This is going to hurt

In the lead up to interviews for entry to medical universities, I was desperately looking for work experience to give me a better insight into a career in medicine, which I would be able to discuss at the interview as my active effort into finding what being a doctor entailed. With very little opportunities available, I read “This is Going to Hurt” by Adam Kay, which is a memoir of a Junior Doctor. 

This book invited various opinions, some saying that he wasn’t cut out for the job or that he clearly didn’t want be a doctor, made evident in his decision ultimately to leave the profession. Others also mentioned that the aim of the book was to exaggerate the difficulties of being a doctor in order to deter anyone else from going down the route. 

I could not disagree more with these views. The book brings honesty to what being a doctor is. The job is not always about rushing in and saving lives and having to remain humble in the face of endless gratitude from patients. Being a doctor in the UK is working a stretched out system, for long hours accepting that you will not be recognised financially in the same way your friends working in the city will. All while trying to process inevitable tragedy with little support with some patients questioning whether your actions were truly in their best interest. 

Despite these honest views the book also highlights how rewarding the career is and that yes, you will have to navigate difficult circumstances but it is a truly unique profession and that the NHS is a remarkable system that should be cared for, which currently it is not. 

At 16 you make a decision on the rest of your career. A bunch of A’s at A level and an aptitude test apparently qualify you to enter this challenging career. Adam emphasises that applicants aren’t really aware of what the job entails and therefore struggle later when thrown in the deep end. Apparently, me reading this book was enough to convince my interviewers that I understood what being a doctor was all about and also assured them that I was capable of dealing with all the difficulties that I will face in the future. 

I think that makes clear my thoughts on the selection process.