Tuesday, 29th December 2009
Radiology
Long time readers of my blog (or indeed anybody who even vaguely knows me) knows that I’m one of the most indecisive people when it comes to my career path. I’m five years out of medical school and still “at the bottom of the ladder” when it comes to my career. Most of my friends are either in their final year of GP training or are at least registrars in their chosen specialty whereas I’m currently on the first rung of the surgical training ladder.
There are a lot of reasons for this. Probably the biggest one was spending 18 months in Australia. Although excellent for my personal life and personal development and really good for the experience of working in A&E, it was not so good for my career. Going to Australia instantly put me two years behind my peers. When in Australia, after we had decided we were coming back to the UK, Fi and I had to make some decisions about where we wanted to live in the UK and the speciality we wanted to apply to. I settled on applying for surgery, with GP as a backup in case I wasn’t successful in getting into the highly competitive surgical training scheme. As it turned out – I did get into the program and have really lucked out in that I’m working right in the heart of the city that I have come to call my home.
In order to get to consultant level in surgery in the UK (and probably in most countries) you have to be extremely dedicated. It requires a lot of personal sacrifices to be made that, frankly, I’m not prepared to make. What is most important to me is being with my wife and enjoying my many interests. Not only this but I want to be able to use my computer and technology skills in my day-to-day job, afterall, these are things that I’m very good at.
After a lot of deliberation, I have applied for entry into the 2010 clinical radiology training program. There is no guarantee that I will be successful (it’s probably the most competitive of all specialities). I still need to be shortlisted and then be successful at an interview – both of which won’t happen until February. Radiology ticks every box for me. It offers a lifestyle more compatible with a family. You spend all day playing with expensive, high-tech equipment. You need a deep understanding of anatomy and physics and the potential for private work when a consultant is very good. The only downside is that I would have to take a pay cut for the first two years as it’s an un-banded job (this means dropping £15K per annum!). Not the best thing in the world but I can always locum and, after all, it is a means to an end. If I manage to get on the program – I could be a consultant by 2015. Now that is a very, very nice thought…