Regrets...

I have been trying to calculate out the cost of being a doctor in Canada.
In Australia, it was fairly straightforward; the cost of medical school, plus living expenses, for 4.5 years. You apply for jobs, get interviewed, and get hired by a hospital.  You get paid a salary for your work at the hospital. It is less than a full "Staff" salary, because they assume you will be taking time for learning and education, but you make a living wage for the hours you work.

In Canada, you have to pay to apply for jobs. It costs about 200 bucks to THINK about applying, then, for every school you send a letter to, they charge you another 50-80 dollars. If you get interviews, add transportation costs and accommodation to the bill.

Once interviews are done, you rank the universities from one to ten, or six, or x. Then you wait.

On a specific day, you log in to your account and see what school has picked you. You only get one offer. If you are offered the position, you are legally required to take it. Boom. Five years of your life are set in stone, all through luck of the draw. I did this, and got sent to U of T for my family med program. Yes, it was my first choice, but I don't know that I'd make it twice.

So, back to my interviews. I now know that I want further training in Emergency Medicine so I saddled up for the CaRM's rodeo once again; application fee, individual university application fees, rental car, flights, hotels in Kingston, Ottawa & St Johns. I figure, all in, I'll have spent about $2000 by the time this process is up.

People keep telling me the cost is an investment in my future. And sure, if I get the job, it will all have been worth it. But the ER match is not guaranteed. They interview 40 candidates for 4 places in Ottawa. The odds aren't much better anywhere else.

An investment is where you put your money into a holding pattern, hoping that it will increase in value over time. 1/10 odds sound more like gambling.

Frankly, there are a lot of other things I could do with $2000. Things that don't require me to explain my best qualities to a panel of bored and cranky interviewers.

O Australia. How I miss you.