FRESH MEDICAL GRADUATES (Post 1):
The common questions which many of us face at this stage;
1: Specialisation vs general practice
2: USA, UK, Australia, Middle East or Pakistan ?
3: Which speciality to chose?
There is no right or wrong answer as everyone has his/her own limitations and circumstances. General principles which may help are:
WHO SHOULD STAY IN PAKISTAN?;
1: Those with strong family commitments such as old parents, single child of the parents, chronic sickness in family etc.
2: Those with not enough financial support to do foreign exams etc
3:Those who get stuck in IELTS or other exams etc
4: Those who want to serve the country right from day one and
5: Those who can’t tolerate to be treated as second / third degree citizen elsewhere.
WHO SHOULD GO ABROAD?;
If you are none of the above, you can think to go abroad and get experience/degree/passport etc. Then see the following:
1:If you have time (2-4 years)to wait before you can start training etc & you belong to financially well off family, chose USMLE. Difficult to enter in the system but once you are in, then it’s a smooth path. Visa will be a main hurdle.
2:If you are not fitting in no 1 option, then chose UK. Easy to enter in system but difficult to get training & bumpy future training posts. Australia is now a days difficult to enter into the system n difficult to get into training. But the life afterward is relaxed. Training in UK is harder and better, but quality of life better in Australia.
3: If you are not fitting in no 1 & 2 options, and you are a very tolerant person OR you need immediate financial support for whatever reason OR you can’t get through IELTS- then Middle East is suitable for you. Good quick money but you have to tolerate them. No training and most likely you will stay at the same position in your career where you started.
4:If you are religious minded person who prefers religion over the world, either go to KSA (Hajj Umrah etc) or stay where you are. West isn’t suitable for that purpose.
HOW ABOUT BECOMING A GP ?;
1: Those with compelling financial issues or family issues which need urgent attention or often needs your personal involvement OR
2:Those who don’t want to do exams anymore- chose general practice. It’s worth in the long term is same as any other option.
WHICH SPECIALITY?;
Chose the one which you feel comfortable to work in and this feeling you can get during clinical rotations as a student or during internship. Usually the procedural specialities are financially more rewarding but finances isn’t the only factor which matters in the long run. You have to live with it for rest of your life, so chose the one you really like, not just based on finances or peer pressure etc.
REMEMBER:
1: Everyone is different and have different fate. One size doesn’t fit all. Some one may not clearly fall in any category. So decision will be based on the priorities.
2: No where in the world we get an ideal situation. Compromises are needed and what we sacrifice is different depending on the place we chose to pursue.
3: Think on the long term goals more than short term issues when and if possible.
4: Girls often have to take family n in laws into account. Raising children isn’t a loss & you can always come back once kids are self sufficient. In laws often make it easy or hard to decide. A reasonable adjustment with the husband is often helping. If he is not doctor, then explaining the options often works. But if you get an opportunity to avail, then same rules may help.
5: No option is inferior to other options & which ever one chooses, there is no need to repent. You got your own life.
NOTE: I may be wrong at many points but my opinions are based on direct experience, observation n input from many colleagues.