Zarah ChoudharyAlmost 700 medical students across the UK have no idea where they will have their first job as a doctor this summer, according to the British Medical Association (BMA).
Even though thousands of final year students do know which hospital they will be going to, almost 700 have instead been given what are known as ‘placeholder’ positions.
This means that although they have a job as a foundation doctor, they will not know the exact location until a short time before their start date in August.
They have been told which medical deanery – the local medical education and training boards – they will be in but they often span huge geographical areas, or even entire devolved nations, in the case of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
When assigned a placeholder job, the BMA warned that students are left in limbo for months – leaving them unable to make plans for where they will live.
For those with caring responsibilities and families it can be an incredibly stressful time as they’re unable to plan for childcare and make the necessary arrangements to start their careers in medicine said BMA.
Chair of BMA council Prof Phil Banfield and officers from the Medical Students Committee (MSC) wrote to Wes Streeting asking him to take action.
Callum Williams and Elgan Manton-Roseblade, deputy co-chairs for education for the BMA’s medical students committee, said: “This happens year on year: final year medical students facing months of uncertainty and stress, for some during their final medical exams, it is unacceptable.
“It’s paramount that the DHSC commits now to giving students their programme details and work schedules at least eight weeks prior to their start dates, in line with the resident doctor contract.
“They should also receive detailed and frequent communication, both locally and nationally.
“To prevent students in years to come facing this avoidable stress and anxiety the UK Foundation Programme Office must receive increased funding, so deaneries don’t have to scramble to find posts for new doctors.
“It’s also essential that UK medical school graduates must always be guaranteed a foundation programme post and be prioritised over graduates of non-UK medical schools.
“We’ve written to Wes Streeting to ask him to put steps in place to prevent this happening.
“It’s essential that we keep doctors in the NHS – and when this is a new doctor’s first experience with NHS employment it increases the risk that they’ll join so many of their colleagues in moving abroad, or leaving medicine entirely.”
A spokesperson from NHS England said: “While record numbers of applicants have received their first choice this year, we appreciate the uncertainty and anxiety that many applicants who have been allocated placeholder posts experience while we finalise their training programme.
“We have reassured those affected that they will receive a place on a training programme with support available from their foundation schools during the wait – we will continue to work closely with foundation schools to get applicants more information about their programmes as soon as possible.”
