Should the term "junior doctor" be replaced?
False
Careers
Should the term "junior doctor" be replaced?
Discuss training, careers, and education
In BMJ Careers, there's an opinion piece by Tom Ratcliffe who says that the term "junior doctor" is an outdated and unhelpful term. http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article.html?id=20009704
0
Cat:BMJForum:Careers
Cat:BMJForum:CareersDiscussion:c0bbefee-7391-4978-af2f-f6630622a6db
|
Should the term "junior doctor" be replaced?
posted at 16/11/2012 12:04 PM GMT
on bmj.com
|
|
*Moderator*
Posts: 1451
First: 7/4/2011 Last: 24/5/2013 |
In BMJ Careers, there's an opinion piece by Tom Ratcliffe who says that the term "junior doctor" is an outdated and unhelpful term. http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article.html?id=20009704 The OED defines the word 'junior' as "of relatively low rank or little experience" Sure, junior doctors don't know as much as qualified and well seasoned colleagues but is the word 'junior' stigmatising doctors? Ratcliffe says that many junior doctors have had careers in other areas of health or social care or other professions etc. Is it too much of a general term? Does the word 'junior' slightly grate with you? Should there be an alternative term which looks to empower junior doctors as an important future part of the healthcare profession? Or do you not mind it? Should junior doctors just put up with it? Do you have any alternatives? |
|
Re: Should the term "junior doctor" be replaced?
posted at 16/11/2012 12:32 PM GMT
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 1181
First: 19/4/2010 Last: 23/5/2013 |
Semantics. When I was a medical student, the students society petitioned the medical school to change our name tags from medical student, to student doctor. What? This is the same thing, to me - they are the junior doctors, and there are middle grade doctors, and there are senior doctors. What else should we call the doctors who are junior?
|
|
|
Re: Should the term "junior doctor" be replaced?
posted at 16/11/2012 1:03 PM GMT
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 1271
First: 13/4/2010 Last: 23/5/2013 |
As DC says - semantics. Perhaps people who choose to find it "stigmasing" say more about themselves than the term. I think it is actually helpful for patients to be able to tell the difference in experience - therefore, in that respect, the terms student, junior and senior remain useful. And the health service is there to look after the needs of patients rather than doctors. Surely using the term "junior" is better than "less experienced"? Even calling everyone a trainee doesn't help I think. And how on earth does using the term "junior" disempower a less experienced doctor as part of the team? I was always happy to be referred to as a junior colleaguie in my hospital days and I never once felt disempowered. Surely you could say the same about a system which differentiates a staff nurse from a charge nurse for example? Or perhaps we shoud do away with "senior physiotherapist" or "lead dietician" just in case colleagues feel a bit disempowered. |
|
|
Re: Should the term "junior doctor" be replaced?
posted at 16/11/2012 5:04 PM GMT
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 47
First: 13/11/2012 Last: 14/5/2013 |
I agree with both DundeeChest and skyesteve. I think the strength of the term 'junior doctor' is that it is obvious this person (who is generally quite fresh-faced, although I won't be when I graduate!) is actually qualified. Being able to call yourself a doctor after 5 years of training as a student is surely empowerment enough... In my humble opinion, our job descriptions and titles don't matter one jot if the patient doesn't know who we are. For example I personally don't care that I am called a medical student rather than a student doctor (and also think the word 'doctor' for some patients can seem misleading and possibly deceitful in this context). Although that said, it is surprising how often patients/other people I have chatted to ask me if being a medical student means I will be a nurse or not. http://bma.org.uk/news-views-analysis/news/2012/march/the-name-game
|
|
|
Re: Should the term "junior doctor" be replaced?
posted at 16/11/2012 7:54 PM GMT
on bmj.com
|
|
Posts: 4
First: 16/11/2012 Last: 16/11/2012 |
As a former Public Health registrar (last year of SpRs), I had to endure apparently endless discussions about titles - should the medics and non-medics have these meters? Is Trainee undermining? Does anyone in the real world understand what any of these terms mean? Semantics. What could we possibly replace it with that would be less controversial? |
|
|
Re: Should the term "junior doctor" be replaced?
posted at 17/11/2012 1:55 AM GMT
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 324
First: 23/12/2011 Last: 3/5/2013 |
in my opinion no i dont think it needs changed. I think the term junior doctor fits perfectly between medical student and registrar as most people know the hierarchy. I dont get this 'people wont understand who you are' argument. I think people will know full well who i am not by what title i have but the way you present yourself, whether you actually are able to give them care. I agree with the above opinions that student doctor is misleading and i think implies you know more and crucially have the authority to do more than what you actually can. |
|
|
Re: Should the term "junior doctor" be replaced?
posted at 17/11/2012 11:50 AM GMT
on bmj.com
|
|
Posts: 145
First: 14/5/2012 Last: 22/5/2013 |
Purely from an NHS T&C perspective, if I remember right, Trainees (FY, CT, STR) are on a junior doctor contract All non trainees (Specialty doctors, SAS doctors, Consultants) are on a senior doctor contract |
|
|
Re: Should the term "junior doctor" be replaced?
posted at 17/11/2012 4:31 PM GMT
on bmj.com
|
|
Posts: 1
First: 17/11/2012 Last: 17/11/2012 |
'Junior doctor' better by far than 'trainee doctor', which if often used by managers to denigrate medical staff who are fully registered with the GMC. Another issue, of course, is that the public assume that a consltant is a 'Mr' - or at least, taht if you don't operate, then you must still be learning. **sighs**
|
|
|
Re: Should the term "junior doctor" be replaced?
posted at 17/11/2012 8:35 PM GMT
on bmj.com
|
|
Posts: 1181
First: 19/4/2010 Last: 23/5/2013 |
In Response to Re: Should the term "junior doctor" be replaced?: 'Junior doctor' better by far than 'trainee doctor', which if often used by managers to denigrate medical staff who are fully registered with the GMC. Another issue, of course, is that the public assume that a consltant is a 'Mr' - or at least, taht if you don't operate, then you must still be learning. **sighs** Posted by respirologist Yes, when I moved from my SpR job to my consultant post, in the same hospital, patients often started calling me Mr, rather than Dr, thinking that's waht they should call consultants. Barbers....
|
|
|
Re: Should the term "junior doctor" be replaced?
posted at 18/11/2012 11:39 PM GMT
on bmj.com
|
Posts: 154
First: 19/1/2012 Last: 18/5/2013 |
'Trainee' I do think is misleading to patients, as I think it sounds like 'student', and I do tend to use the term 'student doctor' rather than 'medical student' as I think it is clearer. The RCPsych discussed this back in 2010 (http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/training/trainees/whatsinaname.aspx) but without much in the way of a conclusion or any changes in what actually happened in real life! As far as I can tell we are all still 'SHOs' and 'SpRs' to most of the multidisciplinary team, even though the 'SHO' grade hasn't existed in 6 years, and we are all still 'junior doctor' or 'consultant' to most of the public. On a lighter note...has anyone else noticed that Holby City have started to use the terms 'Foundation doctor' and 'CT1'? They still have the training structure all horribly wrong (I love how they can basically pick their own surgeon to work for and they never do any medicine, psychiatry, O+G, GP etc...) but maybe that means the public will start to expect/use these terms?? I think for many years the term 'registrar' has been well understood by the public to be something under a consultant in the UK, largely because of Casualty and Holby City... |
