I am a Junior Doctor about to go on strike, ask me anything.

[Lauralaaaa]

I am a Foundation year 1 doctor who started in the NHS in August. I have been reading some things online and have seen some quite differing opinions. I wondered if anyone had any questions.

@Pixie2015
What the longest amount of hours you have worked in a day? Do you ever stay back after you finish time ?
12.5 hours I the most I’ve been scheduled, but with the time before work and how it usually goes over it ends up being like 13.

usually stay later than I am timetabled and usually have to go in early to prep the list for ward round as well. We are told to hand over things but sometimes it’s not possible. I’ve had friends who have stayed late 4 hours before due to sick patients which we do expect.

how many hours is your working week?
Average of 48 hours, maximum of 72 but most I’ve been scheduled is about 68 hours.

what is your take home salary a week?
£550 a week at the moment

do you want to strike ?
Yes I do want to strike, mainly for better conditions but I do think we deserve more money.

will any of your f1 friends be working?
Everyone I know will be striking!
thank you for you questions

@BreakfastClub80
My consultants are in support of the strikes. They’ve told me that I have it harder than them due to the number of patients, the amount of patients per doctor now is much higher and therefore the job more demanding. Other consultants think they had it harder as they were expected to do more at a more junior level. I don’t know what’s true but I know it’s hard either way.

Solidarity from a striking teacher. My daughter is considering medicine, I'm doing my very best to put her off.

@MarshaBradyo I do not think patients should be concerned. Consultants will act down and we are only aiming to impact elective work. Consultants will cover the emergency work and this will affect outpatient clinics, elective surgeries and things like that.
Any life threatening problems should not be effected.

Thank you everyone so much for the messages of support! It’s really helpful and lovely to see the solidarity.

@Lauralaaaa

Is there any one thing (or a few) that you want to see happen as a result of your strikes, that you feel changing would help over everything else? Pay is obviously a big one, but what is there structurally that you'd change to make things better (and no you can't say get rid of the Tories 😂 that's too easy!)

And, other end of the scale, has a case affected you deeply and personally in that you still think about that patient now (I realise you can't share details) and it has shaped your practice?

Good luck with the rest of your training and please know that you are supported by people for striking, who understand your reasons and support you.

I am a senior “junior doctor” - I graduated in 2010 and due to doing a PhD, still in training. When I started we were on a pay freeze too but obv inflation was much lower as was the cost of living. Why did you decide to continue in medicine knowing how bad it is? I’m genuinely curious. I know if I could go back in time I would have either left the country or left medicine.

Are you planning to save to be able to afford future strikes? Similar position here and I fully plan to support all strikes, but it's such a huge loss of income for us with a family to support.

In F1 & F2, how much do they let you do? How hands on do you get?

My daughter has been in hospital a lot, and it's get rare that we see anyone other than a consultant or sometimes the registrar. I've on a couple of occasions, had a medical student (not sure what level) coming round to take a history, but often that had already been done by someone else.

Do they let you operate? If so, only with someone more senior there, or relatively independently? Or day, the consultant dors the surgery and you sew up? How much responsibility do you have for treating, prescribing etc, without having to get approval?

You mentioned prepping rounds lists, is that who to see, their histories, the issues etc?

I'm assuming that you do a lot of the background slog, even though we don't necessarily see it?

Do some specialisms not take trainees, if so, which?

I'm a nurse who worked through the last junior doctors strike. It was an absolute damp squib. The consultants and senior staff did the basic jobs. (And were very proud of themselves, doing cannulas and TTO's!) What will be the difference this time.

72 hours a week is nothing. Speak to your consultants - they may have done up to 124 hours per week when they were housemen. They worked on call at weekends for one third of their normal pay rate - which meant that they earned less per hour than the porters. It was hard, but they knew that was the way to progress in their careers.
Did you not go into medicine to be of service to others?

But you are right that the NHS wastes ridiculous amounts of money.

I don't have a question, but I'm just astonished at the start salary. I work for a bank, the start salary for the lowest paid role is £23k, in line with living salary or whatever it's called. I can't believe you're only paid £6k more.

100% in support of the strike.

Do you think that is good? People in charge of keeping people alive essentially working for peanuts at an insane rate of hours?!

We support you. Thank you 😊

On that salary doing 72 hours (!) That's about 5.00gbp an hour. That is appalling.

Perhaps it would be better if your uni debt for courses was covered by the NI we pay if you signed up for at least 5 years full time and didn't break the law etc.

Oh yes, and get discounted mortgages. Benefits for all working for the NHS and in any kind of heath care in the public sector.

Why do you want to be a doctor?

Did you not go into medicine to be of service to others?

What a fucking stupid question. We want medicine to be a practical career choice- people have dependants and commitments; relying on altruism alone isn't enough to recruit doctors.

No questions for OP, just support.

No question, just wanted to show support. Especially on behalf of my two DC: currently med students.

Good for you, sticking up for yourselves and the NHS. I did worry that once the Doctors became over 50% female coupled with the selection process for medical school, that the profession would be seen as doormat, pay and conditions wise.

I mean they don’t fuck about with police pay and conditions the way they take advantage of nurses and teachers.
don’t let the patriarchy and government take advantage of the caring professions.

Which part of Australia do you think you will move to?

(On a more serious note, absolutely support the strikes, its a tough job and the training programme is terrible in terms of sending you all over the place at short notice, not letting you book sensible holidays etc. If we don't change things we will keep losing good people)

Solidarity from potentially soon-to-be-striking, fed-up NUJ members. Good luck OP. Our reporters will be visiting our hospital local picket lines with biscuits and our full support.

I love this. I remember when all we got paid was dust and we had to work 28 hours a day and then go do an on call shift down the local coal mine to learn what real work was. The consultants whipped everyone with thorns on the hour. And we were grateful.

These new doctors don't know what a calling is.

Solidarity. Fully support you and the strike

I don’t have anything to ask, but I just wanted to say thank you and I stand with you (lowly NHS clerical worker, 20 years)

Can’t begin to fathom what you’ve been through in the last 3 years

The BMA has set up a fund to support people who are worried about being in hardship due to strike action.

www.bma.org.uk/bma-media-centre/bma-takes-steps-to-prepare-for-possible-industrial-action-ballot