Medicine FAQ / So You Want To Be A Doctor

[sodapop]

I just found this book at my local library - funnily enough, also called "So You Want to Be A Doctor". It's got lots of similar, nevertheless awesome advice. I think it's well worth a read, for prospective and current medical students.

I also saw this worrying article on The Age, longer version here: Most doctors subject to aggression on the job
To those in clinical placements - do you see this often? And how does it usually happen?

[shinny]

I also saw this worrying article on The Age, longer version here: Most doctors subject to aggression on the job
To those in clinical placements - do you see this often? And how does it usually happen?

Depends where you're working in. Those in emergency and psychiatry would cop abuse on a daily basis, and physical aggression fairly often. Other areas of the hospital generally aren't so bad.

[oneoneoneone]

Saw this today, somewhat concerning.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/funding-row-forces-medical-students-to-miss-internships-20121002-26xe5.html

[paulsterio]

For now, local students will be OK, because there's guaranteed internships and even in the long run, CSP students should be safe purely because the government won't be stupid enough to waste their money training doctors who can't work, so by logic, they'll try to do what they can in order to get CSP students internships.

The issue is something that's been around for a while now and really stems from the fact that there are way too many medical graduates in Australia right now. On top of that, yeah, international students will have a hard time finding internships in the future.

[spectroscopy]

if you want to just be your local gp, do you need to do internship and residency, or is it 5 years mbbs then youre a gp LOL

[pi]

if you want to just be your local gp, do you need to do internship and residency, or is it 5 years mbbs then youre a gp LOL

I don't get what's so funny, but ok. GPs are amazing people and have an essential role in the healthcare system, I have no idea why your post has a somewhat demeaning tone.

No, it's not a walk in the park. You do your MBBS (or other medical degree), and then your internship (which after this year means you are a "doctor"), then you have your residency period (at least another year) and from there you do a fellowship (3 years form memory).

[Tomw2]

if you want to just be your local gp, do you need to do internship and residency, or is it 5 years mbbs then youre a gp LOL (emphasis added)

Just to add to ρнуѕικѕ post, a general practitioner is a specialist in primary healthcare. Primary healthcare requires a unique and particular regimen of knowledge, skills and lifelong learning - such that if you placed another non-GP specialist or medical practitioner into their role, they would almost certainly not be able to perform it effectively.

Food for thought.

[paulsterio]

if you want to just be your local gp, do you need to do internship and residency, or is it 5 years mbbs then youre a gp LOL

I don't think you've meant to devalue GPs, but yeah, watch the "LOL", very very bad placement, it was acceptable up until that point.

[spectroscopy]

i didnt mean to devalue gps i love them !
anyway can someone answer the question please

[pi]

anyway can someone answer the question please

No, it's not a walk in the park. You do your MBBS (or other medical degree), and then your internship (which after this year means you are a "doctor"), then you have your residency period (at least another year) and from there you do a fellowship (3 years from memory).

edit: spelt "from" wrong...

[thushan]

Fellowship is usually 5-6 years, 3 years for General Practice.

[pi]

Saw this today, somewhat concerning.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/funding-row-forces-medical-students-to-miss-internships-20121002-26xe5.html

It's very concerning :/

Get on this page everyone who's worried! https://www.facebook.com/MedicalStudentActionOnTraining

[Tomw2]

Get on this page everyone who's worried! https://www.facebook.com/MedicalStudentActionOnTraining

I like what they are doing and want to help.
This needs to get more public and we need people to start asking questions. I think a big issue has been that the electorate/s overall have little idea of what is required to train a medical graduate into a safe, effective, independent practitioner. I mean, several times I've come across people who thought that cardiologists are people who 'focused' their undergraduate medical studies on things to do with the heart... And these weren't people you would traditionally associate with stupidity either. :/

[pi]

Interesting -> https://ama.com.au/e-dit/issue-98#anchortwo

[Russ]

I don't think equity of access is a real concern with FFPs, relative to internship numbers tbh