Medicine never fails to amaze me - or rather its brethren do

Today there are doctors on strike
Some are so fed up they want to leave but most just want to pursue the career which has taken them a long time to create.
And yet others are keen to join the profession - some as mature entrants - even in spite of all the disillusionment stories that abound.

I am often reminded that one persons dream career is another person's nightmare. It all depends on the level of match between who you are as a person right now and what you are being expected to do.

I don't suppose I am the first person to come up with the concept of career mismatch - but I certainly did before I had read it anywhere.

People are attracted into medicine for all sorts of reasons - some of them valid - some not.
Not only this but the job changes as one proceeds. Not only this but the person changes too and what they want or need from work changes. Yet the medical behemoth just keeps on going and at no time are you ever asked whether your job or workstyle or content actually now fits you. The potential for job mismatch is huge.

Sometimes I speak to people whose sole reason for joining our programmes is "to leave medicine' yet when we go through in detail what it is they are so disillusioned with - there sometimes emerges - unexpectedly for them - options for remaining in medicine yet in a modified way. 

I am thus often reminded that if only someone would do this in the natural course of medical careers - maybe more doctors would say they have their dream career instead of suffering burnout and dismay.

Asking someone how their work could be improved is of course only the first step - it would then need to be implemented. But how much money or resource is lost to the NHS through not asking the question "what can we do to improve your job".

​Should the doctors strike? I don't know but they have.

A TV news reporter said something that irked and rankled "It might backfire due to public opinion"
Public opinion my a*** (as per TV show Royale family). I don't suppose many trainees are at the point where public opinion matters one jot. Public opinion won't pay the mortgage.

But hey I am getting a tad political here and I don't thing thats helpful - so I will desist!

It is becoming a pandemic

Doctors thinking about not being doctors any more.

This is not a good situation for any of us.
When any of us are in a car crash - don't we want the local A+E department to be well staffed with interested and well trained medics? When our child has a persistant fever don't we want to be able to book into see the GP.

Well - if we aren't all very careful - these privileges will no longer exist.

This impending exodus has happened because of a series of issues that include 
government interventions in training, income and working styles
media portrayals of medicine and health
technology advances
NHS funding 
expectations of working life

So what should a medic who has had it with the above do?
Should they leave medicine?
Well some are on strike trying to protect their careers and hats off to them.


Leaving a vocation and something that you have worked so many years to achieve involves all sorts of heartache and yes - grieving.

But could "should I leave" actually be the wrong question
A better question might be 
"should I explore all my career options?"
And I think the answer to that is yes.

I must say that even with consultant level medics who join our programmes - it is not uncommon for the presenting complaint to be "I want to leave medicine". However with a better career plan a surprising number then end up remaining ( although perhaps not full time) in clinical practice. Why? Because once a person no longer feels trapped and has other sources of income and there seems to be an interesting and motivating career plan ahead - the practice of medicine can easily start to be enjoyable again. Paradox perhaps - but I have seen this dozens of times.