From the UK to Australia: A Doctor’s Journey Through Medicine, Family, and Finding Balance
- as per harry
- Mar 9
- 3 min read
Medicine is one of those careers that can take you anywhere—literally and figuratively. One day, you're a brand new med student, and before you know it, you've racked up over a decade of experience, worked in multiple hospitals, moved across the world, and somehow managed to juggle it all with raising a family. That’s exactly the journey Annika has been on, and honestly, it’s pretty inspiring and reassuring to hear that there’s no one "right way" to do medicine.
In this episode of Doctor's journey I chat to Annika about her path from the UK to Australia to starting a family to switching careers and now to moving on and getting into GP training.
The Start: UK Medical Training and Early Career
Annika started her medical journey in the UK, training at Birmingham and graduating in 2012. She then did her foundation years in London, working in places like Chelsea Westminster Hospital and Ealing Hospital, which threw her into the deep end. Like many of us doctors, she admits that during the first stages, you slowly start to learn what it is ACTUALLY like to work as a doctor. You learn fast, put in the time and effort and start to level up and figure out your place in this big wide world of medicine.
Making the Move to Australia
By 2014, Annika had met her Australian boyfriend (now husband) and decided to take the leap to Melbourne. The transition was surprisingly smooth—no extra exams required, just an interview for a resident (or hospital medical officer aka HMO) position at a hospital, and soon enough, she was on a plane. For UK-trained doctors, this is pretty common, with Australia making it relatively easy to slot into the healthcare system. There are lots of people who go down this route and anecdotally, the unanimous reasons seem to be because of better pay, better work-life balance, and better support, which together make it an attractive move.
Exploring Different Paths in Medicine
One thing that stands out about Annika's story is that she never felt tied down to one specialty. She tried psychiatry, general medicine, emergency medicine (ED), and even basic physician training (BPT). At one point, she was gearing up for ED training but realised it wasn’t for her. Instead of forcing it, she walked away—choosing life and family over a career path that didn’t fit. She also dipped into cosmetic medicine, which was a completely different world. While her first clinic experience wasn’t the most ideal situation, it gave her valuable experience and she later found a clinic that aligned more with her values, allowing her to practice aesthetics in a way that felt right for her.
Balancing Medicine and Family
Annika now has three kids, including twins. She’s always prioritised life outside of work, making career choices that fit around her family rather than the other way around. That meant taking time off when needed, locuming to maintain flexibility, and only recently committing to a formal GP training pathway now that her moratorium (a 10-year restriction for international medical graduates) is over.
You Can Make Medicine Work for You
If there’s one lesson from Annika's journey, it’s that medicine doesn’t have to be all-consuming. You can change specialties, take breaks, move countries, and still end up in a fulfilling career. Whether you’re considering a move abroad, struggling with specialty decisions, or figuring out how to balance medicine with life, Annika's story proves that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
At the end of the day, it’s about making medicine work for you—not the other way around.
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