From today, ‘junior doctors’ become ‘resident doctors’
British Medical Association (BMA) changes how it refers to group comprising nearly 25% of all UK doctors, to better reflect their range of skills and responsibilities.
As of today – September 18, 2024 – junior doctors across the country are now resident doctors. The change comes the same week that some two-thirds of these 45,830 resident doctors agree to end 18 months of strikes, accepting the offer of an average salary increase of 22.3% over two years.
Photo by Nappy
In coverage of the strikes and in responses from the public, there has often been a mistaken belief that the term ‘junior doctor’ implies that these doctors are students, apprentices or otherwise not fully qualified, whereas in fact they have completed medical school and in some cases may have years of experience.
Indeed, the BMA has previously referred to the term ‘junior doctor’ as both ‘infantalising and demeaning’. Delegates at a junior doctors’ conference in April 2023 voted to abolish the term, which was back by a motion by the wider BMA at its annual general meeting three months’ later.
Abolishing ‘junior’ was one thing; the BMA then had to agree a replacement title. Simply referring to ‘doctors’ or ‘postgraduate doctors’ was accurate but didn’t differentiate between this level and consultants, GPS or speciality and associate specialist (SAS) doctors. It was felt that ‘trainee doctors’ and ‘doctors in postgraduate training’ carried the same negative implications as junior doctors in being understood by the public to mean ‘student’. Another option, ‘non-consultant hospital doctor’ was considered too long and not clear enough.
The preferred term, ‘resident’, is short enough to be uses day-to-day, avoids confusion with other kinds of doctor and doesn’t imply a lack of qualifications. What’s more, the term is already used around the world, such as in the US, Canada, the Philippines, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Spain and Australia. The BMA says 91% of junior doctors supported the new term when it texted them about the change in February this year and the new terminology was then formally approved at the BMA’s AGM in June.
There, Dr Sai Ram Pillarisetti, at the time on the first year of the Foundation general postgraduate medical training programme, explained the issues with the old term. He said ‘junior doctor’ may, ‘imply lack of experience or competence, creating a misunderstanding about the work we do and the qualifications we hold. Every day these so-called junior doctors act as the first point of contact for sick and unwell patients on the ward, they’re in theatre operating on your loved ones, and they’re leading teams across various specialties in health service.’
The new terminology comes into use as of today though the BMA has already been working with colleagues across the NHS and in healthcare organisations, royal colleges and the media to encourage wider adoption of ‘resident doctor’. Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has also indicated his support for the change.
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