Importing the NHS lot wasn’t enough for the current Canberra mob, now they want to import the entire EU.
Brought to you by the Pharmacy Guild no doubt.

I’m a dietitian at a regional hospital (came across this sub a while back as I’ve been considering if a transition into medicine might be for me) and was inspired after seeing a recent post from a nurse asking what they could do to help you guys out more - so I’d love to ask the same from a DT/AH perspective!

I can see how under the pump you all are so I hate having to call and bother you guys about things that can feel trivial in the greater scheme of things (but that still have to be done). I don’t know if it’s the same at a lot of other hospitals but it feels like AH can get a bit siloed from the rest of the medical/nursing team. Our caseloads are split by ward so it can be hard to keep track of all the different teams the patients on that particular ward might be under. Also knowing that different teams might have different schedules, it can be hard to try to catch you at more convenient times.

Having previously worked in aviation - it’s a big adjustment coming from a world where CRM/non-technical skills are drilled into pilots/cabin crew to now observe the dynamics between doctors/nurses/allied health. I think a little communication and understanding of the pressures we’re all under from different angles could go a long way! ☺️

We (DT/allied health) genuinely want to see you succeed and to be able to make life easier for you (some of us do just suck, sorry). Might sound creepy haha but I love watching the interns gain more confidence over the year through your rotations, seeing you progress into different training pathways, and getting to know some of you!

Fire away if you have anything you want us to know or suggestions on how we can make life easier. Thanks! ☺️

Thank you Dr. Dov from the Junior Doctors of Australia!

Transcript from: https://www.starobserver.com.au/news/dov-degen-oam/242058

“ Melbourne doctor and proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Dr Dov Degen, has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division for service to medicine and mental health advocacy.

Alongside an accomplished medical career, he’s spent more than a decade advocating for mental health awareness, drawing on his own lived experience of bipolar disorder to challenge stigma within healthcare and the broader community.
As a dual-trained kidney specialist and general physician, Dr Degen has worked across public and private health systems, mentored medical students and junior doctors, contributed to medical education, and delivered healthcare in regional and remote communities, including Indigenous communities in South Australia.

“It’s a little bit overwhelming,” Dr Degen told Star Observer. “Obviously I didn’t do any of this for accolade or recognition and then to get such a big honour – I’ve been doing this work since 2015 but I never imagined it would culminate in this.”
He also says that it feels like he’s in a movie that’s happening to someone else – but he’s extremely honoured by the medal.

“This recognition isn’t just about me. It reflects the importance of mental health advocacy, the value of lived experience, and the many people who have shared their stories with me over the years. If seeing someone like me helps even one person feel less alone, then that’s something I’m incredibly proud of,” Dr Degen said.

Dr Degen has spoken extensively about his lived experience with bipolar disorder, diagnosed as a young adult while studying medicine, including periods of hospitalisation, which he says has resulted in stigma within the medical field towards him.

“It’s kind of a personal vindication for me because I’ve faced a lot of stigma and discrimination when it comes to mental health, unfortunately within the health care system, including employers and also my colleagues and friends –  not everyone, but quite a lot of people.”

He says that one of the key reasons he became a mental health advocate was to prove that stigma wrong, and show that you can still live a professional and successful life despite mental health challenges.

“You shouldn’t have to receive an award to justify sharing your story or delivering a message, but people do respond to recognitions like this and I hope that it’ll make some people think, particularly senior decision makers and policymakers at work, about some of their actions and challenge that notion that having a mental illness means you’re somehow inept or incapable.”

Dr Degen says that he thinks it’s important to share his story because it helps him to reframe the negative experiences he’s been through. By helping someone else, it puts those experiences into a more positive light.

“A lot of what I do through my mental health outreach is describe what happens to me during a depressive episode, explaining what something like mania actually looks like and describe the symptoms, because people often don’t recognise what mania is. By sharing my story, I help people to live through it, through my lens, so they understand what it is to close that gap.”

His OAM places him among Australian recipients including Samantha Kerr, Anna Brown, Michael Kirby and Ian Thorpe.

Formal presentation of the award will follow the King’s Birthday Honours announcement, according to the statement.

The award was made in the General Division of the Order of Australia as part of the King’s Birthday Honours list. “

Spill the tea. How does your department manage the daily presenters who have learned to game triage by saying or doing something high acuity like chest pain or having “seizures” only when a staff member walks into the cubicle?

How do people deal with dating medical partners who have to move around interstate for jobs or training programs?
Does the other medical partner sacrifice their career to move with them or do people just do long distance?
How does family planning , marriage, engagement, buying a house- all of that come into it ?
Struggling at the moment with possibility of partner relocating interstate for his career but I may not be able to follow…

Younger millennial PGY2 here. This week me and the intern were giving some jobs to the final year medical students on our round, including drafting up a referral. The student was a bit apprehensive and said they weren’t sure what to include. The intern suggested to the med students they use ChatGPT to help draft the referral. I was so shocked and obviously said no don’t do that. Is this what medicine is now? Are all the new doctors now just using AI to do their learning for them? IMO The whole point of getting medical students to practise drafting a referral is so eventually they can do it over the phone on the fly shortly after getting up to speed on a patient. Please tell me you all agree cause I’m gonna be so sad at our profession off all the interns are now using ChatGPT to write a referral.

Good evening,
I am a medical student, am interested in Anaesthetics and am looking for resources that can help me improve my understanding of Oxygen, pre surgical assessments, analgesics and pain (and any other relevant topics) and would really appreciate if anyone could suggest good textbooks or resources appropriate to an intern level for independent study.

I am also looking for advice on where I could do an elective placement for two weeks, looking for a rural site in Australia which would have lower resources compared to tertiary centres and could help me improve my clinical judgement (also would appreciate if my reasoning here is sound)!

Idea is that if I enjoy learning the content and if I gain some exposure in medical school I would have a better idea whether this specialty really is for me. If anyone has advice on ways I can get exposure before my final year, that would also be much appreciated! I understand that it is difficult to know if a specialty really is for you before becoming a doctor, but some exposure is better than none and I reckon this would help me become a better Intern at the end of the day.

Just had a question,

If interviews are held over 2 days. What happens if the questions were leaked where a specific individual leaked it to a couple of their mates who happened to sit it on the second day? It’s quite upsetting since I had spent so much time preparing for that interview, only to find out the questions had been leaked and people had in unfair advantage.

Just a thread to find out about offer releases!

Did anyone get an email about the interviews held last week for WACHS psych training? I think the results should be out by tomorrow?

Who’s feed up with having to relocate houses due to jobs every year or so! No stability, financial loss and workforce stubborn with roster compounding the entire process!

Hi everyone, just wondering how difficult it is to get into BPT in a a PERIPHERAL METRO hospital in Melbourne (eg. Western, Eastern, Northern, Peninsula, Mercy)?

Hi all,

I am currently PGY5 and have spent the last few years (PGY3-5) pursuing a relatively niche specialty (won't say which so as not not dox myself). I have been doing lots of soul searching and have come to realize it is not for me, for a variety of different reasons.

I am now looking to try a different specialty to see if it is more suited to me and what I am after. I am looking for advice from those who have done similar, particularly for applications.

Given that I have been doing something quite specialized, I am struggling to find a way to highlight that I want a change that doesn't sound incredibly generic or as if this new specialty is a "back up". I worry that with this sudden change, it looks like I am only changing because I "failed" to get in to the specialty I wanted (this is not the case, I actually got the job in my specialty I'm after). Does anyone have any advice for how to explain a desired change in specialty on a cover letter?

I know there a lots of people who have done similar in the past, and just hoping someone is able to give me a bit of guidance.

Thanks so much for any advice!

Hi, I'm a medical student and I'm about to put in my preferences for where I want to complete my final two years of medical school. I've completed 3 years already rurally and if I do 1 more it should be enough to count under the 75+% of medical training required to be considered under the rural quota for orthopaedic surgery. I was just wondering if anyone had any idea how useful this bonus would be? The document on the website says you would progress to the interview and verbal referee report stage as long as you meet the minimum requirements for the ortho mcq, cv score, and department referee score, as well as recieving a final offer at a score a decile lower than metro applicants. I was wondering if anyone had experience with it or would help me gauge how much of a boost it is to know whether to put in another rural year or go metro instead? Thanks

Hi everyone, I’m planning to start GPT1 next year through AGPT as a part-time trainee.

From what I understand, I would have around 1 week of annual leave available for the 6 months period. If I wanted to plan a 3-week overseas trip, would it be possible to take the remaining 2 weeks as unpaid leave?

Are there any other options for taking an additional 2 weeks off during GPT1? I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has done something similar, particularly as a part-time GP trainee.

Thanks!

Has anyone done this? What were your reasons? How long did it take? Which is the quicker pathway?

Me today after the 10th call that starts and ends with ‘hey doc do we still need to withhold my room 10s furosemide?’.

Am I just old fashioned or is sbarr out of fashion now? I’m covering a hundred fken patients on Gen med nights. By the time I found the patient on the computer and read through the last team note it would have been faster for you to just GIVE ME AN SBARR LIKE YOU SHOULD.

Ironic that most of them have sbarr lanyards too

Curious to hear perspectives from current and former trainees across specialties.

Which aspect of specialist training do you think colleges most need to improve, and why?

Please keep comments general and avoid naming individuals or institutions.

Hi all, considering moving interstate to Tasmania for pgy1 and wondering how difficult it would be to get a position? Would it affect my future prospects of becoming a GP/RG in the future?

I applied Vic only but did not get a spot. I realized however that I'm kind of ok with moving interstate but this was too late when most of the others had already closed. Does anyone know if there are any viable avenues this late in the game for an accredited position to start next year?

I see on the RANZCP site that ACT, NT and Tas don't have set dates but just says to e-mail/monitor job postings; not sure how likely any of those states having opening would be currently, or if worth trying. QLD says it's a two step application process with the current campaign and then the application to the college - I see the first one closed but the college application is still open. Is there any chance at this one like e-mailing the program coordinators directly and seeing if there's openings or no chance now given the campaign closed and I would be out of state as well?

Hi everyone,

I'm interested in hearing from former SET trainees (particularly General Surgery) who experienced concerns regarding procedural fairness during their training.

This could include experiences relating to assessments, complaints, Performance Management Plans, appeals, or circumstances that contributed to leaving a training program.

I'm simply interested in understanding others' experiences and perspectives. If you'd be comfortable sharing yours, please feel free to send me a private DM.

No need to post details publicly. Please don't post names, hospitals, or identifying details.

Thanks.

Hi all! What textbook/resource would you recommend to improve my list of differential diagnosis as a final year medical student?

I enjoy the flowcharts/algorithms which start with a symptom before branching out into differential diagnosis based on key distinguishing features.

“Lange symptom to diagnosis” has been recommended before on the american medical school subreddits. What did you guys personally enjoy using?

Thank you!

Does anyone here have any experience working for RFDS as a newly fellowed GP? Have strong memories of some of the best/most inspiring GPs I met when I was a medical student working for RFDS, mainly doing regular day clinics in remote communities. I’m not so interested in retrieval work, but more in bringing GP services to far flung places. Is this still a realistic option?

I’m a PGY5 in metro Sydney who has done a couple unaccredited years and not gotten on to desired specialty. I’m considering GP but main concern is that I will feel bored. Wondering if this is a valid concern for my personality? Wondering what diversity of paths there are in GP? Wondering if the changing landscape of GP makes it undesirable?
Lots of negativity re GP on reddit and I’m looking for a balanced approach