u/Commercial-Cat-6133

Hi all, very bored under-employed junior consultant here with a penchant for pessimism and excel spreadsheet. This is for entertainment only.

Got myself an account on Australian Institute of health and welfare and started playing with their data because why not. This is workforce in the selected specialties from years 2013 - 2024.

Adjusted these to per million population over 65 to adjust for demand (ABS data). Then Indexed to 100 for comparability.

As you can see, Anaesthetics numbers remains pretty stable. Opthal seeing a decline (expect this specialty to remain quite lucrative should current trends continue). ICU showing moderate growth. GP overall trend of growth after a small decline earlier in the decade.

E.D - jfc what's happening here? Are there more E.Ds being built, expanded etc?! Are they employing more consultants per department?!

For everyone's info, they've finalised the process for dual training pathway.

https://www.anzca.edu.au/education-and-training/anaesthesia-training-and-pathways/anzca-cicm-dual-training-recognition-process

Keen to hear some advice, especially from those already working in both fields.
I'm an early career ICU consultant. More good stuff on my CV than most people at an equivalent stage (at least that's the feedback) but struggling to secure a job in metro, where the high acuity work and career development opportunities are. Doing locum regional work and living out of a suitcase, and watching myself slowly deskill.

I've always enjoyed the procedural aspects of anaesthesia and the quiet orderliness of the O/T but at this point retraining is probably a 4 year process with all the opportunity cost of losing a few years of ICU consultant income and career building.

I understand Anaesthesia opens doors to a much higher income later on but mainly if you commit to building up private work. And I'm not sure I'd be ready to give up my ICU career, which I enjoy and worked hard to get to completion, to go build a private anaesthetic practice. At the same time, ICU work feels quite insecure and political. I've met a few senior physicians basically do what I'm doing right now despite years of career building, due to issues at their previous workplace unrelated to quality of patient care. This is very demotivating.

In your opinion, what would make it worth the leap?