[Editorial] “Junior” doctors: does terminology matter?

In a letter published online this week, David Matthews from the Oxford Health Alliance suggests abandoning the term "junior" to address the low morale of UK "trainee" hospital doctors, aged between 23 and 40 years. This proposal, supported by Sally Davies, the UK's Chief Medical Officer, is well intentioned, but an intervention beyond re-branding is urgently needed. It is not only the label that is damaging, but also the culture and mechanics of a system that rotates doctors between hospitals 60–70 miles apart every 6–12 months for up to 15 years, usually with less than 6 weeks' notice of destination and salary, and requires doctors to give 6–8 weeks' notice for leave requests and organise their own cover on increasingly understaffed rotas, but can change their schedule with less than 24 h notice.

from # All Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Alexandros G.Sfakianakis on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2zBDfJS
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