Mangling medical careers, part 2

I woke up in a good mood today. I didn't feel like having a cigarette (and I managed to resist smoking on Wednesday night, despite being very drunk - I just remember shouting, 'Stop smoking, you pigs!' at my smoking friends). I had had a good night's sleep and it was mild outside. I wore my favourite boots to work.

I was humming to myself as I checked somebody's blood results when a friend of mine walked onto the ward with a face like thunder. 'Have you checked your email?!' he spat. I replied that I hadn't. 'They've extended the fucking deadline for MTAS shortlisting. Which means they've shortened the amount of notice we get about interviews. I might find out on Monday that I have an interview in Yorkshire on Tuesday and have to beg for the time off, pay five billion pounds for a last minute train ticket and turn up at the interview with no time to prepare!'.

I agreed that this was pretty crappy and sympathised (the furthest away I have applied is Norwich, but I do have a car - nonetheless it is extremely irritating, though I have been feeling fairly apathetic about the whole thing of late).

My irate friend is an excellent doctor. He passionately wants to become a gastroenterologist and would make a very good one. He wants this job more than anything. But this morning he looked me in the eye and said, in all seriousness, 'Fuck them. They don't give a fuck about us. They treat us like schoolchildren. Why should I turn up and beg for a job when they won't tell me where I will be working, how many hours I need to work, what training criteria I need to meet and how much I will be paid. I'm going to go there, give them the finger and say "Fuck you all, I'm going to Australia". I can't be arsed with this shit anymore.'.

I don't blame him one bit. I do think he's serious about what he said and that this deadline change was the last straw after the whole MMC/MTAS/Hewitt nightmare of the past few months. I've just seen him printing out application forms for Australian medical job agencies.

I feel like shit now.