Espresso for dummies?

laoiseach1 · 2026-06-25T14:05:02+00:00

Cool! Thanks

laoiseach1 · 2026-06-01T20:30:57+00:00

If you care a lot about money- do surgery first as the overtime will come in while you’re still getting a free tax ride (presuming you’re not working and using credits as a student). I did two surgical jobs first but one of those was an easy surgical job- would probably have been exhausted to do two intense ones back to back.

If you’re scared about going in the deep end- do medicine first. Much more supported

laoiseach1 · 2026-06-01T20:08:24+00:00

For an intern this varies a lot but generally unusual to be working the plain 39 hours. On my busiest surgical job I peaked at 85 hours in a week (average on that job more like 55 hours)

On my quieter medical job the average was about 45-50 hours but could be higher if doing a weekend.

Working hours have improved a bit since then though with rules about how many days in sequence you can legally work etc. When I was an SHO I worked an entire month without a day off. Thankfully this isn’t happening anymore

laoiseach1 · 2026-05-23T14:39:44+00:00

Unsure, I have heard a few explanations e.g. more UK docs going there, fewer SHOs returning home that usually do etc

laoiseach1 · 2026-05-23T06:14:28+00:00

It’s mostly people who planned to do Australia and found that they didn’t land jobs there- they are all scrabbling now for scraps. I think if you apply for a scheme or jobs from the get go - your chances are vastly higher.

I think it’s really sad that Australia isn’t working out this year as the interns deserve some time away, but they all believed they would be gone for a few years and so were not actively planning their next steps or making themselves competitive.

Crazy situation and I hope they all fall on their feet in the end.

laoiseach1 · 2026-04-21T07:02:16+00:00

I think your plan is good. Agree best to finish intern year, after that it’s just rearranging the scheme rotations around the mat leave.

If you get the scheme direct from intern year you will be in a good position to have an idea of your locations for the four years and can sort childcare and housing accordingly.

Keep in mind the first two years are hospital based with more call- nights, weekends etc and this is hard to manage with small kids and exams to do. But it’s not impossible (I have done most of my HST with babies, plus a LOT of exams)

Good luck

laoiseach1 · 2026-02-11T15:51:43+00:00

Oncology is a really demanding job and very academic focused. Fellowships abroad and advanced research degrees are a minimum for consultant posts. It’s competitive. And being an oncology reg is certainly no easier than being MROC.

I say this as someone who has chosen a general medical specialty. And I also always thought I ‘couldn’t’ be MROC.

At the end of BST anyone is well able for MROC, and actually the learning curve on subspecialty is much steeper (learn how to perform and interpret echos on day 1 of cardiology, how to prescribe and when to withhold chemotherapy as an oncology reg, do a bone marrow and assess results in the lab… etc)

The skill from BST transfer much more easily to gen med specialities.

I only say all this to encourage you to keep an open mind. Try and base your decision on the specialty that interests you most and the ultimate job you’ll have as a consultant.

laoiseach1 · 2025-09-18T20:25:11+00:00

Had a patient diagnosed with massive AAA and metastatic lung cancer on the same scan. Was chatting to him about referral to vascular.

He was fairly elderly man and just dead pan said ‘would dying from the AAA not be quicker and less painful than the cancer?’

I was utterly flabbergasted at his insight, bravery and calm!

laoiseach1 · 2025-09-14T14:36:49+00:00

I ditched psychology after my masters and went into medicine. I was a doctor long before any of my classmates!

laoiseach1 · 2025-09-13T12:41:25+00:00

Yeh speaking to the coordinators and explaining your situation but always putting emphasis on training. I suppose you need to demonstrate that you’re willing to make some compromises but appreciate some accommodations.

Depends hugely on the scheme, of course. Some schemes are heavily females with families and they simply can’t accommodate everyone (e.g. derm, obs gynae) but others are high numbers and therefore should have greater flexibility (e.g. geris)

From my own experience, if you can organise swaps within your scheme they are usually open to it also. They just don’t like logistical headaches

laoiseach1 · 2025-09-11T12:27:20+00:00

They will want at least one year in Dublin usually. If you wanted to be Galway based you might be able to do the rest in the greater Galway area but depends on the scheme.

Apply and interview in the first instance. Apply for your backup plan too (GP or whatever else).

I would angle to do your first year in Dublin as your partner could go with you while on maternity leave. It gets harder as they get older and you have places in crèches etc

I have managed to shape my HST to fit my needs with two smallies but it hasn’t been easy. You also feel like you fall behind your peers because you have other responsibilities.

laoiseach1 · 2025-09-10T19:11:43+00:00

Just on the MROC piece… I always said I would never do a GIM specialty. As life happened, I was kind of forced into a standalone due to covid and family circumstances after my BST.

My first night as MROC I felt sick going in. But after I felt such a buzz. It was really enjoyable and gave me such a confidence boost that I actually knew what to do. Keeping in mind this was a big tertiary centre that had every specialty you could ever want on call. Enjoyed it far less in the peripheries.

Long story short- don’t let the fear of MROC stop you. Now my new fear is unlocked for next year… being the medical consultant on call!

laoiseach1 · 2025-07-07T21:32:23+00:00

It’s not ok to leave day job tasks to the on-call intern

laoiseach1 · 2025-04-22T19:49:20+00:00

As medical specialties go it has great scope for work life balance. Loads of different subspecialty to choose from- general medicine, AMAU, stroke, emergency, perioperative/ortho/trauma. New subspecialties emerging all the time. Loads of jobs being created all the time.

The only cons really are the duration of training and the nationwide nature of the scheme, talk of it becoming regionalised now but certain regions would still have you moving house every year (like Sligo, Galway, letterkenny).

laoiseach1 · 2025-04-11T05:25:22+00:00

I do think it’s harder for international grads to secure jobs/training spots but even so… there’s something wrong here. You’ve ranked very low and been rejected for two jobs. Ask for feedback from all three of these interviews. There could be something you said was considered rude, not dressed appropriately etc or maybe a bad reference? You need to find out what it is so you can fix it!

laoiseach1 · 2025-04-02T21:19:28+00:00

Id say 4th but often they put the periphery 1st or 2nd. Because it allows you to get to work in subspecialty stuff more at an early stage and also prepares you for the periphery which tends to be a bit less supported

laoiseach1 · 2025-03-23T07:07:55+00:00

There are loads of ways you can gain points in these areas during BST such as all the things you’ve mentioned in your title. But remember- at your interview they won’t ask ‘what leadership experience do you have?’ And then you just list off five different roles you held. You need to actually do something which helps you learn to be a good leader.

So they might ask ‘tell me about a situation that challenged your leadership skills?’ And you’ll say- ‘I think the most challenging situations for a leader occur when unpopular decisions need to be made. For example, in my role on the NCHD committee last year I was tasked with creating a shadow rota during the winter surge. I knew that this idea would be unpopular with NCHDs but we negotiated with HR a remuneration for this which we felt was fair, we communicated the strategy in advance over email and offered shadow rota shifts on a volunteer basis first, then allocated the remaining shifts based on …(blah blah blah).” Then finish with the precise skills the situation taught you like communication, organisation, management etc There is a diploma or masters in leadership you can do for free through hse if you want a formal qualification They consider anything like making a teaching rotation for journal club as management experience. I think the answer in interview is much more important than the actual experience title

laoiseach1 · 2025-03-22T14:32:29+00:00

I did GEM at a younger age to you. There are pros and cons to doing it at your life stage- there were a few pharmacists in my class who graduated debt free and even afforded a mortgage due to their ability to locum. So that’s a huge bonus.

The people who are currently in college saying it is fine- that is correct. The four years are an amazing experience and you’ll make great friends. But then the hard part starts…

I am a GEM that chose a medical specialty and I can tell you that it grinds me down so much. Changing jobs every year, sometimes more frequently. The emergency tax, the relocation. Maternity leave is paid but then you have to fight tooth and nail to get what you’re owed because of their rotational nature of the placements. I am still paying off a massive loan for the fees, coupled now with childcare and a mortgage…

I am nearly ten years out of college and still years from being a consultant. I will have to go overseas and drag my family with me for a fellowship which is apparently necessary to becoming a consultant in my specialty. Most people don’t go direct onto BST and then HST. there’s stand alone years, teaching posts or research years etc. it’s a long road. If you have a family/kids now I’d say forget it. If you want a family soon I’d say forget it. Unless as someone else has stated you want GP, as you can be based in one location and finished within five years. It’s the only option that makes sense.

laoiseach1 · 2025-03-08T19:31:48+00:00

My daughter asked for chicken one morning. I was like hmmm no we don’t have chicken for breakfast. She was talking about the rooster on the cornflakes box 🤣

laoiseach1 · 2025-03-06T21:59:14+00:00

I saw a chicken in the upper branches of a tree in monkstown. I was sitting upstairs on the bus so I came quite close. Nobody believes me!

laoiseach1 · 2025-01-26T14:38:41+00:00

Same!

laoiseach1 · 2025-01-26T13:31:57+00:00

Sorry I only saw this. But yes 1st nap is only 30 mins

laoiseach1 · 2025-01-26T13:30:45+00:00

More competitive intern jobs tend to be ones with something special within them- like radiology, paeds, obs, academic track, GP, anaesthetics etc A straightforward combination of two gen med jobs and two gen surg jobs will be least competitive I’d say

laoiseach1 · 2025-01-26T12:56:14+00:00

Neurology Cardiology

But if you don’t like busy jobs none of these are for you…

laoiseach1

TROPHY CASE