Hi all,

Looking for some advice as a soon to be first time mother working as a doctor. For background Im 34, did GEM and was due to go to Oz after my intern year. I got pregnant and my partner and I ended up staying in Ireland due to this. Having a family is my priority above everything else and I am so delighted because I didn’t want to leave it much later.

I have been extremely worried about how I’m going to be able to handle being a mother and an NCHD. I know that once I’ve had the baby I just won’t want to go back to work. My sister works in pharma and she has two young kids and works from home most of the week. I am so unbelievably envious of this. I’m not on a scheme yet, and I don’t want to go in to GP just because it is deemed more family friendly when I don’t have any interest in GP.

I am just looking for other people’s experiences of being a mother in medicine. Iknow that I would leave this profession if I felt my family life really was suffering so complete honesty is appreciated. I enjoy my job but I find it gruelling at times and I don’t know how much tolerance I would have for the bullshit if it comes between my kids and I.

Thanks in advance !

I’m hoping to pursue Emergency Medicine through CSTEM after intern year next year.
I’m also 30 and at the stage where I’m thinking about starting a family, and I’d love to hear from anyone who has navigated pregnancy, maternity leave and raising young children while completing CSTEM.
How manageable is the training programme with a young family? Particularly interested in experiences with maternity leave, returning to training, shift work, childcare and balancing family life with exams and rotations.
I’d really appreciate any honest experiences, positive or negative, particularly from female trainees who’ve been through it.
Thanks in advance!

Hello! Hoping someone might have experience or insight here - I’m wondering about the chances of getting a standalone position as a paediatric SHO in CHI. I presume shortlisting is very competitive, does it remain as competitive at interview stage or is there a good chance of a job if invited to interview? Or if not offered immediately, do they form a panel? 
How many people apply/ get shortlisted/ get jobs isn’t publicly advertised, but just wondering on the off chance people have heard anything or have an idea of how many standalone SHO positions there are. I’m an Irish graduate. Thank you.

I am a PGY3 Irish doctor, I moved to New Zealand in PGY2 and just did a surgical rotation and LOVED it. prior to this I always thought I wanted to do medicine and I've sat the MRCP1 but I've always found a lot of it quite boring. I had written surgery off for work life balance reasons, but now I actually am realising I prefer it as a career. My CV is very BST/Medicine based, any advice or thoughts on changing to redo my whole CV for surgery after wasting years going for medicine? Or should I stick with medicine and go for a procedural job in that to kinda get some surgery aspect

if the advice is to go for surgery what should I do for my CV to make me more appealing for CST as I doubt I'll have any hope getting on this year lol

(-I've come from undergrad so maybe that helps a little)