I quit full-time medicine? Career reflections 💭 

My daughter quit after FY2, and became an Anglican priest. The NHS was a lot simpler in my day. I came to the UK in 1983, as a refugee from the civil war in Sri Lanka.

This has resonated with me so much!! Thank you for sharing what's going on your mind and your thought process. A lot of us are in the same boat and yet, it always feels like we're alone! Here's hoping the future will be brighter

Your lovely , I can quite easily just sit back and listen to your monologues full of honesty and integrity. I have had periods of time out from my career and always enjoyed and made the most of it. It definitely makes you understand work is not the be all and end all we can easily get channelled into. You will never regret it imho.

There is an amazing world of opportunity out there outside of the soul-destroying conveyor belt of postgrad training. Even more so these days than ever before! Good luck 💫

Goodluck Surina. I love your honesty.

Good on you! So many other things you can move into with your training! Love your videos!

This is my first youtube comment! I'm so happy your video came up when I was mindlessly searching for residency day-in-the-life videos to perhaps inspire me to apply to a training program (looks like youtube had other plans haha). I'm currently a young (?) funemployed doctor in the Philippines, doing side hustles here and there to get by. I'm pleasantly surprised at how I resonated with most, if not all, your sentiments Surina! It's like you pulled out tangled up streams of thought from my brain and just laid them straight and flat in front of me. This journey off the conveyor belt can seem a bit lonely, but I'm glad I found this channel to find some sense of belonging. I'm still trying to figure out if I still want to pursue further training, and where, since the Philippines is notorious for hating their healthcare workers (meaning we get paid one of the LOWEST salaries across all career paths), or if I just wanna travel and be happy about not rushing to get to the next deadline. So I'm curious to see what else you'll be up to! Thank you for reigniting this fire inside of me!

You are clearly very talented and I have no doubt you will succeed with whatever you choose. I really enjoy your videos, they are very well done. I’m from Brisbane so especially enjoyed those videos 😊

Great honest video Surina, keep up the social media part for sure.

I thought I would be full-time even after I had my child, but it was the most pleasant surprise that during my mat leave, I decided full-time wasn't for me anymore and in that I decided part-time and found my passion with helping IMGs. Part-time in medicine , doesn't mean failure.

Wish u all the best for ur endeavours.. Enjoy the break, life is full of opportunities and is always good to pause and breathe..

All the best whatever decision you take Surina :).

Thank you so much for sharing! Especially in the guilt part…. It really hits me sometimes and I’m so glad to hear I’m not alone in this. I’m a medical student and a content creator on Instagram and TikTok at the same so I completely relate🫶🏼🫶🏼

Dear Surina, I have the same thoughts. I am also looking for answers. I quit pediatrics residency when I was Alamo about to finish because of health reasons. I surprised at why I don’t miss it, because I get to sleep, eat well, go exercise, and be relaxed and peaceful. Although to me it seems like you don’t know what you want. I am also unsure about the future but am seeing and learning from others.

I’m also out of NHS training as of August 2022 for a different reason but also not missing medicine which makes me question whether it was worth it! I enjoy it but the lack of a life outside a hospital really gets you down. Not to mention, some of the negative comments on this video really make you feel the toxic energy that thrives in the healthcare profession which is truly sad. A career so purported to be important but it’s a double edged sword at times. I wish you all the best in figuring stuff out and hope you enjoy all your time out of traditional work!

Wow you’re so inspirational. Thank you for your candid video ❤

Oh how much do I relate to this video!!! I moved from pakistan to UK few years ago. transition was hard. I felt away from home and alien in UK as well. At the same time, I was unsure about Medicine as well. Covid hit in between as well as cherry on top. So your feelings are real. Only advice is … don’t waste time in locuming or trust grade jobs .. Hang in there Take decisions with clear head and proper time. I hope things gets more clear for you.

Was waiting for your video for a long time

Do what makes you happy and never mind what others say. Being a doctor is not the be all of life and it certainly doesnt pay. People expecrt the world from doctors not thinking about how the doctors and nurses feel. The harsh reality is this, compassion and kindness are all well and good but in the end they just dont pay the bills. Its up to all of us to keep healthy and to not put pressure on the doctors and nurses who do these jobs. Doctors are not charity workers, they are paid to do a service which is very hard to do and is never fully apprechiated.

A mature, honest, and eloquent talk. Thank you for sharing. I enjoy watching your videos as I find them full of insight & relatable to a great extent. It's sad to see doctors leaving medicine behind regardless of the reason. I'm an overseas doctor who currently works as a GP trainee in Australia & I've had to go through a lot of hoops plus it took me a while to orient myself to the system. However, on a personal level, I'm not necessarily enjoying medicine or finding it fulfilling, at least at the current stage. Best of luck!

Good luck Surina.

I'm quitting Medicine too! Currently working in the NHS.. I am trying to look ahead into the future... this can't be the end for me.. I can do something better with my life.

Sometimes having a bit of time out, and not going down the conventional career progression route. (Whatever the profession), can actually make you more content and focused. When you do step back onto the career wheel. We are all different. Wishing you well

Thanks for sharing.

The the grass is greener thing is so true. Its SO me. I put medicine on hold after a year and am now doing medical engineering and now think about going back 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ but i cant decide for the life of me

William Shakespeare figured it out over 420 years ago. To thine own self be true. It takes courage to do what you did. Go with the flow and see where it takes you. From my personal perspective, the saddest thing about your decision is that you will be leaving Australia 🥲. You were/are an asset to the Australian community, way beyond your medical contribution. Go well young lady🖖

As much as I am sorry to hear you have stepped off the pathway but as long as you are happy in life then that is all that matters. I wish you well in all that you do, whether you stay as a physician or not. Given the state of the NHS at the moment I imagine there are plenty of opportunity for locum work and keeping a good network to provide support; you just have to have the conversation with the right decision makers.

I am an Immigrant doctor from Myanmar..relocated to Australia in 2009 with intention of pursuing my full time medical career in hospital but quit after years and now doing part time in corporate healthcare in Perth which I enjoy. Hospital settings isn’t just for me :) only realized that after getting my AMC & MRCP from UK.

Thank you for a very honest reflection. One thing, I don’t go for the New Year resolution thing, you make a decision when you feel you need to, and sometimes when you have to. That seems to be where you are. As regards other peoples investment in your education and training, the biggest investment comes from you, YOU OWN IT, no one else. Make your decision, run with it, and don’t feel guilty. Most people are nice people, any mentor you’ve had should be happy that you’re finding your way in life. Anyone who puts a price on that, isn’t as nice as you may think, just don’t confuse it with people who opine with what they think are your best interests, after all, they might be right. The underlying current is your life belongs to you, nobody else, and some are certain what they want to do from when they first learn to talk, but the rest of us have to feel our way along. That’s exactly what you’re doing, and well done for that. As for part time surgery, as a consumer I’m not enamoured with that. At 70 I’ve had a few procedures, in the private system. Frozen shoulder release, bi lateral hernia repair, and cataracts. I never went for the GP’s referral, although they sometimes coincided with mine. I always reviewed the CV’s on the hospital web site. Heads of department in the public system, university mentors for trainees, people who I felt were competent committed and really had skin in the game. No criticism implied, just another side of the coin. I view the medical profession as an industry, and all disciplines of staff as people who work in it. I resist the temptation of mystique, and if I don’t get the service I expect I take my business elsewhere, as I would anywhere else. No criticism implied, just another side of the coin. I left England in Dec 1987 and have never returned it’s a seductive country; Life is kinder here I think than anywhere else I have been. Don’t be too surprised if you feel homesick for Aussie when you get back. Remember nobody owns your life but you. Looking for the right fit isn’t being selfish, it’s being honest, which is what you’ve been in the videos I have watched. Good luck with your search.

I'm an anesthesia consultant and i hate it.. migrating now to another country to start from the bottom.. but I'm very excited since the position is easy for me. anesthesia is very stressful

I was wondering if it’s possible to get speciality training in Australia after FY2

I do disagree with the ideal that we're supposed to be grateful just to be able to work with members of the public. These are usually the same members of the public who will physically, verbally and sometimes sexually assault us in the workplace. Not everyone is a pleasure to work with, and 'the public' is not a monolith.

Hi! Thanks for the honest video! Did you manage to get the PR in Australia ?

Can you potentially make a video of entering speciality training in australia as an IMG?

_"omg! it's infiltrating the surgical pathways?! o_0"_ . love the wording. _JC

I can totally relate to you 😂

Sometimes we get to a point in our life where we realise we are all parts of the system even that which isn't medicine, and are forever sacrificing time to enjoy ourselves and discover life. I imagine it is hard to step away for long from medicine as you lose skill or aren't looked at as favourably perhaps. But take time to do life if you need that for mental health reasons. We aren't machines, we don't have to all sacrifice to the capitalist system there are ways of trying to get that balance.

Career/life chrisis I understand but to leave Brisbane I do not. The only other times I have heard of this happening was due to the pull of family ties.

Hello Can i ask, Is it easier to get into surgical training in the UK rather than Australia? You reckon getting into training in OZ is rather more difficult? (asking because I am aiming to apply for obs & gyn training on oz) Thanks

Hii, I have been watching all your videos from uk to Australia and working in Australia and i really like how you present everything. I want to ask you that as an Indian IMG. If I get full registration from APRAH after one year of supervised job in Australia. Does full registration make me eligible for PR in Australia?

Is the export eportfolio in the UK and Australia connected together

It is hard being away from home, family and friends.

Can I ask a question; what are your thoughts about being a pathologist or radiologist? Would those non-clinician jobs be better/worse more suitable/less suitable for yourself?

So sad to see people here telling what you should think or do. I am going through the same feelings...is it my country or is it medicine itself?

Doc , Will imgs have job opportunities in Australia ?? And how long it takes for gp training for imgs in Australia?

Mam, as a fresh medical graduate will EMRCS and Basic science of mrcs(3rd edition) be enough for MRCS PART A or do we need to study anything else in addition to this ?

True🎉

What are you guys doing instead of doing medicine? I mean what are you doing for living?

Thxu🙏🙏🙏🙏

I would like to see better hours and working conditions for doctors in Australia. It would be better for doctors and patients.

I am hoping if you could help me with moving to Australia. I have UK experience.

I understand how you feel, I feel the same way - but after 17 years of experience and 2 specialties and having done my part on the crazy working hours. How do you think the previous generations managed it? Decompensating at this age already? How do you plan to manage this in the future - the older you get, the harder it will be to put up with the long working hours. Your chances of getting a specialty in the UK and AUS are also getting slimmer the longer you remain on a non-training position, and without any type of a specialty you cannot work independently. Now you have hopefully understood it right - the money you got in AUS was not everything. Doing surgical specialist training in part time? You do realise it's impossible, don't you? Maybe as a consultant, but definitely not as a trainee.

looks like u live somewhere thats expensive. not London is it? sounds too expensive for just finishing junior doctor roles

If don't mind me asking, why did you leave Brisbane. You lived in such a beautiful apartment in sunny Brisbane. I mean, even if you quit medicine, can you not stay in Australia.

I’m also a medical graduate doing mba in Australia now

To do what?

All these quitting medicine videos I’m seeing are of the UK. i see why y’all are quitting but I’m in America. Things are different here lo

Hey are you still in Hobart (Tasmania)?

Hi

There is nothing so fascinating as watching someone make coffee is there?

WHAT STOPPING YOU

So... you quit full time medicine to contemplate applying for a full time training post? Clickbaittt.

Go back to medicine --- good luck

Anyway I'm only watching your content because I'm an engineer in training and I'm looking for a surgeon for a wife who also has to be of Indian decent, and I'm from South Africa, so I'm hoping listening to you will give me an idea of how your type of woman typically is, because you're my type 😅😎😉

What is this with every post FY doctor at UK feel they need more in life??!?!? Especially those on RU-vid...... As an Indian doctor who has the similar system, we all work cause we like the job, reputation and above all it pays out bills. This career is hard but it doesn't mean you have no other life!! Your just doing the locums to pay your bills ... That's kind of sad and you won't learn and eventually dislike working

Why are a majority of medical doctors who quit their careers, women? It seems like they took the seat of a more willing candidate who would have become a doctor.

I think u are confused as a hell U need to clear ur head first before taking any decision Meditation can be helpful though

You need stability in your life, and you should be having it if you are actually dating, this is why a woman needs the right man in her life, otherwise this happens ... No direction whatsoever, lost and don't know what you're doing or where you're going 🙄

Why are you not married? I would've married you by now! 🙄 Who's that guy lying to you

Hi Surina, I think you should come to Canada and become a GP. So many UK doctors are working as family doctors here in Canada and earning at least $200K.

A lot of UK doctors are leaving medicine because of RU-vid. RU-vid did not exist before 2010, not in my 20's.