What It Feels Like to Be a First-Year Doctor: The Struggle is Real

So, I reckon a few of you reading this are probably feeling exactly the way I felt when I was two days into my first year as a doctor in Australia. Honestly, it’s like stepping into a whole new world where you have no idea what’s going on.

Let me paint you a picture: you’ve just started your internship, you’re expected to be this professional, responsible person, and yet you’re standing there clueless, not even knowing how to save a note on the computer.

Calling the emergency hospital number? No clue.

Sending a page? Forget about it.

Answering a page? Still no idea.

Deleting a page? What even is that?

Everything feels overwhelming, and it’s hard not to wonder, “How am I ever going to figure this out?”

But here’s the thing: you do figure it out. You just have to take it one day at a time.

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The Learning Curve is Real

When you’re starting out, it feels like you’re constantly stumbling. You’ll have moments where you take two steps forward and then one step back. That’s just part of the process. You won’t see the growth immediately – trust me, it’s not going to happen in the first week or even the first month. But every day, you’ll learn something new. You’ll have these tiny wins that remind you you’re not completely hopeless, and those moments? They’re awesome.

And yeah, you’ll also have moments where something totally humbles you, like when a task you thought would be easy completely throws you for a loop. Spoiler alert: this doesn’t stop happening, even years later. I’ve been working as a doctor for almost three years now, and I still get caught off guard.

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From Med School to Intern: Why Does It Feel So Hard?

The transition from med school to your first year as a doctor is wild. You go from feeling semi-competent (like, “I’ve got this!”) to suddenly being thrown into the deep end. It’s like starting high school all over again – except now everyone around you seems older, way more experienced, and infinitely more capable. Hello, imposter syndrome.

But here’s the thing: those feelings are normal. Everyone goes through them. And if you’re in your first week as a new doctor and feeling completely out of your depth, just know you’re not alone.

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How to Survive (and Eventually Thrive)

Here’s my advice: don’t worry about trying to figure out the big picture right away. Focus on short-term goals – learning one thing today, doing one task a little better tomorrow. The big picture will sort itself out eventually.

So, if you’re a first-year doctor i sorta see where you are coming from and ...you’re not supposed to have it all figured out yet. You’ll get better with each day. It’s a process, and the only way to get through it is to keep showing up.

Good luck out there. You got this.