Well things are still going ahead as planned

I have completed my internship and my junior house year. Great years at a regional hospital with ample hands on and development as a junior doctor
I am glad I chose the hospital I did and not the Really Big and Wonderful Hospital - which is our local tertiary centre. A lot of juniors were unhappy there and I don't think there was any advantage compared to where I was. We were a relatively tight bunch of doctors (as almost all who did internship stayed on as JHOs) and were on first name basis with each other, many of the nursing and allied health as well as some of the consultants!

Anyway, as is the trend in my state at the moment, there is a surplus of students graduating - not overall, but for the number of adequate training positions. As such, we are getting into specialty training spots earlier - 2nd and 3rd year out (becoming like the American system), or we are unemployed. Long gone are the days of graduating and working as a house officer for 3-4yrs getting broad experience. I know a few of my graduating cohort that are in career progression limbo right now. There are pros and cons of the situation that I won't go into now, but there are not always enough Specialist jobs at the end of training. I know specialists (with their fellowship) that are working as senior registrars until a job comes up.

My goal is, and has always been toward a career in critical care (hence the blog's name). Not that I wasn't open to suggestion or a change in path - but my heart was always in this . Luckily for me I am on that path and coming along nicely. As I have listed in my section "Specialty training - Registrar years". I am aiming for dual training in both intensive care - a specialty in its own right and anaesthesia. If I don't get side tracked, It will take me 9 years, with 3 major exam hurdles (1 primary, 2 fellowship - each >$4000 and taking >1 yr of solid preparation). So I need to treat it as a marathon, not a sprint (1 will be 40yrs old before I finish!). The good news is that I am on a training pathway already, the ball is rolling and I am having so much fun. Also, the pay is nicer as a registrar. It is not about the money, hell there are MUCH easier ways to make it, but it helps to be able to enjoy the days off and know that I can help provide for my family.

I have started my training as an ICU registrar and already I have some interesting stories. I try to blend them together and tell them some time after the event to maintain some confidentially, but by then some of the details are hazy and some impact may be lost.