GP or Gyn?

[nuwan]

so i'm trying to decide on which career path to follow.
I like both, just not sure which one to choose
However i am a little unsure of how each career is structured.

From my understanding, to be a GP i have to :

1. do the foundation years (f1 and F2),
2. then do 2years of GP VTS and one year of GP training,
3. Then do the nMRCGP exam.

is that right? in total it will take 5 years ish?.


If i choose Obstetrics and Gynaecology:

1. do the foundation years (f1 and F2),
2. do MRCOG part 1 - which i can technically do after graduating from med school right?
3. two years of O+G experience
4. MRCOG part 2.
that should take about 4years ish?

However i'm not sure if thats correct.

So please let me know if the information i've got is correct.
Then some advice on which career

I will be most grateful to you all

[KL29]

You're vaguely right on the numbers but as I read your post I do worry that you think that there is an "easy" choice between the two career paths.

As a rule GP needs the least amount of work - bare minimum of Foundation, GPVTS (with no interview only selection exams) then post-training exams.

O&G is a totally different game. It is HIGHLY competitive. You'll need to be pretty much focussing on it from day one (and preferably throughout med school -though you don't say what stage you are at). You'll need to spend foundation training getting together a very strong portfolio themed toward O&G - with particular focus on publications, audits, experience in the specialty and (hardest to get) prizes. O&G is a run through specialty (at the moment) which means that you will interview (very competitive even to get shortlisted) at some point in FY2.

The time it takes to train in one of the specialties should actually be the least of your worries - the way training is now if you choose something other than GP then you have to be prepared to dedicate quite a bit to it early on. GPs can relax and have a life somewhat more.

My advice is to decide before FY1 because deciding three weeks before apps open for your year in FY2 will be too late to throw together a competitive portfolio and it will not really be a matter of a "choice" between GP and O&G.

These are the uneducated ramblings of a medical CT1 so please feel free to tell me I'm wrong but the realities are what they are. Hope this helps somewhat.

[nuwan]

hi thanks for your reply.
I'm a final year med student.
My biggest issue was/is trying to figure out how its "supposed to be done". It’s not about what’s the quickest or the easiest field to go into.

I’ve read websites like NHS careers etc but none really seem to be clear. Nobody has information like ; “after med school, do FY1, then FY2, then you have to do this exam, then more training and then BOOM! You’re in the field you want to be”.

Its not that I’m a slacker or anything, its just that everybody I ask says something else
G.P is my "safe option". I added O+G because i just did a block in it, and enjoyed it.
To be honest though i did not decide on a specific medical career path before or during medical school, so my CV and all isn't catered to any real field. The O+G is a last minute option.

Well thanks again for your reply I’ll have to think a bit more then on what career path to choose.

[corskrew]

My biggest issue was/is trying to figure out how its "supposed to be done". It’s not about what’s the quickest or the easiest field to go into.
I’ve read websites like NHS careers etc but none really seem to be clear. Nobody has information like ; “after med school, do FY1, then FY2, then you have to do this exam, then more training and then BOOM! You’re in the field you want to be”.

Obs/Gynae:
Postgraduate training | Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

GP:
Royal College of General Practitioners - Career Pathway

[pipedreamer]

I'm an F2 in the process of applying for Ob/Gyn.

It's good to have an interest as early as possible so that you can build up your portfolio but it's never too late to start. I didn't decide on O&G until well into my F1 year but got shortlisted for both deaneries I applied to so it's not impossible!

O&G has a runthrough training programme which you can apply for after F2. It is approximately 7 years long, not including time out of programme or flexible working. There are also short term training posts available (FTSTA/LAT posts) but it can be very difficult to progress up the training ladder this way.

If there are a couple of specialties you are interested in then I would suggest looking for opportunities to do some kind of audit or project in each one. Not only will this help you build your portfolio up, it might also help you make a decision on which one is for you. Also have a look at the person specifications and application forms for O&G - if you google 'obs jobs' you will get the website with them on. There are some general skills they look for such as teamwork and leadership. If you're involved a committee or a group project it can help towards your application even if it's not specific to O&G.

The other thing I found helpful was to talk to doctors already training in the specialty. I spent a day in a busy O&G department and met doctors at all levels, from ST1 up. I found this was a good way to get a realistic idea of what life was like in the specialty.

[dotvicky]

I'm very interested in Obs/Gynae and the competition numbers were reassuring for the specialty (ratio of applications to posts in single figures and some unfilled jobs at the end of the session). It worries me that you say that it's very competitive. I guess we'll just have to see how it goes. Lots of useful tips in here though. Having now secured my place at med school, my thinking is straight away going to how to make my MTAS (or whatever system will be in place by then) as good as possible!

Cheers
Vicky

[James]

It is highly likely that by the time you are training GP VTS will be increased from 2 to 5 years. So the length will not be dissimilar from O&G.

[yazoo]

There are currently 3 and 4 year GP VTS programmes available, but no 2 year programmes. There is a move to make training 5 years, which is likely to be phased in as the infrastructure to support this within the system doesn't yet exist.

[yazoo]

Having now secured my place at med school, my thinking is straight away going to how to make my MTAS (or whatever system will be in place by then) as good as possible

Well done! Very pleased to hear this as I know you have worked hard for it.

Don't let competition ratios influence your thinking too much (except as a motivator!). But for interest, look here http://www.mmc.nhs.uk/specialty_training_2010/specialty_training_2009/vacancies_and_competition/competition_information.aspxYou need to know also that 2008 was a little unusal as it was the 1st year of MMC, and things are still in a state of flux, so there may well be considerable year to year variation.

You basically need to get short listed by point scoring (at ST level this means relevant courses and exams, audits, teaching, maybe a little research, and a sensible attempt at getting insight into your chosen career - taster placements if you don't get foundation level rotations). If you get a good short-listing score, this tends to correlate very well with offers (as you can talk honestly about your work and motivations, I imagine!).

Enjoy it. It is great fun being a med student!

[dotvicky]

Cheers for that Yazoo - very useful. I don't want to become too blinkered too early but, at the same time, I want to give myself every chance at the career I want while dealing with the restriction that I'm going to want to stay in Bristol after graduation as well. Anaesthetics, GP and Peads also appeal and no doubt, I'll find other things I like too but I wonder if my heart will always be in Obs/Gynae - it just seems to be one of the most varied specialties going. And variety and constant change and learning is definitely one of the big reasons I'm going into medicine.

Cheers
Vicky