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Hi, everyone. Welcome to the internal medicine breakout room. Welcome. It's myself on you again. We've got Doctor Irvine here. He's one of our care of the elderly s t five doctors. Yeah, the five doctors. And he's kindly going to speak to us about medicine. I'm going to hand it over to you, Dr. Fine. Thank you. Great. Thanks. On you and guys, I'm delighted that you're here today and interested in hearing away bit more about internal medicine training. Um, what I planned to do for the next 10 minutes or so, it's just outline how I got to this point. Really, in my medical career, Have to admit that internal medicine wasn't what I really planned or saw myself doing whenever I was at Queens and finished studying. Um, but, like, I'm really glad I've ended up where I am today. So hopefully just giving you a bit of an insight into my, uh, you know, career journey so far Will will help you guys as you you make decisions about your career. I am. So I started out as a QB graduate. I did five years. I am just straight straight from school at Queen's Medicine and applied for the foundation program here in Northern Ireland. I didn't have any real ideas starting the foundation program what I wanted to do with medicine. I was one of those people who kind of stumbled into it after school. I am because I had good grades and then thought, Oh, flip James, you finish your degree. Now what do you do next? I am. I had wondered if something like general practice would be quite suited to me. I am. A lot of my friends had said that to me. My personality may be suited the role, but, um So what I did was I picked my foundation jobs around that I did my my F one year in the Northern Trust and then my F two year in the Belfast Trust and my F two posts included psychiatry. Any general medicine? Um, I thought that would give me a really good range of of specialties and help me making making my decisions. After that, I am. By the time applications came around in November of that year, I was no further forward as to what I wanted to do. So I thought, Look, James, no point of plan. Now I try and investigate this a bit further. I, um I enjoyed each of the jobs that I did An F two I am still had gp training in the back of my mind. So I did a taster at the end of F two. I didn't really like the taste. Uh, the people were lovely. Patient's were lovely. I have. But the job just wasn't for me. I thought, Look, James spent a bit more time in medicine. That's what you're enjoying at the minute. So keep going with that. I, uh, took a year out after F two and spent about 46 months of that. I am as a look, um, in a medical S h o Post, doing time in acute medicine, cared elderly, an endocrine and and really enjoyed that and was encouraged by some of the consultants in in that hospital to to apply for for medicine. So I stuck the application in. I spent a bit of time doing Q I projects and teaching and trying to get some exams under my belt and then entered into core medical training. I'm at a sense changed internal medicine training or I m t last couple of years, but what that program looked like for me was two years. I am, uh, consisted of for six month placements. I am giving you a range of exposure to to medical specialties. And I loved my my core training years. I am really busy years challenging years. I am, but I feel that the job in internal medicine is brilliant. I am at such a varied career know two days or the same, you can deal with patient's from age of 16 to age 100 whatever and, you know, see a wide range of of presentations, complexities and and problems from from day to day. I am in my in my quartet and posts. I spent time in acute medicine, gastroenterology, hematology, general medicine, stroke medicine. So that's a really good range, especially is under my belt. And like that, then help me to decide a higher specialty. I am, which is geriatrics, which which is the best. You should all do a quick plug for that. I am, But yeah, I am. It's a It's a brilliant career. I am. I feel some of the benefits of internal medicine is, um, it's as I said, it's It's very varied. No, two days are the same. I am. There's opportunities in it to work in different areas of the health services. Supposed things like in person, impatient work. I am on the on. The wards may be doing procedures, and there's outpatient work. There's also opportunity to work in the community as well. So if there's a certain area of health care where you feel your best suited, you know there's opportunities in medicine to to do that. Um, if you're like me and you were maybe a wee bit unsure at the end of your foundation years, you didn't really know what you wanted to do with your life medicine. Really? Keep your options open. I am. There's so many specialties within medicine, um, that sort of range of personalities and skill sets and so medicine, you know, keep your options open in that regard and helps you just explore some areas away bit more. I know that the training program I am the way it's developed, you know there's opportunities to to be exposed to more specialties now, and I know everyone does a bit of time in intensive care, medicine and geriatric medicine to I am. So the training has become more varied and you know that will hopefully help make decisions easier for those who apply to do it. I am. I feel the specialty as well. I am, you know, really, there's a lot of problem solving goes on in medicine. I am Patient's, are, are complex, have a wide range of issues, wide range of presentations and a lot of interpreting of investigations. And I am tests needs done. I am. And I really enjoyed that. I love a puzzle. I am. I love when a complex patient comes in the door and you know you're trying to manage multiple systems that wants to make the patient better. I am. I've ended up doing geriatrics and why I like it, I suppose. Geriatric medicine training alongside other Group One specialties here in Northern Ireland. You do your general internal medicine training alongside your your specialty. Train them and I am. I find it. It really, really interesting. Interesting range of patient's, um, you deal with acute stuff. You deal with end of life care as well and, you know, opportunities to work in the community and outpatients with that too. I am. I see a question coming through on your please remind me two minutes when I need to answer that. You're You're nearly on your two minute warning anyway there, James. But do you have a wee bit left to say or do you want me? Yeah, I've said lots of plus points about medicine. I suppose a question that often comes up is to, um What are the less so good about doing medicine? Um, one of those with the exams. No one really likes exams. Unless you're a real gig. Um, so, yeah, that that kind of comes with every specialty I am. And it is an opportunity to develop your skills so it shouldn't turn her nose up at them either. I am exams are challenging. I am. The other thing that puts people off medicine at times is, if you know the complete There. I m t training and thinking about higher specialty training. They tend to go into medical Reg. Rhoda, I am. Anyone who's worked in hospitals will see that the medical reg is usually pretty stressed out of ours. I am dealing with a wide range of not just clinical but management issues, too. That's something that I actually really enjoy. Maybe I'm weird, but I I do really enjoy that. I enjoy the challenge. I enjoy working with different people and having a new challenge every night to to deal with and often a uh yep. Grant. Look, what I'll do on it is I'll answer Lauren's question. Thank you, Lauren, for asking the question. I am. So do you locate three different subspecialties with I M. T example. Six months and six months or you Ward based each day. So the way it's structured at the minute I am, I know I m t one. They'll do four months placements. I am. So I spent four months in gastro four months in geriatrics, four months in rheumatology. I am and then a similar idea and I m t two as far as um where it's still three months placements in I m. T. Two. And that will include a bit of time in intensive care. And then I m t. Three a six month placements. Um, you tend to be in your in the same trust I am each year, which is great. I am. You're not moving around just as just as much as you maybe have done another years. Um, and yeah, Within those 463 month blocks, you tend to be in the one specialty. Uh, but you do get exposed to, uh, of them. Um, You shouldn't really be moving around specialties within the one block. You know, as much as Roda's and everything else allow games. And just mindful of the time, Any finishing comments on your medical training? Just final sentence. Uh, you won't regret it. Uh, and I love it. Thank you, Doctor. Irvine, we're going to move on to our next rooms now. Okay, We're going to go on to sass cardiology or sass Ent. Doctor Irvin. Thanks very much. Thanks, guys. Bye.