Medicine 2018 part 2

[LoniceraJaponica]

New thread here

"Swing" I would have almost written exactly as you have this morning. I echo almost all the thoughts here.

My Dd has been working towards medicine for 4 years now & has never once wavered. We have queried her decision over & over again, as has her Form Tutor who's daughter is an F2. She remains unchanged. Her year volunteering in the nursing home has demonstrated to us all I think that she would make a fabulous doctor in that sort of setting - elderly, dementia, palliative etc. I suspect she's no surgeon or high flying cutting edge consultant. Time & experiences at Uni will hopefully clarify. She's caring, quietly strong, dedicated & resilient. I worry that her quality of life may be poor in medicine but hope that her enthusiasm, desire to help others & job satisfaction will outweigh.

She also loves to travel & explore, does French for A Level & I am not British born - sadly I highly doubt she will spend all her time in the early years in the UK.

What a mess. What should be one of the best professions to choose now seems to have little to recommend. DD has a very good relationship with our (clearly overworked, always running late but fabulously thorough) GP who laughed so loudly when DD told her Uni plans I think they heard it in the carpark. She did apologise & hoped it wouldn't put her off but said she probably wouldn't go into it now if she was starting over. So so sad.

I think about this all the time. My daughter is a first-year medic, very conscientious and keen to do well. I worry that she will be ground up by the NHS. She has always had a natural inquisitiveness about people and is very bright and naturally a funny person who loves to engage with others.

It makes me furious that all her hard work and dedication now and in the future won’t be repaid with a supportive work environment. I remember a flatmate medic in the 1980s and how (most of) the senior doctors on her hospital rotations would look after them, have them over for dinner, etc.

Minikew yes I saw that it was based at Derby. I will have a look at TSR.

Just skim reading the latest comments in my break. I agree with so much of what has been said, I have worked for public sector and private, I have a friend who is a dentist - nhs - and one a gp - interestingly the gps dd has followed her into medicine, knowing all that it entails - dentist friend says this is not happening amongst her dentist crowd - despite private practise. I told my dd she is applying for a life choice, not just a career - I gave her all the negatives I could think of. If she changes her mind on her gap year I will support her - but no signs of it happening even after what to me was a scary stressful week she did in an underfunded London hospital.

As for better jobs with science degrees, glaxo get several thousand applicants and take about 1 in 500. I know a tri lingual hugely hard working employable graduate with a first in chemistry masters related degree from imperial working in retail after a year of applying, my eldest with a masters in engineering from Russell group working in m and s on the shop floor.

My dh gets up at 515 every day to start at 7 am and finishes between 530 and at times 10 pm in a job with no security, he has had three redundancies in 20 years and is in really stressful environment. Didn’t want my dc to go through that constant worry of whether you will still have a job.

I tell my three very few people love their job... be realistic and try to have time for your life outside

I hope that those in the nhs can continue to fight for change, they have support from the public.

Dds preferred degree choice at 12 was marine biology, she wanted to save the shark population - less stressful and probably rewarding but with its own scary risks!

sorry for bad typing and grammar was in my lunch break and typed on my phone....

I wish luck to all those applying and am hoping that working conditions in the NHS improve, I don't think any of us parents are under any allusions as to how tough it will be, but if our DC's have made their minds up we can be there to support them.

2B1GMum I totally agree with you. We spoke at length to DS about the challenges and made sure he did lots of work experience and spoke to a wide range of medics. We are both teachers so he is under no illusions about stressful occupations. I think that today for academic students there are few careers that won't be streesful - think of all the burnt out lawyers! My best friend is a GP and she hasn't discouraged my DS at all - quite the reverse. She says that yes it is challenging but she wouldn;t swap her career for anything. I also have friends who are hospital doctors and they certainly aren't dissuading their DC from applying.
I really hope conditions for the NHS improve and sincerely want the best for all our DCs.

I have worked in investment banking and as a teacher. My husband and I now run our own business. I believe that if you are a driven, conscientious and caring person you will feel pressure in any role; you put pressure on yourself to give 100% all the time, and then a bit more. If that is your personality, you never feel that you have done enough as a professional, a parent, a partner. Certainly, people's mental health can be affected by high-pressure jobs, but it can also be affected by a feeling that we haven't followed our dreams or achieved our full potential. At times I have found all my roles (not least parenting) hugely difficult, and I know a number of doctors who say the same about their immensely worthwhile and demanding profession. However, I do think that we should encourage our children to follow their dreams.

It's all very difficult isn't it. My DD has grown up seeing first hand how the life of a hospital doctor can impact upon the whole family. She has seen the absolute highs and lows of how the job can be. DH has missed birthdays, christmas, high days and holidays because of on call rotas and demands of the job. However, what she has also seen is how her father can be overcome with emotion when a complex operation has been successful and the lives of patients can be changed for the better as a result of the amazing nhs. We have tried to dissuade her from medicine for a long time but she insists its what she wants to do and all I can do is wish her and all your other DC all the luck in the world.

I hope everyones' lives (or interviews) are not being disrupted by the snow, looks beautiful today but not fun when it gets icy.

DD came home a little shell shocked yesterday; a classmate collapsed in a communal area and got rushed to hospital. She said paramedics were brilliant and thankfully very quick. Whilst we were eating dinner the student in question messaged all his friends to say thank you for concern, he was staying in overnight for further tests and heart monitoring. They all sent him silly jokes to cheer him up. An example of mobile phones and social media/instagram etc. have a positive benefit.

DD said it was chaotic and scary when it happened, a member of staff is obviously first aid trained and appeared after a few minutes, what is worrying is that she thinks like they were doing heart compressions - they sent all the students away at that point. Only warning sign was the student in question had been a bit spaced out in the previous lesson.

Fingers crossed they find a treatable or one off cause and nothing too serious and he gets back to school soon.

That sounds quite stressful Gum. Hope he is OK.

No snow here really yet, but forecast for tomorrow when we are meant to be going to the theatre to see Miss Saigon (a Christmas present)!

I hope your DD's interview goes well tomorrow mumsneedwine, and that you get there safely. Anyone else have any interviews coming up?

No snow in Somerset yet but coming tomorrow it seems.

Oh no mumsneedwine - you don't need snow stress getting to the interview - it's a bit like a few of us before Christmas! Good luck.

All quiet on the offer front. Still waiting (im)patiently. Does anyone think the strikes affect admissions offices?

If the admissions staff are on the same pension scheme, then there is a chance - I hope not for your sake SomersetS. Late mocks starting next week to get the stress levels up in this household.

Good luck mumsneedwine, if it is a late or delayed journey home I recommend finding an M&S and buying their little portable glass of wine to have with some snacks on the train.... unless you have to drive at the other end of course!

2b1Gmum how scary for your DD to witness that. Hope poor student involved is ok. Always a shock to see someone get taken away in an ambulance. Not what anyone needs at the moment.

Hope your DD's friend is ok 2B1Gmum, hopefully just a case of fainting and just kept for observation.

Good luck mumsneedwine, hope getting there will be fine. I assume if you are struggling, so will many others and they might have to be a bit flexible. Is the interview MMI?

Just a bit of snow in the SE, but enough that the whole county seems in stand still. Was supposed to go to a work event tomorrow but it was cancelled in anticipation of more snow! I'm so glad DD and DS are now at an age where they can just stay home alone especially since I'm now only 15 minutes walk from my office, so no excuse for me not to make it there!

Interview been postponed by Southampton til after 9th. Poor DD just screamed as it prolongs the agony that bit longer. They let them know at 11 by phone and email so hopefully stopped anyone leaving. Ah well. I wasn't looking forward to the drive. She'll have to drive herself as I can't get another day off though

And thank you all for your lovely best wishes. I've found this all so supportive and keeps me sane

Mumsneedwine - I feel for your DD - to get yourself psyched up and then have to wait. To make you feel better I had to send DS on a 5 hour train journey by himself for his Sheffield interview as we couldn't take a day off. He also had a full-on flu infection as well! He said he thought he did well despite everything!

@mumsneedwine I'm sorry about Southampton as DS had his yesterday, I was stressing on Monday due to the snow and made them set off early. All done now so just need to wait.

At least you found out before you headed off x

As I've woken up to a good 4" of snow I am v grateful to Southampton ! And they seem to offer v quickly - friend of DD had interview on Monday and an offer yesterday ! So imagine by time she has hers they might offer on the spot 😂.

So excited by a very rare snow day here in Devon. It's 8.00 and sat in bed with cup of tea! TSR suggesting Sheffield offers are imminent. That would be the 'snowy icing on the cake'!

Hope your DS felt his interview went well Watfordmummy and that you hear good news soon.

Hoping for good news too for those waiting to hear from Sheffield!

Hope there is some good news on the way from Sheffield applicants and mumsneedwine, still annoying to have things delayed but clearly a sensible decision by Southampton. DD said just yesterday how this whole process, waiting for interviews, going to interviews, waiting for news and for lucky ones offer days, takes so much time out of their study time and revision, that she feels behind at the moment. I know this is a common problem, one that a friends DD warned us about. So I do hope everyone is able to focus come Easter!
I don't think the garden centre will be very busy this weekend - but it will be b....y cold!

There always seem to be some on here who have other DC at medical school, so here we go:
Does anyone have any experience with which universities are known to be a bit lenient when it comes to a dropped grade (below AAA), and also if taking it as insurance is treated differently?
Was particularly thinking about Leeds, Cardiff and Manchester. The first two have waiting lists for sure, so is that harsher?

Hi Herodshelper...I can’t comment on Leeds, Cardiff or Manchester, but I do know that on results day last year, HYMS and Bristol accepted AAB for two people my DS knows. Someone else on the thread might be able to comment on the other three you mention. Hope this helps a little though... 😊