Job Roulette

I opened my email, my heart sank.  Right area, wrong jobs.  Massive disappointment.  Heartbreak.  The only job I've ever wanted, and I'll have to wait a bit longer.

She opened her email, her heart sang.  Right jobs, commutable...rubbish the car is hire purchase with limited miles...her first thoughts, 'how will I afford it'.

Our jobs for the next year have all hinged on a few things, the first a 'portfolio' of various bits and pieces.  Evidence of learning, of partaking in the job, of partaking in medical education.  These portfolios were ranked, points given for each part, for how good the consultant thought you were.  Frustratingly these were very subjective.  The best doctor may or may not get the best score, likewise for the least impressive doctor.

You'd like to think that your GP or hospital doctor, irrespective of their experience, worked in that part of medicine because they wanted to, because they were passionate; but in the world of junior doctors this isn't true.  Jobs are grouped into threes, four months in each.  Each 'rotation' has something you may want to do, and something you may not.  Hopefully there's more that you are interested in, than you're not interested in.  Each rotation has space for three doctors.

Ranking of jobs is done by what you do or don't want to do.  Psychiatry...no thanks.  General practice...yes please.

Ranked doctors and ranked jobs are then put into a computer, I can only imagine, and the top three ranked doctor gets their top ranked jobs.  The rest may or may not depending on how the doctors with better scores, ranked the rotations.

It appears that my portfolio just wasn't good enough.  My only saving grace was Little Miss.  She afforded me a 'get out of jail free pass'.  I didn't get a single job that I'd ranked, I got another, but one that is within my local area, because of 'special circumstances'.

Those special circumsances are ironic.  They've given me a job where I'll work 1 weekend in 2 for four months.  Where my shifts will be a constantly changing pattern.  Where Little Miss won't have a clue whether mummy will be at home at bedtime, or breakfast time, or any other time.  Those special circumstances will turn Little Miss's world upside down.  That is the true heartbreak.

I'm trying to think of the positives.  1/3 of the year will be quiet, there's the potential for audits, to boost my future applications.  1/3 of the year will be brilliant for my confidence.  All of the year will be with patient contact, there's no microbiology or public health for me!