BigTilly, I think the realisation that DD will be well into her 30s before she stops taking exams and has a settled job has started to hit. She is less than half way through, with a lot of tough working and studying ahead.
She’s fine in that she is happy with medicine and it is what she has always wanted to do. However it is hard, and in some ways getting harder, and the drop out rate, including from the more academic universities, is significant. A surprising number seem to fall into medicine without really thinking out what it entails, and are finding it a slog. Perhaps because of parental encouragement, or because they see getting into medical school as competitive and prestigious. One doctor we know in his mid 30s, who was first generation to go to university, is unsure he can face another 25 years. He was good at science so his chemistry teacher told him to apply for medicine, which he did.. A lot of the camaraderie seems to have gone with the pressure on time and space. So he is mainly wfh, looking at scans etc, with patient contact severely curtailed. However the money and job security are good!
Unfortunately DDs preferred specialisation is competitive and will be at every turn. Getting a good elective, getting a suitable F1, getting a relevant training place, passing the exams. Ironically there is then a shortage so if she gets through, progression to registrar and consultant is much more straightforward. But it is still far from certain whether she can get there. If not I suspect she might prefer to work in an allied medical research field rather than be, say, a GP which does not appeal at all, even though the latter have plenty of other income streams like teaching students and vaccinating that can bump incomes up.
It will be good to see her settled doing something she wants. Luckily DS’ PhD makes him very employable, the question there is that he could end up anywhere in the world, whilst I, selfishly, want him to return to the UK.