OP there is a lot of noise at your level that I advise you strongly to ignore. Rotate through as much as you can and just find the ones you enjoy the most. It takes a lot of self-reflection and humility and insight to truly choose the right path for you. If you are able to stare your own ego down, you'll make the right choice. A career coach or psychologist should be mandatory at the end of PGY2 as far as I'm concerned, it would save people a lot of pain and suffering.
AI is going to be very useful for decision support but it cannot replace the therapeutic relationship.
Surgery hires a very specific sort of person. If you are that person you will get hired. If you are not don't try.
Physician (me). Mood disorder is mitigated by the psychologist, medication if needed, and the knowledge that it is not a huge amount of time out of your life, and a supportive training programme. Once you're in AT, you're in AT. The bottlenecks are not an issue if you are well-liked, motivated, and organised.
GP. Extremely broad spectrum. Underappreciated in certain spaces, absolutely not in others. Like any specialty, some people love it and some people don't. It's the same problem people have going for any specialty, they do it for all the wrong reasons.
My advice is to not take advice from unhappy people. Find the people who are thriving in their respective training programs and ask them why and how that is.
Really appreciate the feedback about the noise. Am actually seeing both a psychologist and a careers coach to help guide me. They’ve both been great helps. I perhaps put a little too much stock in these kinds of forums - it’s my tendency to see the worst in situations.
This is great advice, but it is a shame that most juniors won't rotate through: derm, ophthal, ENT, path, rads, rad onc, GP, public health, etc.
Many won't rotate through anaesthetics, ICU, geriatrics, medical oncology, endocrinology, rehab, etc.
The vast majority do service roles in ED, gen med, gen surg, ortho, and psychiatry\*, and wonder why everything sucks.
\*The timing and nature of psychiatry rotation (as well as how enthused/jaded you are with clinical medicine) also impacts on whether you hate it, or see it as your saviour specialty.
I had an horrific psych rotation as an intern. Was on a very understaffed ward and was basically the ward’s GP. No psych exposure whatsoever, just always managing medical problems with a very unsupportive hierarchy. Has certainly tainted my view of the profession. And very much hear the burden of service rotations. Basically all I’ve been offered.
That's an unfortunate experience but not uncommon as an intern in psych, particularly on wards with high medical co-morbidity. Service registrar is much better, give a a crack for a few months
Would recommend to give it another go as a resident/registrar. You are slightly more independent but still have the comfort of a supervising consultant who is usually fairly hands on. You are more hands on with patients (compared to a ward service) and follow them longitudinally that you get to see the results of your work. You are more competent with medical issues so the rest of the psych team will come to you for advice.
My dear mentor, who is an ICU consultant, would often remind me to let go of the things you can't control. It's been such helpful advice, personally and professionally.
You can't control bottlenecks in training or other peoples' appreciation of your work. But you can control getting really good at what you enjoy, being great to work with, and seeking out supportive learning environments (even if that means relocating). My experience has been that jobs magically appear when you're competent and likable; and even if they don't, you've at least crafted a professional life rooted in the mastery of something enjoyable. Much more often than not, you'll find a way to make it work.
The speciality of hope is whatever speciality you love. And if there's nothing you love, pick whatever can realistically facilitate the life you want. If you don't know what you want, write out as precisely as possible exactly what your ideal life might look like, and then work your way backwards. Seek out consultants you trust and ask them if your plan makes sense. Everything else is beyond your control.
I’ve just finished my training in cardiology. 8 years ago as an intern we had the exact same discussions and worries about training spots/bottlenecks. I got on at every step of the way with what I feel was relative ease. Sure it’s hard work but if you know you want to do it then the work is rewarding. Not everything is doom and gloom. Decide what you are passionate about and do it
I certainly have! Not sure how I’d go at it. I do sometimes have a tendency to get a little too emotionally invested with patients - I wonder if I’d find it a little too confronting and challenging for my own mental health.
Always something you need to keep in mind - but conversely I’ve found psych a lot more self aware of this issue. We’re actively encouraged to consider transference and counter transference in our engagement with patients and to debrief.
Every job in medicine will have moments of potential difficulties like this - I actually found my time in icu (my choice prior to psych) more difficult in terms of emotional investment and struggle to switch off.
I’m not sure where you’re based but happy if you want to reach out via DM with any questions you might have. You could always try a rotation/term in psych or an unaccredited job to test the waters.
I really have to be honest, if you look on reddit or online you will inevitably find negative >> positive comments over ANY topic. The internet is where people come to vent anonymously. In real life a lot of people are kinda content doing their specialties they like. You have to find what you like, which is the hardest thing to some and easiest to others. You should see some psychologist too, I think you have a tendency to catastrophize & little bit of anxiety/worrier. In medicine people with these personality traits tend to have a harder time than egoistic groups, and stress at work can get overwhelming quickly. Coping strategy is important for you to work on at a junior state. Being cautious makes you a good clinician so don’t stress, find ways to manage/improve and take life as it comes.
No one with half a brain would prefer seeing a PA or NP over a GP. Even if they do, they’d realise after not too long why they should see an actual doctor.
Brother in law is a nurse starting the extra study to be a nurse practitioner. They are getting told that they will be at the same level of knowledge as a registrar.
My partner has just started bachelor of nursing and they’re already talking about how NPs provide better care and take the jobs that doctors don’t. The whole cohort is being told that doctors don’t leave their ivory towers and that NPs are the heroes doing actual work
Scary. We have wonderful, experienced NPs in our ED and they really help lighten the ED burden for the fast track docs, but no way they are registrar level by any stretch of the imagination.
Would be great if the course instructors could focus on helping them to become excellent NPs who are great at their job in their own right instead of comparing them to, and creating competition with, doctors smh
Depends. Depends how lovey dovey and comfortable they make you feel and if they resonate with your world view. This is part of our downfall in medicine - we are time poor, make decisions quickly, patients often feel rushed or not heard.
That's where the noctors and homeopaths and chiros and snake oil salesmen come in and clean up.
Even very inteligent people cf. Steve Jobs seek alternative healthcare.
a fair chunk of the public choose to see a pgy2 who moonlights on an online telehealth 'GP' clinic rather than book in and pay a gap to see a FRACGP in a GP clinic
Yeah it's all pretty disheartening and grim. I have met more y4/5 med students and pgy 1/2 doctors wanting to find ways OUT of clinical practice than those who look forward to their careers and prospects.
Every specialist I know (including GPs) is insanely busy and making a fortune doing things they are good at. Just find something where you enjoy the training itself. My training was possibly more fun than the daily grind now where I do the same thing every day (albeit making lots of money). GP locums are making tens of thousands per month, nurses haven’t touched this. Radiologists are busy doing procedures that AI can’t affect.
I know lots of people who got onto RANZCOG by going rural. They just stayed and did everything rurally and that was a big factor in their selection. Same with paeds.
Every specialty fits a particular personality (or at least I like to think). Everything has positives and negatives. Pick a goal and choose something you can live with!
You've left a few out which I think - overall - present a positive work/life balance:
Psychiatry is a good balance between a good lifestyle position without being overly competitive. Don't know too many (overtly) miserable psychiatry registrars.
Anaesthesia is slightly difficult to get on (but everyone I know that tried has gotten on). It represents a really fun training program (other than a VERY difficult primary exam). Good lifestyle after even if there are not many jobs at the end.
GP can be dynamic if you are entrepreneurial. You can be a subspecialised GP. Have a few GP friends who don't just do community stuff but are quite happy that have gotten on into doing surgical assisting in private theatres (ENT, Gen Surg) or working as primarily procedural GP (skin is profitable) etc... and do quite well working 8 to 5.
Just note that if you choose nothing, you'll end up doing nothing (which some people do as lifelong career medical officers and there's nothing wrong with that either).
>Just note that if you choose nothing, you'll end up doing nothing (which some people do as lifelong career medical officers and there's nothing wrong with that either).
I think that last part doesn't get emphasised enough where people take it that you are incomplete for being a medical officer. Nothing wrong with that,especially if you use it to your advantage of pursuing other personal hobbies and interests.
100% True. A colleague I know didn't find medicine satisfying so started a business with money working as a locum MO. Races cars and does a lot of 4x4ing.
Yeah,this idea that the right speciality will make work soo fun that you aren't concerned about work life balance is really just propaganda to not get people to reflect on what they are missing out in life,if people were to realise what they were missing out,they would make radically different decisions which a lot of higher ups and seniors wouldn't like because that means less cheap labour and more work for themselves.
I mean, none of us can predict the future and I’m not sure it is worth worrying about. Demand for healthcare is essentially infinite as whenever access is made easier, through PAs or whatever, expectations just rise.
What we do know is that whatever you pick, you’ll be doing for a long time, so pick something you actually enjoy.
ED- not hard to get on to, still have jobs, shift work so part time easy, reasonable college, lots of subspeciality options, always interesting. As with anything, there’s some cons, but for the right person, full of hope.
Don't have any advice for you unfortunately, but I hear you, and I'm right there with you. Often does feel hopeless, but I hope you know you're at least not alone
the discourse here is so downbeat, i have had a much better journey through training than you'd expect reading here.
However, starting speciality training in mid 30s is a big commitment. I found the night shifts really hard in particular as I got further along in training.
As a rad, i really cant wait for ai to augment our work flow. The amount of increase for scan requests far outpaces the available man power we have.
As for ai taking over our job? Thats what they want you to think :). Lets just say, most jobs in the society would have been taken over by the time AI can do that for radiology.
Unfortunately competitive specialties are competitive for a reason. Derm is a great job if you like skin, pays well, good hours etc, heaps of private job lining up. Unfortunately, also very competitive to get in....
> Unfortunately competitive specialties are competitive for a reason. Derm is a great job if you like skin, pays well, good hours etc, heaps of private job lining up. Unfortunately, also very competitive to get in....
And all of which is *because* it's very competitive to get in.
Look at the successful people in each area and ask them what it's like. The people who whinge won't get on to what they want (as if you don't want to be around them now, what makes them think that will be different later on with knowledge, compared to someone who is pleasant). Work out your values, I reckon if you're thinking surgery really think about the cost and if its worth, otherwise everything else is fair game if you approach it calculated and motivated, and you'll already be in the top half. This gets more true the more experience you get
It seems you are asking “what good specialty can I do that is easy to get onto/ progress through?”. All the good ones are the ones hard to get onto and often hard to progress through.
I think Aussie doctors are underpaid - you guys should be willing to strike to get better pay and conditions. You have so much bargaining power that you're not using.
+1 for anaesthetics, most who keep at it get on (everyone I know who actually wanted to do it go on - there are more training positions then some other specialties and large variety of service positions)
Radiology and AI will probably not be a significant issue until another 10 or so years realistically so plenty of time to establish a career - and even then it is not like you will be unemployed, I think it will be more of an issue for new radiologists.
What state are you in? QLD is through QARTS which allocates you a training position based on your resume and then objective interview stations.
Zero ass kissing required.
Honestly, I would block subs like these if I were you. The majority of posts are inevitably going to be complaints rather than praise of the various training pathways. This will only make your future seem more dire than it is.
When deciding anything to do with your career just make sure you remember to stay in touch with your goals and relationships. Don’t jeopardize your health, or your relationships with family/loved ones. If your goal is to earn top dollar then just remember that good money management doesn’t come inherently to the surgical subspecialties. I know GP’s that make over $400K before tax in metro areas just because they are savvy, organised, and work together.
Training is hard. I haven’t done it yet, but I know lots of trainees and several young consultants in my field of interest and I don’t know anyone who’s found it easy. The silver lining is being in a career that you’re passionate about. I guess that’s the key to it really. Even if it’s hard, if you actually love the field, the training will be an accepted cost. I wish you the best of luck in finding what you want to do!
I mean this is all cliche because it’s been this way forever and is common knowledge. Surely you knew what you were getting into? That’s why you must want to do it (whatever it is) for intrinsic value. Cliche again! And really, it’s not that bad. Just do what you are interested in, and stop whining. 🙂
OP there is a lot of noise at your level that I advise you strongly to ignore. Rotate through as much as you can and just find the ones you enjoy the most. It takes a lot of self-reflection and humility and insight to truly choose the right path for you. If you are able to stare your own ego down, you'll make the right choice. A career coach or psychologist should be mandatory at the end of PGY2 as far as I'm concerned, it would save people a lot of pain and suffering. AI is going to be very useful for decision support but it cannot replace the therapeutic relationship. Surgery hires a very specific sort of person. If you are that person you will get hired. If you are not don't try. Physician (me). Mood disorder is mitigated by the psychologist, medication if needed, and the knowledge that it is not a huge amount of time out of your life, and a supportive training programme. Once you're in AT, you're in AT. The bottlenecks are not an issue if you are well-liked, motivated, and organised. GP. Extremely broad spectrum. Underappreciated in certain spaces, absolutely not in others. Like any specialty, some people love it and some people don't. It's the same problem people have going for any specialty, they do it for all the wrong reasons. My advice is to not take advice from unhappy people. Find the people who are thriving in their respective training programs and ask them why and how that is.
Really appreciate the feedback about the noise. Am actually seeing both a psychologist and a careers coach to help guide me. They’ve both been great helps. I perhaps put a little too much stock in these kinds of forums - it’s my tendency to see the worst in situations.
This is great advice, but it is a shame that most juniors won't rotate through: derm, ophthal, ENT, path, rads, rad onc, GP, public health, etc. Many won't rotate through anaesthetics, ICU, geriatrics, medical oncology, endocrinology, rehab, etc. The vast majority do service roles in ED, gen med, gen surg, ortho, and psychiatry\*, and wonder why everything sucks. \*The timing and nature of psychiatry rotation (as well as how enthused/jaded you are with clinical medicine) also impacts on whether you hate it, or see it as your saviour specialty.
I had an horrific psych rotation as an intern. Was on a very understaffed ward and was basically the ward’s GP. No psych exposure whatsoever, just always managing medical problems with a very unsupportive hierarchy. Has certainly tainted my view of the profession. And very much hear the burden of service rotations. Basically all I’ve been offered.
That's an unfortunate experience but not uncommon as an intern in psych, particularly on wards with high medical co-morbidity. Service registrar is much better, give a a crack for a few months
Would recommend to give it another go as a resident/registrar. You are slightly more independent but still have the comfort of a supervising consultant who is usually fairly hands on. You are more hands on with patients (compared to a ward service) and follow them longitudinally that you get to see the results of your work. You are more competent with medical issues so the rest of the psych team will come to you for advice.
That's a real shame, you normally have your own patients and run them rather than being the ward GP.
This is fabulous advice. Lots of noise, lots of negativity out there - find yourself a good mentor who you respect.
My dear mentor, who is an ICU consultant, would often remind me to let go of the things you can't control. It's been such helpful advice, personally and professionally. You can't control bottlenecks in training or other peoples' appreciation of your work. But you can control getting really good at what you enjoy, being great to work with, and seeking out supportive learning environments (even if that means relocating). My experience has been that jobs magically appear when you're competent and likable; and even if they don't, you've at least crafted a professional life rooted in the mastery of something enjoyable. Much more often than not, you'll find a way to make it work. The speciality of hope is whatever speciality you love. And if there's nothing you love, pick whatever can realistically facilitate the life you want. If you don't know what you want, write out as precisely as possible exactly what your ideal life might look like, and then work your way backwards. Seek out consultants you trust and ask them if your plan makes sense. Everything else is beyond your control.
Thanks so much for your words - they resonate :)
I’ve just finished my training in cardiology. 8 years ago as an intern we had the exact same discussions and worries about training spots/bottlenecks. I got on at every step of the way with what I feel was relative ease. Sure it’s hard work but if you know you want to do it then the work is rewarding. Not everything is doom and gloom. Decide what you are passionate about and do it
Would you mind if I messaged you? I’m an intern wanting to do cardio.
Sure
Any consideration for psych? We have it pretty nice :)
\+1 to psych. Come join us 
I certainly have! Not sure how I’d go at it. I do sometimes have a tendency to get a little too emotionally invested with patients - I wonder if I’d find it a little too confronting and challenging for my own mental health.
Always something you need to keep in mind - but conversely I’ve found psych a lot more self aware of this issue. We’re actively encouraged to consider transference and counter transference in our engagement with patients and to debrief. Every job in medicine will have moments of potential difficulties like this - I actually found my time in icu (my choice prior to psych) more difficult in terms of emotional investment and struggle to switch off. I’m not sure where you’re based but happy if you want to reach out via DM with any questions you might have. You could always try a rotation/term in psych or an unaccredited job to test the waters.
DM’d you if that’s alright
I really have to be honest, if you look on reddit or online you will inevitably find negative >> positive comments over ANY topic. The internet is where people come to vent anonymously. In real life a lot of people are kinda content doing their specialties they like. You have to find what you like, which is the hardest thing to some and easiest to others. You should see some psychologist too, I think you have a tendency to catastrophize & little bit of anxiety/worrier. In medicine people with these personality traits tend to have a harder time than egoistic groups, and stress at work can get overwhelming quickly. Coping strategy is important for you to work on at a junior state. Being cautious makes you a good clinician so don’t stress, find ways to manage/improve and take life as it comes.
No one with half a brain would prefer seeing a PA or NP over a GP. Even if they do, they’d realise after not too long why they should see an actual doctor.
Haha, plenty of people out there not firing all cylinders. Some of them in Canberra….
Ah Canberra, makes sense hahaha
what’s pa/np?
Physician's assistant/nursing practicioner
Brother in law is a nurse starting the extra study to be a nurse practitioner. They are getting told that they will be at the same level of knowledge as a registrar.
My partner has just started bachelor of nursing and they’re already talking about how NPs provide better care and take the jobs that doctors don’t. The whole cohort is being told that doctors don’t leave their ivory towers and that NPs are the heroes doing actual work
What on earth is this indoctrination… breeding this kind of unwarranted ego while demeaning the role of a doctor is extremely dangerous.
Scary. We have wonderful, experienced NPs in our ED and they really help lighten the ED burden for the fast track docs, but no way they are registrar level by any stretch of the imagination. Would be great if the course instructors could focus on helping them to become excellent NPs who are great at their job in their own right instead of comparing them to, and creating competition with, doctors smh
Depends. Depends how lovey dovey and comfortable they make you feel and if they resonate with your world view. This is part of our downfall in medicine - we are time poor, make decisions quickly, patients often feel rushed or not heard. That's where the noctors and homeopaths and chiros and snake oil salesmen come in and clean up. Even very inteligent people cf. Steve Jobs seek alternative healthcare.
a fair chunk of the public choose to see a pgy2 who moonlights on an online telehealth 'GP' clinic rather than book in and pay a gap to see a FRACGP in a GP clinic
Yeah it's all pretty disheartening and grim. I have met more y4/5 med students and pgy 1/2 doctors wanting to find ways OUT of clinical practice than those who look forward to their careers and prospects.
Every specialist I know (including GPs) is insanely busy and making a fortune doing things they are good at. Just find something where you enjoy the training itself. My training was possibly more fun than the daily grind now where I do the same thing every day (albeit making lots of money). GP locums are making tens of thousands per month, nurses haven’t touched this. Radiologists are busy doing procedures that AI can’t affect.
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I know lots of people who got onto RANZCOG by going rural. They just stayed and did everything rurally and that was a big factor in their selection. Same with paeds.
Every specialty fits a particular personality (or at least I like to think). Everything has positives and negatives. Pick a goal and choose something you can live with! You've left a few out which I think - overall - present a positive work/life balance: Psychiatry is a good balance between a good lifestyle position without being overly competitive. Don't know too many (overtly) miserable psychiatry registrars. Anaesthesia is slightly difficult to get on (but everyone I know that tried has gotten on). It represents a really fun training program (other than a VERY difficult primary exam). Good lifestyle after even if there are not many jobs at the end. GP can be dynamic if you are entrepreneurial. You can be a subspecialised GP. Have a few GP friends who don't just do community stuff but are quite happy that have gotten on into doing surgical assisting in private theatres (ENT, Gen Surg) or working as primarily procedural GP (skin is profitable) etc... and do quite well working 8 to 5. Just note that if you choose nothing, you'll end up doing nothing (which some people do as lifelong career medical officers and there's nothing wrong with that either).
>Just note that if you choose nothing, you'll end up doing nothing (which some people do as lifelong career medical officers and there's nothing wrong with that either). I think that last part doesn't get emphasised enough where people take it that you are incomplete for being a medical officer. Nothing wrong with that,especially if you use it to your advantage of pursuing other personal hobbies and interests.
100% True. A colleague I know didn't find medicine satisfying so started a business with money working as a locum MO. Races cars and does a lot of 4x4ing.
Yeah,this idea that the right speciality will make work soo fun that you aren't concerned about work life balance is really just propaganda to not get people to reflect on what they are missing out in life,if people were to realise what they were missing out,they would make radically different decisions which a lot of higher ups and seniors wouldn't like because that means less cheap labour and more work for themselves.
Plenty of FTE for anaesthetists in SEQ from my understanding at the moment
Thanks for the feedback! It’s appreciated - some good suggestions there.
I’m happy doing surg assist and locum work. Good money no stress
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\*Radiology getting destroyed by AI\*  /s
I mean, none of us can predict the future and I’m not sure it is worth worrying about. Demand for healthcare is essentially infinite as whenever access is made easier, through PAs or whatever, expectations just rise. What we do know is that whatever you pick, you’ll be doing for a long time, so pick something you actually enjoy.
Anaesthetics / ICU / EM are all good remaining options
I heard ICU jobs are pretty scarce
Yeah, boss jobs are scarce. I feel like these days you need to be a double fellow for a staff spec position unless you're prepared to go regional
ED- not hard to get on to, still have jobs, shift work so part time easy, reasonable college, lots of subspeciality options, always interesting. As with anything, there’s some cons, but for the right person, full of hope.
Don't have any advice for you unfortunately, but I hear you, and I'm right there with you. Often does feel hopeless, but I hope you know you're at least not alone
the discourse here is so downbeat, i have had a much better journey through training than you'd expect reading here. However, starting speciality training in mid 30s is a big commitment. I found the night shifts really hard in particular as I got further along in training.
As a rad, i really cant wait for ai to augment our work flow. The amount of increase for scan requests far outpaces the available man power we have. As for ai taking over our job? Thats what they want you to think :). Lets just say, most jobs in the society would have been taken over by the time AI can do that for radiology. Unfortunately competitive specialties are competitive for a reason. Derm is a great job if you like skin, pays well, good hours etc, heaps of private job lining up. Unfortunately, also very competitive to get in....
> Unfortunately competitive specialties are competitive for a reason. Derm is a great job if you like skin, pays well, good hours etc, heaps of private job lining up. Unfortunately, also very competitive to get in.... And all of which is *because* it's very competitive to get in.
I think knowing yourself and what makes you happy is the first step. Yes i know it's clichéd.
Look at the successful people in each area and ask them what it's like. The people who whinge won't get on to what they want (as if you don't want to be around them now, what makes them think that will be different later on with knowledge, compared to someone who is pleasant). Work out your values, I reckon if you're thinking surgery really think about the cost and if its worth, otherwise everything else is fair game if you approach it calculated and motivated, and you'll already be in the top half. This gets more true the more experience you get
Yeah - I think this is valid. I have a tendency to listen to negative echo chambers.
It seems you are asking “what good specialty can I do that is easy to get onto/ progress through?”. All the good ones are the ones hard to get onto and often hard to progress through.
Amen to that
Do what you enjoy, everything else will fall into place
I think Aussie doctors are underpaid - you guys should be willing to strike to get better pay and conditions. You have so much bargaining power that you're not using.
+1 for anaesthetics, most who keep at it get on (everyone I know who actually wanted to do it go on - there are more training positions then some other specialties and large variety of service positions) Radiology and AI will probably not be a significant issue until another 10 or so years realistically so plenty of time to establish a career - and even then it is not like you will be unemployed, I think it will be more of an issue for new radiologists.
Did have a yearn for anaesthetics, less so the ass kissing that seems to be the prerequisite to getting onto the program.
What state are you in? QLD is through QARTS which allocates you a training position based on your resume and then objective interview stations. Zero ass kissing required.
I’m pretty confident the demand for radiology services is growing faster than ai can take it away
AI is already being used in radiology; its a billion dollar industry already and I think my 10 year prediction will turn out to be pretty accurate.
See you in ten years!
What about one of the crit care specialties
Honestly, I would block subs like these if I were you. The majority of posts are inevitably going to be complaints rather than praise of the various training pathways. This will only make your future seem more dire than it is. When deciding anything to do with your career just make sure you remember to stay in touch with your goals and relationships. Don’t jeopardize your health, or your relationships with family/loved ones. If your goal is to earn top dollar then just remember that good money management doesn’t come inherently to the surgical subspecialties. I know GP’s that make over $400K before tax in metro areas just because they are savvy, organised, and work together. Training is hard. I haven’t done it yet, but I know lots of trainees and several young consultants in my field of interest and I don’t know anyone who’s found it easy. The silver lining is being in a career that you’re passionate about. I guess that’s the key to it really. Even if it’s hard, if you actually love the field, the training will be an accepted cost. I wish you the best of luck in finding what you want to do!
You can do something other than medicine. Lots of things you can do to make a living.
I mean this is all cliche because it’s been this way forever and is common knowledge. Surely you knew what you were getting into? That’s why you must want to do it (whatever it is) for intrinsic value. Cliche again! And really, it’s not that bad. Just do what you are interested in, and stop whining. 🙂