go abroad, there is a shortage of doctors worldwide. Also those choosing medicine today do not know what the NHS will look like in 5/6 years time. Good luck with your career. Affording to buy a house now in your 20s is now out of reach for the vast majority of graduates not just doctors. Consider lifetime earnings and pensions not just starting salaries.
You can go abroad- if an employer will take you.

Not all countries accept people post F1/F2. In the USA you need to pass the USMLE step exams. They make the MRSA look like a holiday. I know people who have sat MRSA, MRCP and USMLE and they would tell you USMLE is the hardest. They are also far from free. And you'll be having to accept a training place wherever one becomes available and competing with a cohort of people who already have experience of the North American system. Canada is slightly less taxing but basically it's for people post CCT only.

Australia and NZ, current firm favourites may not be that way forever because a lot of people are heading there because the life is better and to be fair the career prospects (once you have permanent residency) are better too.

I would advise all current students to seriously think about their long term goals and realise that there are other options outside of medicine if you choose to look. If you're like me and love the science of it and love looking after people and communicating with people then you will be hard pressed to find another job like it but there are many people who don't share that same enthusiasm. Even once you reach consultant level I genuinely feel concerned about where UK health services are going to traverse to next. I have worked in a lot of places and I consider myself very lucky to have worked in them but I know full well this may not apply everywhere across the country.
Original post by ErasistratusV
You can go abroad- if an employer will take you.
Not all countries accept people post F1/F2. In the USA you need to pass the USMLE step exams. They make the MRSA look like a holiday. I know people who have sat MRSA, MRCP and USMLE and they would tell you USMLE is the hardest. They are also far from free. And you'll be having to accept a training place wherever one becomes available and competing with a cohort of people who already have experience of the North American system. Canada is slightly less taxing but basically it's for people post CCT only.
Australia and NZ, current firm favourites may not be that way forever because a lot of people are heading there because the life is better and to be fair the career prospects (once you have permanent residency) are better too.
I would advise all current students to seriously think about their long term goals and realise that there are other options outside of medicine if you choose to look. If you're like me and love the science of it and love looking after people and communicating with people then you will be hard pressed to find another job like it but there are many people who don't share that same enthusiasm. Even once you reach consultant level I genuinely feel concerned about where UK health services are going to traverse to next. I have worked in a lot of places and I consider myself very lucky to have worked in them but I know full well this may not apply everywhere across the country.

If someone would be graduating from medicine in 1 or 2 years time, but they do not want to go pursue medicine/healthcare any further, what other career paths could they go down that pays well? I don't expect work life balance to be any different (likely better given the current state of UK healthcare)
Original post by randomdude393
If someone would be graduating from medicine in 1 or 2 years time, but they do not want to go pursue medicine/healthcare any further, what other career paths could they go down that pays well? I don't expect work life balance to be any different (likely better given the current state of UK healthcare)


That is a difficult question. Much depends on what you want out of life and what you enjoy so the answer is as different as the next person. I have discussed this on another thread but I know people who have developed interesting or very well paid careers doing a variety of things in a wide range of sectors: mining, rail, aviation, military, veterinary medicine, medicine, construction, engineering and the like. I have thus come to realise that -generally speaking- one can earn a great deal of money if it involves some or all of the following:

Work that involves high levels of skill or training

Work that involves high levels of risk, demanding working schedules or has some other drawback such as being away from home for long periods, living in remote areas

Work that is unpleasant, unpopular or otherwise requires you to work in unpleasant conditions

Work that involves a great deal of responsibility and/or assessment and management of risk

Work that is increasingly profitable, either for yourself or your employer


You need to compare other roles with that of working as a doctor, particularly in your (potentially) chosen or desired speciality or field.

Medicine in the main- involves working shifts and those usually include out of hours, on calls, days, nights, weekends, holidays etc etc etc. The longer your training pathway, the more time you will spend as a registrar and so the more time this might require you to work in these patterns- for many students graduating this might mean significant years of their life in their late 20's or 30's. If they enjoy their work and literally love it to the point that they can't envisage doing anything else, that's an easier sacrifice to accept.

But I know a lot of younger people are not wired up that way. For me, I can honestly tell you as I sit here that I relish the idea of working as a doctor in a busy emergency department in minors on Christmas eve. I've had glimpses of this kind of work and I enjoyed it and I look for that kind of challenge.

In a similar vein, it would honestly not bother me a jot if I never saw in another New year's even celebration for the next 20 years. I worked out long ago that big party atmosphere's aren't actually my bag, it's just a change in the calendar to me now.

But I'm far from the average person in this respect. A lot of people graduating medical school have hopes and dreams far excess of my own and they have no intention of sacrificing everything in their pursuit of their career and to be fair, I believe that's actually a beneficial stance to have as a society because the concept of a job for life or working 50 years for the same employer is now long gone, the modern-day capitalism we have now is a rather commercially cutthroat business and doesn't seem that concerned about individuals today, so it's probably only correct that individuals don't get too concerned about it.

There are many avenues to explore as a young and newly graduated person in general. Any University degree should illustrate that this person has the initiative to learn new things and dedicate themselves to a long term goal. The real trick is to find your niche and develop it as you want. As I wrote in another thread, if you manage to secure a line of work you genuinely enjoy you are basically a winner in the game of life.
Original post by randomdude393
If someone would be graduating from medicine in 1 or 2 years time, but they do not want to go pursue medicine/healthcare any further, what other career paths could they go down that pays well? I don't expect work life balance to be any different (likely better given the current state of UK healthcare)

Teaching in medical school possibly? An intercalation could help you get a job in the field you think about pursuing further and research is always a possibility in medicine.
If you mean really nothing to do with medicine, there really isn't much you could do apart from get another degree or work the tills at Tesco 😅

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