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  2. The advice zone
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Student Careers

The advice zone

BMJ 2003; 327 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/sbmj.0311419 (Published 01 November 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;327:0311419
  1. Idris Baker, specialist registrar in palliative medicine1,
  2. Sam Flynn, specialist registrar in occupational health2,
  3. Nick Banatvala, Senior adviser3
  1. 1Leicester, UK
  2. 2Exeter, UK
  3. 3Department for International Development, UK

You can use BMJ Careers' advice zone (www.bmjcareers.com/advicezone) to submit a career question or browse existing questions and answers on many different topics. A panel of more than 200 experienced advisers are ready to respond to your queries. Here is a selection of what has been published on the advice zone site so far

Isn't palliative medicine depressing when all your patients eventually die?

There are two ways to look at this. One is to say that if you consider the death of a patient to be a failure then palliative medicine will be depressing and you should choose another career. The other more positive perspective is shared by most palliative medicine doctors: sadly, patients are inevitably going to die, and good palliative care can turn bad deaths into good deaths. You would prefer it if people were not ill at all but, given that they are going to die, you can do them the biggest favour by making it as comfortable as possible. And you can achieve at least some success in this direction with most patients.

I have had a serious health problem in the past. It meant that I needed some time away from work. I am well now, and this was a few years ago, but I keep being asked about it every time I fill in a health questionnaire. I am being discriminated against because of my past and am tempted not to write it down next time I apply for a job. Can I do this?

Discrimination is against the law, and there are steps …

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