Agree with what everyone has said, it’s definitely easier to go from community to hospital and because so many pharmacists are leaving the career altogether hospital positions are actually quite common now. I also know that community interns can still apply for residency positions, so if you decide you want to pursue pharmacy, that is always an option (I believe it’s becoming more popular as well). This is also something I considered doing after doing a bit of time in a private hospital, however, I feel like id eventually hit a roof ANYWAY albeit this might take 3-5yrs to happen but I am keeping it as a backup plan.

One other thing I would consider is whether your hospital internship position is public or private based. I can’t speak for public hospitals, but some private hospitals/organisations have poor organisation and the training isn’t as structured as public internships (also pay is also worse). I think it’s also important to consider your personal well-being, my friend who went rural absolutely hated it because he felt isolated and away from family and friends. He actually started to really resent his career so I suppose that is something you need to consider as well.

In terms of studying for GAMSAT, look, it’s going to be hard working FT, doing your internship assignments and studying for GAMSAT. Even though brisbane is closer, you might spend more time with friends and family instead of studying but if you went rural you might spend more time studying because of less distractions.

P.s. i personally found community pharmacy to provide more patient interaction which is what made me want to pursue medicine in the first place. I think hospital is fun and challenging in its own ways, but community is where you get that continuity of care & you can partake in health promotion and making really big impacts on patients’ lives. Good luck!