The Medical Resident(BPT pathway)
- as per harry
- Mar 16
- 3 min read
I recently had a chat with Adam, a second-year doctor (PGY2) based in Melbourne, who’s on the basic physician training (BPT) pathway. But beyond that, he’s also running a YouTube channel, sharing his experiences in medicine, including the GAMSAT and his life as a junior doctor.
We talked everything medicine, from getting in, to managing work-life balance, career direction and all the ups and downs that come with that decision-making process. I think it's that ever-present uncertainty that comes with trying to figure out your career, which can be so very challenging for junior doctors. Anyways, here's some highlights of our chat.
The YouTube Journey: Why Share Your Experience?
Adam and I both started our YouTube channels for similar reasons—there’s a frustrating lack of information out there, especially for junior doctors in Australia. When we were going through medical school applications, or even just figuring out what being a doctor is actually like, the resources were either outdated, unhelpful, or just didn’t exist. So we made our own.
He touched on how rewarding it is when people message him saying his videos helped them get into medicine or prepare for the GAMSAT. That’s something I completely relate to—it’s wild how just sharing your own experiences can make a difference for someone else.
Balancing Medicine and Other Passions
One of the biggest challenges in medicine is making sure it doesn’t consume your entire identity. We talked about how crucial it is to have something outside of work, whether that’s content creation, hobbies, or just a different perspective. Adam is planning a “gap year” next year, stepping away from the hospital system for a bit to travel, possibly work overseas, and just experience something different before locking into training.
That’s something I think more doctors should consider. Medicine is a long game, and if you don’t step back and reassess every now and then, you can easily find yourself stuck in a path you’re not even sure you want.
The Challenges of Specialising
We got into the reality of the BPT pathway—rotating through different medical specialties, prepping for exams, and eventually choosing a sub-specialty. The pressure to “tick all the right boxes” to get onto a training program is intense, and we discussed potential changes that the current system could consider, in order to optimise this process. The idea that you only get a few attempts at applying for a specialty before being locked out forever? Harsh to say the least but potentially a necessity. Ultimately, it's not, nor ever will be the perfect system but could we use other healthcare models for specialisation pathways to improve what we do in Australia?
Advice for Junior Doctors and Med Students
Adam had some solid advice for anyone in medicine:
Don’t let medicine define you. It's a career, not your entire personality. Have something outside of work that keeps you balanced.
Figure out your own path. Everyone’s journey in medicine looks different, and that’s fine. You don’t have to follow the traditional route if it doesn’t work for you.
Take breaks when you need them.Whether that’s a gap year, a short holiday, or just stepping away to do something different, medicine will still be here when you get back.
Honestly, this was one of those conversations that could’ve gone on for hours. If you’re in medicine, or thinking about getting into it, these are the kinds of discussions worth having.
If you’re keen to hear more stories from doctors with different experiences, or even want to share your own journey, hit me up—always looking for new guests to chat with.
And if you want to check out Adam’s channel and see what he’s been up to, all his links are here.
Adam's Channel:
Watch the discussion here:
Listen to our discussion here:
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