Jobs - episode 1

The much dreaded job applications opened - a week before they closed, and with an average of 5 questions requiring a maximum of 150-500 words. And in true form, the questions which wanted only 150 words, I could have answered on reams and reams of paper, and in attempting to answer the 500-word answer questions, I was stumped after 10.

I finally decided to go for general medicine....well, I say it like it was an agonising decision. Not true. I have realised that a hospital, or rather a hospice is where I would rather be. I think I want to practise palliative care. At least that's what I think at the moment. So, general medicine, will be my basic training, and hopefully after two years of that, I can move on to palliative care.

There are two streams for medicine - one being core medical training (CMT) - basic training in different areas (ie respiratory, cardiology, gastro etc) and the other is in acute care (ie intensive care, high dependency, not sure what else). I'm only applying to the basic training - although I really really want experience in intensive care (it may not be my choice of career, but there's nothing wrong with experiencing it), with regards to the job situation, I'm not sure whether its possible to jump from one branch of medicine to the other in the two years of training (prior to specialisation), so I think its better not to risk it, and am only applying for CMT. I hope it doesn't turn out to be an "all the eggs in one basket" case.

Some would say its laziness - applying for general practice includes sitting for an exam (online i think) and then having a practical assessment - including teamwork and patient management and the whole touchy-feely palaver.
In contrast, applying for basic medical training, involves written applications, and then interviews (some of which are set up like OSCEs* - a large room with a number of "stations" where pairs of interviewers/sadists ask you different questions/to stand on your head whilst trying to insert a central line).

But I reckon I am merely trying to hurt myself (a variety of deliberate self-harm if you like) - after all, once you get a place to train in general practice, thats it - all your rotations are sorted out and you don't have the struggle and mental anguish of trying to find another job until you qualify. The same is for the undersubscribed: paeds - kids are scary!; obs and gobs - so are pregnant women and midwives; pathology - the inhabitants of all hospital basements and public health - whats the point of it all anyways? all the public and the government want to do is slag doctors off.
Wheras in medicine/surgery/and whatevers left, you apply for one year, and go through all the hassle, losing blood, tears, sweat, days, nights, friends, family....until you get a job, and then half way through, you have to repeat the procedure to get another job for the following year....and so on and so forth until you either give up and die or become a consultant in a job that no-one else wants.


I have applied to 9 deaneries (it would have been 10 had I not misread 12 as 21). I have yet to hear from a single....and although I noted the closing dates for applications, I didn't read far enough to notice what would happen after, and having assumed ostrich position with regards to job applications, I'm too scared/worried/lazy to check the websites. Instead I am keeping fingers and toes crossed (except the little toes - mine are too tiny).


*OSCE - i'm sure i've defined it before, but never mind, here goes again: objective structured clinical examination.