considering leaving the course

[piskie]

I'm too homesick for words! I know it's only 4 years, but everyone I've spoken to has said that you have to be flexible as to where you want to end up working. Is this true? Is there ANY chance I can just go home after my degree and stay there through F1/F2/specialist training etc? Opinions/experience would be gratefully recieved.

[Hughman]

You can try to get a job in your home's deanery, but mate, you're (at least) 24 right? How can you still be homesick?
The chances of you getting 3 F1/F2 rotations and SP1 all in the same deanery probably aren't that high unless you apply for understaffed departments.
Then again, what do I know? I'm just a Yr13 student.

[JDavy]

You've been through 7 years at uni and your still homesick? or do you just not like warwick?

[Clarkey]

You may be able to go back to your home deanery and work there, it depends on a number of things including how popular it is, your scores on whatever form they are using at the time and what you want to do.

However there are no guarantees and yes you need to be realistic. I want to go home, but being from London I know I may need to work elsewhere.

Did you not research this before deciding to study medicine? This isn't that recent that you wouldn't have known about it.

[piskie]

Yes, I did research this before I started. But a number of things have happened over the past few months that have made me realise how much I want to be back at home. I've never lived this far away before. I don't know how unrealistic it is to try to get all your training in one deanery, I few of the graduates from Warwick that I've met are in specialist training now, and are still in the west midlands deanery. I don't know if that's easier if its the same deanery your med school was in.

[Clarkey]

Doesn't make any difference as everyone is treated the same regardless of where you are from/have studied unless you have special circumstances.

You can apply anywhere in the country but its a numbers game as with anything in medicine.

[Eponine_hugo]

There will be a way to get ur training in 1 deanery as how else would those with kids cope? I think these exceptions may be held for such people though, without sounding mean, I'm not sure 'I'm homesick' will quite cut it.

[Hughman]

The guy isn't a kid. He has a PhD....

[auden]

to give you meaningful advice, we probably need to know 1) where is 'home' and 2) are you prepared to work in any specialty in order to stay near home, or do you have a specific one in mind.

For example, if your home is grimsby, and you're wanting to work in a shortage specialty like psychiatry for example, then you might find this possible. If your home is London and you want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon, you're probably not going to manage it!

Also consider how far from 'home' you're prepared to be - for example, for F1/F2 you apply in the first instance to a regional foundation school and within this you may work at two hospitals which are in different areas of the foundation school. Again, ST levels are applied for regionally and you are likely/certain to change hospitals within that region during the training. So if you want to be based only at 1/2 hospitals closest to home, you have to accept that's not going to be possible.

hope that helps