Medicine- still a good career option?

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Yamin151
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Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2013 8:30 am

Re: Medicine- still a good career option?

Post by Yamin151 »

Yes, I totally agree. When I say don't discourage, I also mean, don't advise. Why would we have any more right or qualification to do that either? I only mentioned the discourage side because that seems to be the main reaction to medicine on here. BUt yes, it would be wrong to persuade or advise either way - you can only inform. And actually, even then, questions answered yes, but a young person interested in any career should do most of the detective work beyond "how do you find it?" themselves, so our capacity for advice is always limited.
Amber
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Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Re: Medicine- still a good career option?

Post by Amber »

We had a would-be doctor here at one point - in fact for about 14 years. The A levels were chosen and the grades obtained. And then came some work in the NHS, and ongoing voluntary work, which brought the realisation that devoting one's life to this really would have to be not only a vocation, but a way of life leaving little room for much else, and a feeling that one could never do well enough - resources would always be too limited to allow for the type of care one would hope to offer.

Letting go of a dream can be painful and as parents all one can do is support and catch. We are relieved here that the decision taken was as it was and when it was - before money had been invested and massive disillusionment set in.

This young lady would, I believe, like your colleagues LoobyLou, have made a really great doctor - caring, kind, capable and lovely (I am biased maybe). Sadly this Government seems determined to carry out the kind of reform which has resulted in weakening professionalism and disillusionment in teaching too, and too late will there come the realisation that many of the best have been broken by the system and left.

I salute anyone who does it and wouldn't discourage actively - we didn't need to as our medic friends did it for us - but am pleased really that none of mine wants to put themselves through this now. And even more pleased that none of them wants to be an NHS manager.
Kit
Posts: 132
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2007 11:58 am

Re: Medicine- still a good career option?

Post by Kit »

Amber, what did she do instead? I suppose any of the allied health professions is going to suffer (or has already suffered) from the same issues and research also seems to be underfunded/ underpaid.
What can a talented altruistic sciencey DC do which pays well enough to have a decent lifestyle but has the rewards of helping others rather than a (shudder) city-type career?
Yamin151
Posts: 2405
Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2013 8:30 am

Re: Medicine- still a good career option?

Post by Yamin151 »

There are LOADS of careers to do with science! A careers advisor would be the best person to approach but there are loads. And some of them are vey well paid in (shudder!!) lucrative industries such as pharmaceuticals! I know its a national disgrace that any pharmaceutical company is allowed to make any profit at all and should turn its back on any profit in favour of altruism, but actually they have fantastic scientists doing fantastic things and being pretty well paid! Sorry for my sarcasm - I'm clumsily making the point that high pay and a desire to 'do good' are not mutually exclusive.

Alternatively, your dc could become Matt Damon in Martian - watched it last night. Excellent, and who knew botany could be such a fab career?!
Tinkers
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Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: Reading

Re: Medicine- still a good career option?

Post by Tinkers »

Kit wrote:Amber, what did she do instead? I suppose any of the allied health professions is going to suffer (or has already suffered) from the same issues and research also seems to be underfunded/ underpaid.
What can a talented altruistic sciencey DC do which pays well enough to have a decent lifestyle but has the rewards of helping others rather than a (shudder) city-type career?

Engineering. But I'm biased. :D
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: Medicine- still a good career option?

Post by Guest55 »

I've had to deal with the 'other side' of this - two upheld complaints to the Ombudsman re poor care both from the same hospital for my father. I can't go into details obviously but the same errors over and over again.

Not all doctors are in the profession for the right reason - the same as any other! Weekend care needs improvement -
Yamin151
Posts: 2405
Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2013 8:30 am

Re: Medicine- still a good career option?

Post by Yamin151 »

Actually I agree with you Guest55.

I think the drive for higher and higher grades at a level has led to the loss of many candidates who would have been perfectly bright enough to cope with being in medicine, but many with a better bedside manner that isn't inherent in people just because they are 4 A* at A level candidates.

As for weekend working, yes indeed. However, as someone involved in it (husband) - I can see both sides. Doctors are already covering weekends, and acute care is still marvellous on the whole. However, the back up services that help patients move out of the hospital are not there - the social workers etc etc and its this that means that patients simply cannot be moved on and out, so that creates a block at hte other end and ends up with patients in corridors etc etc.

Mistakes happen and never should. Doctors (and nurses) should not be worked beyond safety margins. Like you, I don't necessarily feel that weekend working is wrong to be demanded, or even (gasp) that it should automatically be paid extra (and I'm speaking as one who will suffer if dh 'unsocials' taken away), BUT, if there is any compromise on patient safety - i.e. removal of maximum working hours directives or fewer staff during the week in order to keep them for weekends, then that cannot be a good thing either. There has to be a balance, and that is where they surely disagree.
loobylou
Posts: 2032
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 5:04 pm

Re: Medicine- still a good career option?

Post by loobylou »

I'm sorry you've had issues with your father's care Guest55.
I don't disagree with much of what anyone has said. I think there was a stage from the early 2000s where lots of people went into medicine due to their excellent grades rather than considering whether they would be excellent doctors. I do think that has reversed a bit over the last few years.
The current plans though are not even attempting to improve weekend care. They are trying to create weekends that are no different from weekdays - ie routine surgery takes place, routine clinics etc - but not considering increasing the number of staff to cope with this. All this will mean is that care every day is made worse.
Doctors work weekends regularly and frequently. But they don't any longer (thank heavens) work weekends and nights on top of their normal hours as they did when I was a junior doctor working 80/90/100+ hour weeks. The government's current plans will bring us back to this kind of pattern - and it is patients as well as doctors who will suffer...
PurpleDuck
Posts: 1586
Joined: Sat Jul 24, 2010 10:45 pm

Re: Medicine- still a good career option?

Post by PurpleDuck »

loobylou wrote:Doctors work weekends regularly and frequently. But they don't any longer (thank heavens) work weekends and nights on top of their normal hours as they did when I was a junior doctor working 80/90/100+ hour weeks. The government's current plans will bring us back to this kind of pattern - and it is patients as well as doctors who will suffer...
This sort of scenario really scares me. How many days of stupidly long hours and little sleep does it take before doctors and nurses become so exhausted that e.g. they mistake Mr Brown's prescription for that of Mrs Brown (apologies to any Mr/Mrs Browns on here), give the patient wrong medication/dose and potential consequences can be dire? If I had a misfortune of needing a hospital treatment, I would feel by far happier if I knew that medical staff looking after me are not on a brink of collapse with exhaustion...
It felt like I hit rock bottom; suddenly, there was knocking from beneath... (anon.)
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: Medicine- still a good career option?

Post by Guest55 »

Thank you loobylou - shame the hospital [not in Bucks] involved has never apologised.

I do think you are right that entrants to medicine changed after 2000 and you only have to visit TSR to see the 'pressures' on some students to become doctors.

Both 'sides' of the dispute are wrong I think and it's hard to see how the right way forward will be found. There needs to be change but, imho, neither 'side' really wants to listen.
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