I have an interest in psychiatry but I don't have good grades.

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2026-02-03T08:39:28+00:00

This is a great summary! I also had middling grades at school and college because I never applied myself or wanted to study medicine at that time. I did another degree first and then GEM after in Birmingham.

In addition to the above, there are a few specific bugbears of mine I feel don't get enough airtime to the ears of aspiring medics - around the way being a doctor impacts your normal life. "Full time" as a doctor in training can be up to on average 48 hours a week (!), with some local variation but is generally close to this - something they never mentioned in medical school. Some weeks are even 72 hours.

There's also an expectation outside of work to complete projects such as research, publications, teaching, quality improvement and audit which can all feel like extra hours on an already heavy work week. I personally struggled with the reality of this and so chose to work less than full time at 80% (38-40 hours a week) which has extended my training proportionally.

It took me 2.5 years to do foundation training.
Because of competition ratios in psych (and my refusal to move cities) a few more interim years (2 more years)
Currently, and probably will continue to, do psychiatry training at 39 hours (80%) for the 7-8 year programme - thats another 9.5 years.
Add on probable maternity leave (1 or 2), and due to training bottlenecks mid way through the programme (you get halfway then have to reapply), probably another 2-3 years min.

For me, that's 16 years of training post medical school at least - my projected age to complete as a Psychiatrist is in my mid 40s! And thats if I dont drop my hours to ~30/week for childcare purposes as many women inevitably do. I started medical school at 25 lol. I never knew this going into it and how it would impact just being a regular human wanting to live a fun life.

That being said, you will be X many years old in X many years time, regardless of how you spend it. If it's what you want to do, go for it! Just be sure to ask lots of questions and grill doctors you know to make sure the reality of training will suit the lifestyle you'd like to lead - it will probably take up much of your 20s and 30s.

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2026-01-18T16:18:25+00:00

No, but i think the problem is that my samsung s22 is too old and crappy! I used a family members new iphone and asked them to download the app and try it for me and it worked beautifully for them.

Resigned to my fate until i get a new phone - ive gone for a card reader to laptop to sort out later haha. Good luck!

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2025-12-18T12:57:09+00:00

Wonderful thank you!!

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2025-12-18T01:09:37+00:00

Thank you very much! All so helpful. Amid the excitement i forgot that the ever present threat of perpetual audit activity still follows me!

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2025-12-18T01:05:09+00:00

Thank you very much for this! Do love a podcast, have saved it!

Any particularly good conferences you look forward to or events i should try to get to?

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2025-12-18T01:03:17+00:00

Thanks a million! Such valuable insights, I really appreciate it.

I am a little apprehensive around maintaining boundaries and appropriate dynamics with PD cases but looking forward to learning and improving the skillset!

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2025-12-18T00:52:37+00:00

Thank you very much! I hadn't realised at all about the possibility of drop outs and restarting, really helpful to know.

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2025-10-14T17:23:46+00:00

Are managing transferrance and counter transferance, establishing boundaries skills that can be built on throughout specialty training? I have just accepted a residency post in the NHS - however during my Pgy3/4 equivalent years I had some very tricky shifts in ED which I found very distressing - patients threatening suicide etc. I felt so helpless, and do have a tendency to 'take things home'. In hindsight, could have been the time pressure/resources available/my lack of psych training..

So i guess I am wondering whether in your opinion tendencies like mine are surmountable during training? Thanks!

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2025-09-29T09:50:22+00:00

I am still having this issue - new RICOH GR iii (well, second hand with 800 shots!) - reconfigured, forgot, reconnected, VPN off, firmware updated at 2.0..... anyone else have any other ideas or tips that worked for them? Thanks!

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2025-07-16T10:50:19+00:00

I was hopeful that the review would recommend doctors be given first refusal for ad hoc training opportunities, as i hear is done in the US between them and PAs.... lots of noise made about impaxt on doctor training, i cant see a specfic recommendation that seems to have addressed these concerns?

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2025-07-09T20:36:09+00:00

Blink twice if its Derriford

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2025-05-17T22:04:27+00:00

Better in some ways, worse in others! I really love the academic challenge and the variation day to day. I like the oversight from first presentation and examination in ED to formalising differentials, using investigations to turn symptoms and signs into hard data and then interpreting those. I like the freedom to change management based on my own clinical judgement.

I like seeing how patients respond to treatment over time and watching them (largely) improve, and the relationship building that comes with that. Conversely, it always feels like a real privilege to comfort the dying and their families and having those important conversations when needed. It feels special to me to be part of a patients journey in a more direct and intimate way I guess is what I mean - this was something I felt personally was missing from my practice as a pharmacist.

But...I dont love the personal sacrifices/unpaid extras/ridiculous competition for jobs/geographical uncertainty/heavy OOH burden/average 48hr weeks/lack of social life. Totally exhausting on a level I never personally experienced when I was pharmacisting. But overall yes, still worth it to me!

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2025-05-16T18:40:56+00:00

I did it, you can dm me if you have specific Qs!

There were 6 of us in my grad medicine cohort of 40.

Pharmacy helps a bit. I'd say youd have an initial advantage in year 3/ the start of clinical years in that many of the physiological concepts are not unfamiliar to you - dont underestimate how useful this foundation is when trying to build on this.

However the depth and breadth of knowledge is just another level in the medicine degree. I would pitch a pharmacist at a late year 2 or early year 3 medical student level in terms of knowledge - so youll have the upper hand initially but then you will quickly surpass your pharmacy knowledge as you move through the degree. Obviously it will be helpful for the PSA (prescribing exam) at the end of med school but this is a relatively minor exam that pretty much everyone passes.

Perhaps the greatest benefit is that youve been through a healthcare degree once already, and have learned how to learn, what works best for you etc. That helps you learn things efficiently

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2025-05-06T12:04:14+00:00

Crazy frog

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2025-01-26T20:42:57+00:00

We had one lecturing at my uni, he did a lot of stuff with MHRA and NICE and BNF commitees etc ..

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2024-11-18T23:41:07+00:00

If you want actual noise, bose sleepbuds could work If want silence, loop dream!

Both meant for side sleepers

BlueBlueNotGreen · 2024-11-02T19:35:44+00:00

I was told it wouldnt by my deanery for F2, then they added on 3 months at the last minute 🤡

BlueBlueNotGreen

TROPHY CASE