There's something I need to tell you... | KharmaMedic Life Update

Summary

Caramedic returns with a long-overdue life update after a period of absence from YouTube. He shares his journey through medical school, completing foundation years, and choosing orthopedic surgery, overcoming challenges to secure London surgical training. Alongside, he pursued a master’s in medical robotics and AI at Imperial College London, developing coding skills while balancing travel, fitness, and personal growth. He reflects on YouTube burnout, the pressures of content creation, and his gradual renewed passion for making videos. Finally, he provides personal updates, including a breakup, moving into a new house, and embracing the next chapter of his life with gratitude and excitement.

Takeaways

• 😀 Caramedic has been largely absent from YouTube for the past 1–3 years due to creative burnout and feeling that he had achieved the channel's main goals.
• 😀 After reaching 1 million subscribers, he realized external incentives like views and revenue were insufficient to continue producing content regularly.
• 😀 He emphasizes the importance of maintaining mental health and a positive relationship with his YouTube channel, avoiding content creation solely out of obligation.
• 😀 Completed UK medical school and two years of foundation training (F1 & F2), rotating through surgical and medical specialties.
• 😀 Developed a strong preference for orthopedic surgery and secured a London-based surgical training position after initially struggling with the recruitment exam.
• 😀 Demonstrated significant personal growth in discipline, work-life balance, and stress management while preparing for surgical training, even during travel.
• 😀 Completed a Master’s degree at Imperial College London in Medical Robotics and Image-Guided Intervention, focusing on clinical robotics, AI, and coding skills.
• 😀 Thesis work involved AI-based medical image segmentation for knee and liver anatomy, enhancing his technical expertise for future surgical applications.
• 😀 Took advantage of flexible master's schedule to travel extensively, maintain a gym routine, and spend quality time with loved ones, achieving a better work-life balance.
• 😀 Personal life updates include an amicable separation from Alexia, moving out of the long-time shared house with his sister, and preparing for a new chapter in life.
• 😀 Passion for YouTube is slowly rekindling, with ideas for future content emerging, though no specific commitment to regular uploads has been made yet.

Q & A

Why has Caramedic been largely inactive on YouTube over the past few years?

Caramedic felt he had achieved his goal of impacting people's medical careers through YouTube. Once that intrinsic motivation faded, financial or metric-based incentives alone were insufficient, leading to reduced video output and burnout from years of weekly content creation.

What factors contributed to Caramedic's feelings of burnout on YouTube?

Burnout arose from the constant workload, the need for control over all channel aspects, and the pressure to produce weekly content. Delegation and outsourcing could have reduced this stress, but were not fully utilized.

Which medical specialty did Caramedic choose and why?

Caramedic chose orthopedic surgery after rotating through multiple specialties during his F2 year. He felt a strong connection with the specialty and identified it as the best fit for his interests and skills.

What challenges did Caramedic face when applying for surgical training?

He initially failed the Medical Specialty Recruitment (MSR) exam due to insufficient preparation and distractions in his personal life. He had to retake the exam the following year to secure an interview.

How did Caramedic prepare for the MSR exam and surgical training interview?

He tripled his study efforts, completing two full question banks, doing solid theory revision, and studying intensively while traveling in Japan and Australia. This preparation allowed him to perform well and secure a London-based surgical training position.

What motivated Caramedic to pursue a Master’s degree at Imperial College London?

He pursued the Master’s to gain expertise in surgical robotics for future career use and to learn coding skills applicable to medical projects and research, especially in AI-assisted surgical applications.

What were the key projects Caramedic worked on during his Master’s?

He focused on medical image segmentation using AI, including segmentation of blood vessels in the liver and anatomical structures in the knee, often coding independently to develop practical solutions.

How did Caramedic balance personal life with his Master's studies?

The Master’s schedule allowed him free time to travel extensively, maintain a gym routine, spend time with his girlfriend, and enjoy personal development while completing assignments, exams, and his thesis.

What is Caramedic's current perspective on returning to YouTube?

Although he feels pressure from external expectations and past success, his passion for creating content is slowly returning. He has ideas for future videos but has not committed to a regular comeback yet.

What recent personal life changes has Caramedic experienced?

He and Alexia have been separated for almost two years, he is moving to a new house, and he is no longer living with his sister after seven years together. These changes mark the start of a new personal chapter.

How does Caramedic view the impact of his YouTube channel?

He acknowledges that his content positively affects many viewers, providing guidance in medical careers. However, he emphasizes that making videos should be driven by personal inspiration rather than external pressure.

What lessons has Caramedic learned about work-life balance?

He has learned to manage study, work, personal life, and mental health more effectively. Taking a year for his Master’s allowed him to recharge, gain new skills, and maintain overall happiness before entering an intense surgical training program.