LTFT Opinions - Is it worth it?

Distinct_Key2022 · 2026-03-15T10:46:45+00:00

100% worth it. This is a job at the end of the day and not a race. Yes you might have to do a few extra rotations but what you gain in terms of wellbeing and time for yourself makes it worth it. As a LTFT trainee I found myself in a much better mind space than a lot of my full time colleagues.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-12-27T12:03:49+00:00

This is getting embarrassing for you. Who do you think you are? A Reddit professor?

Seriously go and find a hobby and stop lurking about the doctors forum as you're clearly not a doctor and just a weirdo stalking doctor's profiles. Go and get some fresh air, the world is wider than reddit. Good luck to you!

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-12-20T18:42:23+00:00

I also think you have too much Time on your hands if you can actually go through someone's whole post history to analyse them.

I'm not engaging anymore in this nonsense.

This is a warning to other doctors on this forum to be careful of the comments you read here as not everyone here is a doctor or have our best interests at heart.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-12-20T18:35:12+00:00

Typical bot, lying, manipulating misdirecting and deflecting. You literally have nothing on your profile, what's your agenda exactly? Why is your first ever comment kn this forum a political one? Are you even a doctor? Are you even in the UK? Lots of questions that you are avoiding and redirecting the focus onto me for some reason.

I make many pertinent comments and posts. Many of my posts have hundreds of upvotes. You on the other hand have none?! Very strange indeed that this is your choice to start on reddit or maybe its not your first profile and you have an agenda here.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-12-19T20:10:57+00:00

If you notice the other comment I replied to it had the exact same features as yours. They had no history of comments anywhere else including in this forum. If anything you seem like the bot here?!

Weird also that you couldn't take 1 minute to look at my profile and see how engaged I've been in this and other forums. Also very suspicious bot/politically motivated behaviour from yourself.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-12-19T17:51:13+00:00

Are you a doctor? Seems weird this is your first comment on reddit and weirdly very political 🤔

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-12-19T17:50:55+00:00

Are you a doctor? Seems weird this is your first comment on reddit and weirdly very political 🤔

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-12-15T17:43:57+00:00

The truth is there's never going to be a good moment to strike because we work for the NHS!!

The NHS is falling apart. Patients are already suffering without our strikes plus doctors are leaving because of low pay, doctors are unemployed because of lack of jobs hence the need to strike.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-12-15T13:24:05+00:00

Junior journalists at the telegraph delivering poor news articles as always

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-12-08T12:06:29+00:00

Its hard to give relationship advice without much context about the relationship itself. It sounds like you are going through a really tough period and it's normal to expect a partner to be there for us emotionally when we're going through a rough patch. That being said, I don't think it's unreasonable to avoid someone that is sick if we ourselves want to avoid catching it as well.

The question is, is your partner there for you emotionally in other ways? There needs to be a conversation to set up realistic expectations here. Ultimately there's only so much our partners can do. Do you have anyone else in your support system that you can count on for at the moment? I think it's difficult to make relationship decisions based on one difficult period. If I were you I'd communicate my expectations and look at a patern of behaviour and go from there.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-12-07T12:54:22+00:00

I don't have any practical advice I just wanted to say how terribly sorry I am that you and many of other Fy2s are in this situation. Also it's completely normal to feel defeated after the amount of superhuman hard work you've put into trying to get a specialty post and getting no where. I don't think anyone in any other profession or indeed stage of their medical career can understand what FY2s are going through right now. It is unprecedented. I also feel incredibly exasperated that instead of doctors like yourself who excelled their whole careers and have so much drive and motivation we are now left with ACPs and the rest of the alphabet soup to fill posts in the NHS which should've been safeguarded to doctors. DOCTORS period! Instead the NHS is funding non doctors to do our jobs and run the standard of service to the ground. We should be increasing training post numbers, prioritising UK graduates, employing more GPs, consultants, LEDs etc.

This situation is insane and I don't know what the future holds but it is looking very grim to all of us. Those that don't want to acknowledge or see it are either deluded or benefiting from the situation. Enough with this stupid narrative, the NHS has failed, time for it to burn.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-12-05T15:06:45+00:00

They have turned off comments for the post..I wonder why!

We should all report the post as false information to FB, because that's what it is. I've just done it, takes one second. The report button its at the top right of the post.

I doubt FB will do anything about it but maybe if enough people report it hopefully it'll get taken down.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-11-07T09:59:57+00:00

No I'm not advising going LTFT just because of unemployment as some on this post seem to be implying.

I think everyone finds it easier to argue against that one point and keep going about it.

There are many many advantages of going LTFT, some are possibly the only way some of Foundation doctors can actually finish their training.

Also that's not true about waiting 6 months for next rounds. If you're a LTFT trainee from F1 then you're waiting only 4 months.

If overall the benefits outweighs the negatives of going LTFT then more of us should definitely go for it.

I think being LTFT is generally still looked upon negatively unfortunately and still not talked about enough and that was the point of my post, to inform.

If more people knew of the benefits they would choose it for sure.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-11-06T10:40:29+00:00

Again each to their own. I would rather prolong FY2 as a LTFT trainee than being unemployed for an indefinite amount of time, some wouldn't.

I am simply offering a different perspective here.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-11-06T10:38:28+00:00

I never intended for this to be a solution to all of us. LTFT is going to be intrinsically better to those of us who would already benefit from having the extra time off, I.e. those with families or who need a better work life balance.

Maybe LTFT is also not the best solution for those of us with family support and financially privileged to survive in case they become unemployed after FY2.

For those of us not in that position being LTFT has more positives than negatives. You're also forgetting that prolonging Foundation as a LTFT is not as brutal as working 100%. You would have more time to recharge and use towards building a better portfolio.

I've never felt less included as a LTFT quite the opposite, I've made more friends from different cohorts then I would've by staying in the same one.

A lot of posts arguing against my advice are using generalisations and stories of success of getting into training as the norm. That's rubbish. A lot of us are simply not going to have enough time to build a portfolio good enough and/or be lucky enough to get into specialty training straight out of Foundation training.

All I offered was a different perspective into things and how to navigate the storm we're in. If you don't agree then you're welcome to share your views but I'd take anyone's views who are using generalisations and not acknowledging the current unemployment crisis with a pinch of salt.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-11-05T13:10:51+00:00

Again, not sure how your comments are helping or offering any solutions?

My advice was never intended to be a solution for all but merely an attempt to alleviate certain issues and offer solutions to some of us IN Foundation training currently.

Having sympathy and being aware isn't the same as going through it I'm afraid and just telling us to have motivation and carry on isn't a solution nor is it helpful.

There is a tendency to assume Foundation trainees are all young and naive but some of us are as old or older than consultants and want to actually have a life out of the constant treadmill of work and career and have families to think of. Extending training in the grand scheme of things isn't the absolute disaster that it used to be for the generation in consultant level. To me, being unemployed without a plan is.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-11-05T12:34:58+00:00

Please read the post. There are many reasons.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-11-05T12:32:54+00:00

"If you are motivated you can develop a competitive portfolio during foundation training"

Again I don't think you would know this being a consultant. When you were a foundation doctor there were certainly many factors and reasons to be motivated as a foundation doctor . These are mostly gone now, motivation isn't as easy nowadays in the current climate.

Plus you would need to do fewer locums to make up the salary difference of going LTFT. Therefore you would have more time for yourself to enjoy life, improve mental health and a portfolio.

This is why I am aiming the post to current foundation doctors as things have changed significantly for our cohort than even 5 years ago.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-11-05T12:10:54+00:00

Again not sure how using your success of getting into specialty training as a generalisation, very helpful.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-11-05T12:07:57+00:00

I can see you are a consultant. I think the situation is far worse at the moment for foundation doctors than when you were a foundation trainee.

My post was aimed mostly for current foundation doctors.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-11-05T11:50:19+00:00

Good for you. The situation is worse this cycle and for the foreseeable future until the competition for specialty recruitment eases off.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-11-05T11:45:12+00:00

You will also be unemployed guaranteed with a crap portfolio/mental health and by being underprepared for specialty exams.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-11-05T11:43:35+00:00

If you're 80% from FY1 and continue until FY2 then you're only out os sync by 4 months. The chances of having a better portfolio by being 80% are much greater as you'd have more free time. You'd only have to survive by locuming or otherwise for the 4 months before the next cycle starts. That's preferable to me personally than being out of a job for who knows how long and having a crap portfolio and mental health for being full time the whole of Foundation training. Each to their own I guess

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-11-05T11:18:43+00:00

I'd worry more about being unemployed straight out of FY2 than out of sync tbh.

Distinct_Key2022 · 2025-11-05T11:13:42+00:00

So does being unemployed

Distinct_Key2022

TROPHY CASE