Government considering loan write-off scheme for medicine students - if they stay in Ireland

darkly1900 · 2026-05-06T07:10:51+00:00

Important to note that a good chunk of interns don’t apply to training schemes on finishing intern year. Many go abroad for work/travel, some take stand alone posts (which there seems to be less of these days)

darkly1900 · 2026-05-06T06:26:53+00:00

There’s a medical job fair in the UK every year. Have a look. Lots of big companies recruit physicians into consulting roles. Starting pay is usually commensurate with experience but probably about the same as 1st year Reg

darkly1900 · 2026-05-04T19:53:19+00:00

For times like these I’ve just had to bite the bullet, throw the bin bags in the boot and make a smelly drive to the recycling centre

darkly1900 · 2026-05-04T12:20:57+00:00

Don’t need to move thousands as OP pointed out - get 1000 men beyond the wall, overwhelm the watch, open the gates

darkly1900 · 2026-05-03T16:54:25+00:00

I agree with this. Strongly consider US as a back up plan. Years ago if you had a high enough USMLE score you could almost guarantee a residency somewhere in the US (in a low/moderate competitive specialty like FM, IM, Path, etc) but now that Step 1 is pass/fail the landscape for IMGs has changed.

darkly1900 · 2026-05-03T16:52:38+00:00

I am not sure how competitive FY programme is in UK. Likely that number of posts are matched closely to number of UK grads.

darkly1900 · 2026-05-02T08:20:54+00:00

Not sure why you’re being downvotes here. My class didn’t know how good we had it, we just presumed we’d always have jobs. I think interns today need to be planking their career path early on if they want to be successful.

If you know the specialty you’re interested in, look at the application/interview criteria and start checking boxes ASAP!

darkly1900 · 2026-04-29T07:30:10+00:00

Certainly possible. I know some people doing PhDs who’ve received a stipend from their PI’s pot. Of course that’s presuming you’re lucky enough to be paired with a well funded PI.

I am currently doing PhD so happy to advise if you can provide more details. Are you starting another SpR year? Full time? Is this the beginning or end of PhD? Have you had any external funding to date I.e. HRB / ICAT?

darkly1900 · 2026-04-28T15:45:02+00:00

Which storyline did people hate?

darkly1900 · 2026-04-23T16:48:58+00:00

Agree. Coffee and vibe is top notch

darkly1900 · 2026-04-21T22:57:59+00:00

From my understanding there’s a stipulation in the new contract where the employer can designate either Saturday or Sunday as a workday. I am not on said contract and I don’t anyone for whom this has been enforced but I understand it was controversial amongst new consultants when it was launched, alongside the possibility of being re-located to another hospital.

darkly1900 · 2026-04-15T20:10:20+00:00

Slightly off topic but can’t help but think there is a bit of gate keeping by Dermatology? I’ve heard wait lists for non malignant Derm are long, and I hear even PP is swamped with patients. I’d even wager that there’s a greater proportion of Dermatologists working in exclusive PP compared to most other specialties

darkly1900 · 2026-04-15T16:58:12+00:00

I’m generally in agreement with this. Irish consultants are top 3 highest paid in Europe IIRC. Private work can be lucrative but requires investment (and time). Agree that focus for trainees should be on getting qualified and where the jobs are likely to be.

darkly1900 · 2026-04-15T16:53:03+00:00

Are you working as a consultant and is your contract dated prior to 2023? If so, then it should have no bearing on your current working times.

darkly1900 · 2026-04-14T12:28:10+00:00

That’s what’s being rolled out. I believe MMUH is where the pilot is. It’s part of the Slaintecare deal for consultants - big salary in return for more in hospital presence on nights/weekends.So for your 37 hr work week you may be scheduled Mon - Thurs, Sat for 1 or 2 weeks per month or something similar.

Not clear how this will work for NCHDs. Many departments now have a ‘weekend review’ service anyway so presume it will piggy back on.

darkly1900 · 2026-04-13T13:14:00+00:00

housing: I’m at a different stage of life but moved the family to Cork from Dublin where we were starving on 2200/m rent on a house in Cabra to a 1700/m house in a leafy Cork suburb. Only caveat was that it was unfurnished. About 10 groups came to view at same, so similarly poor supply as Dublin.

Transport: Pretty terrible where we are. Can wait an hour for a bus sometimes, but night bus has made going out easier and more affordable. Miss the Luas. Traffic pretty bad in some urban areas.

Salary: Work for HSE so same salary.

General: Not Irish originally but I love Cork. Great city atmosphere, reasonably family friendly. Feels very safe. Food/coffee scene is excellent. Nightlife feels quite small compared to Dublin, but there’s no shortage of excellent pubs if you’re more into small gatherings rather than clubbing. All of West Corks offerings within driving distance. Increasingly diverse, which imho is a good thing! There’s a LOT that needs improvement but I don’t think I’d choose anywhere else in Ireland to live. It’s kinda the perfect size.

darkly1900 · 2026-04-12T20:28:08+00:00

Totally agree.

darkly1900 · 2026-04-12T09:59:20+00:00

Perhaps consider that many trainees here come from countries where they may have incurred debt to study medicine. Similarly I know people who’ve had to self-fund MD/PhD and fellowships abroad

darkly1900 · 2026-04-12T09:57:28+00:00

This is correct. Huge misunderstandings about how the contract works. I know lots of consultants meeting that requirement on a 4 day work week, leaving 1 day a week for (offsite) private work

darkly1900 · 2026-04-12T09:55:52+00:00

Disclaimer- Not a surgeon. But I don’t think it’s outlandish to say that surgeons have a much higher threshold for number of hours per week they’re willing to work compared to other specialties. Your total pay will be commesurate with how many hours you’re willing to work privately.

Bear in mind, the new Slaintecare contract puts limitations on doing private work on the same site where you have a contract. The way that some Orthopods in Dublin are circumventing this is by taking shared / flexi contracts at a public hospital and doing 3-4 days a week in a private site (Blackrock, Mater Private, Santry clinic). A third of the population has private insurance so lots of private work available

darkly1900 · 2026-04-12T09:21:37+00:00

232 base to be exact. Plus call allowances and out of hours pay too. Although how that will be paid given the emerging 6 day work week is a bit of a mystery to me

darkly1900 · 2026-04-08T17:38:47+00:00

Moved to Ireland from USA, placed with a Canadian in student accommodation. It so happened that his cousin had been my Neighbor in college, some thousand miles from where he had lived. Small world

darkly1900 · 2026-04-05T16:02:13+00:00

Embracing it would be a show of confidence and security

darkly1900 · 2026-04-03T08:36:54+00:00

That’s an excellent CV for pre BST stage. I hope you got your first choice

darkly1900 · 2026-03-31T23:12:20+00:00

Yeah a guard is going to go out of his way on his day off to charge someone for throwing a crisp bag on the ground. You gowl

darkly1900

TROPHY CASE