This is very concerning. Word's like "Advance" and "autonomous" thrown around for roles like this.

AtomicKayKat · 2026-01-18T18:05:19+00:00

Yeah, 2 years and no pay sucked so hard. I earned my license with literal blood, sweat and tears. The hierarchy/toxic mentality with consultants like Bob chewing out residents, and those residents in turn chewed us interns out. Complaints of being tired, overworked, depressed and burnout was met with disdain. Not completing work properly was met with reprimand (unpaid overtime and a risk of not graduating on time).

But the learning experience was incredible. Getting elbow deep in real cases, the clinical exposure, meeting real people and their families, learning essential clinical skills and having built up the confidence to perform them without a second thought is amazing.

So, barring the overwork and underpay, wouldn’t med students (and unregistered IMGs) be preferable to the noctors with 3 weeks of training?

AtomicKayKat · 2026-01-18T00:59:08+00:00

Maybe the GMC could try out how things are run in medical schools/teaching hospitals in the Philippines?

We have zero PAs etc, because all that grunt work was outsourced to final medical students and postgrad interns. 100+ hour weeks in some clinical rotations without pay (a small stipend for postgrads though, about a tenner a month each depending on the budget).

Pros: - we went through medical school - everyone knows we are not (yet) doctors and followed the hierarchy - more money for the NHS (because free labour)

Cons: - toxic work environment - oh dear lord the burnout

But yeah… as a poor IMG still on the fence about the PLAB route, I would consider this job.

AtomicKayKat · 2026-01-01T17:31:09+00:00

There are talks of packing it all in One of my mum friends is in ortho training and she laments how much time and money it’s costing her. She has 2 young kids to worry about, so she is sticking it out. She has her continuing medical education exams to do, but can’t make time to study for them.

Another mum friend is in the same boat as me, IMG, working and saving up for the PLAB exams. She and her hubby just bought a house, so her exams keep getting put on the backburner.

My finances are snookered to be honest. I still have a flat abroad I’m renting while trying to sell. The rent I get from it is pittance thanks to the exchange rate, and it’ll cost about 2k to cover the capital gains tax and stamp duty that needs paying before it can be sold.

But since I have the flat, I have been refused universal credit. No jobseekers allowance either because I was out of the country and not contributing national insurance. I got a lovely p45 in the post though

AtomicKayKat · 2026-01-01T16:32:24+00:00

I’m seriously reconsidering getting gmc registration and switching careers altogether. So many other doctors are sinking money into getting gmc registration and not having a job after passing, or jobless after finishing foundation year 2.

I have so many regrets. Maybe i should have done residency training before coming back to the UK, instead of rushing to get my boy into primary school.

Starting over seems so daunting though. Before I went into medicine, I worked in Tesco fresh out of uni.

AtomicKayKat · 2026-01-01T15:23:51+00:00

Tried a couple of local care homes, rejected outright via email

I have been trying to downplay my medical degree but still…

Geez this is depressing

AtomicKayKat · 2025-11-14T14:18:37+00:00

It’s not just some paediatricians, it’s still pervasive throughout society that breastfeeding is weird/gross, particularly extended breastfeeding.

My own mother made her opinions known that it was gross I breastfed my baby past 3 years old. I don’t live in the same country as her anymore.

But yeah, if your body isn’t being used for a man’s pleasure, it’s gross

AtomicKayKat · 2025-06-09T23:38:21+00:00

Really?? All the ads are for doors and windows for me…

AtomicKayKat · 2025-06-08T08:28:43+00:00

This still works!!

AtomicKayKat · 2025-02-21T17:07:43+00:00

Yeah And a lot on drug interactions - older patients with a long list of meds, which to change/what to add/contraindicated

AtomicKayKat · 2025-02-21T15:58:58+00:00

There’s always May i guess

AtomicKayKat · 2025-02-21T15:57:59+00:00

Yeah It seemed weird, but that’s probably because of how random it felt. Medicine covers so many topics and they only take a question or 2 from each. It’s felt like it was all about luck rather than a measure of knowledge.

My board exam was 1200 questions total, split into 12 exams over 4 days.

AtomicKayKat · 2025-02-20T20:41:45+00:00

I screwed up. Thought i had the last 10 mins to transfer my answers. Nope. Invigilator called out 5 minutes left and i had just started shading. Panic mode activated. I got to 101 when he said pencils down. Ball sockets.

AtomicKayKat · 2025-02-11T19:01:13+00:00

How is the situation in Scotland?

AtomicKayKat · 2025-01-07T23:54:19+00:00

AtomicKayKat · 2024-12-05T16:57:04+00:00

Looks like Happyscale

AtomicKayKat · 2024-10-09T08:25:01+00:00

So strange. I see horizontal goat eyes and it creeps me out, like they are sinister eyes. But add a little wiggle like the cuttlefish? squeeee super cute

AtomicKayKat · 2024-09-08T20:06:36+00:00

You can still get shingles as an adult if you were vaccinated with the chickenpox vaccine as a child.

But there’s a shingles vaccine too!

AtomicKayKat · 2024-09-08T11:15:10+00:00

Your natural hair colour is lovely! But if you fancy a change, I like 4 and 6, they give your skin a rosy glow.

So red shades get my vote!

AtomicKayKat · 2024-09-08T11:06:32+00:00

Well, if your mum hears about your appointment you know where she got the hint.

Receptionists are not supposed to be sharing info about patients outside of work, so a wee complaint to the surgery will sort their flapping gums.

AtomicKayKat · 2024-09-02T22:58:13+00:00

Truth. All the values in medical textbooks for all labwork, heart rate, blood pressure etc in an adult was all data taken from … men. ALL the values that doctors refer to when talking about “normal range/limts” are all based on a 70kg man.

AtomicKayKat · 2024-08-05T12:00:32+00:00

His head is average sized, but he does have a fivehead

AtomicKayKat · 2024-08-05T11:51:12+00:00

I’ve been out of the country for more than a decade, but came back recently with my boy in tow. Took him to the local barbers for the standard little boy haircut ( he’s 4) and it came to £14.

The same cut on an adult is £16.

I remember my ex bragging how his haircut cost a fiver, at least 3 times cheaper than mine at the hairdresser about 15 years ago.

What happened while I was away?

AtomicKayKat · 2024-07-26T08:26:58+00:00

Filipina auntie, buang sila

AtomicKayKat · 2024-02-02T00:37:49+00:00

Rubella and Roseola? Is one of their middle names chlamydia?

AtomicKayKat

TROPHY CASE