Struggling to make ends meet as a junior doctor. AIBU?

[HK3444]

Struggling to make ends meet. Rent has gone up, food bills are going up and struggling to support my kids.

I’m someone worked really hard through medical school, it felt like endless exams and accumulated student debt with the hope that I’d be able to support my family comfortably at the end of the degree and but also feel job satisfaction bettering the health of others.

Not sure what this was all for… can’t believe I’m in this situation as a doctor

Nurse here. Fully support the strikes. It's a shame the general public think that junior doctors are on mega bucks. Rishi Sunak claims to be from an NHS family too??

How old were you when you finished your medical degree? had your children?

My son is in his first year of a medicine degree he will be 22 when he finishes (born late August). I did council him on the hard career choice he was making but he was determined. Hoping he makes it up the ladder quick before having a family as it must be difficult.

How long til you are more senior?

Your salary will increase with experience. It is not unusual in any career to start on a low salary with student debt and have to work up the payscales. Things will get easier.

Rishi sunak is so out of touch.

They don’t take into account the extortionate gmc fees, postgraduate exam fees, medical defence protection etc. all these costs are unavoidable costs that should really be paid for by the employer

but surely junior doctors should know they wont be on mega bucks. Op sounds absolutely shocked at the realisation.

I support you 100%. As a nurse I completely understand why you cannot be compared to any other graduate. I hope you get a massive pay rise.

It isn’t about mega bucks it’s about being able to pay my bills and support my kids

Lots of people struggling to pay bills on substantially lower salaries than a junior doctor earns from Yr 1. Difference is you are able to guarantee a decent pay packet in a few years time. Most graduates in any profession start low. It will get easier.

YABU - you earn above the average and will have a long and ultimately lucrative career.

It’s hard at the beginning. That’s true for a lot of people starting out. But your career is valuable and high status and rewarding.

Please be aware that most of the people on NHS waiting lists will never have your earning capacity. Think about that while you strike and make those lists longer.

Maybe you need to share your income, outgoings, situation and career earning prospects before any of us can comment.

YANBU OP. I am NHS management. MN like to give people like me a serious roasting as plenty see people like me as pen pushers. Probably not the right place to get much support but I hear you. The actual role of a medic is phenomenally difficult, without everything else on top.

It's outrageous that junior doctors have the level of responsibility they have and the hours they work for such a pittance.

Unless you've worked alongside them I don't think you'd be able to understand.

Junior Doctor is a terrible name for a fully qualified hospital doctor, who has responsibility for life and death situations and the nations health.

and no, Drs didn’t expect to be badly paid when they signed up to medical school 13 years ago. They are appallingly paid for their responsibility’s and hours worked.

I agree fees etc should be paid for, and I’d bring in student loan write offs in exchange for nhs service - probably 3k per year served. I would keep the pay the same but reduce the numbers of hours per week you’re expected to work - a full week should be 3 x 12 hour shifts like nurses do.

However the whole profession needs a massive shake up, I don’t think the way the training is structured is fair or safe, and i would say 1 in every 3 interactions I have with a dr is unsatisfactory in terms of competence, flexibility of thinking or arrogance. I say this as a health professional myself.

I completely agree with you (and understand being a junior doctor is a very long phase). I shouldn’t say this but I would never encourage my DSs to become doctors as it’s just not worth it.

What is the starting salary for junior doctors? Does it very depending on the hospital, dept etc?

Did you not know how much you'd be earning when you started studying?

I think those saying the pay is adequate have absolutely no idea of the pressure, workload and responsibility of a newly qualified Junior dr or for that matter a senior registrar ( also classified as a jnr Dr!)

These are some of the brightest people who chose to train to support others, and we as a nation are losing them in droves. We need to pay comparable salaries which at the moment we are not close to doing.

I'm a nurse and despite the impact on patients absolutely support the Drs, the conservative government is driving the NHS into the ground, this is just another strategy at play.

£14/hour no additional payments for 12,5 hour night shifts and weekend shift work

Junior doctors aren't necessarily at the beginning of their career though. They may have been qualified for many years and have high levels of expertise.

Agree OP. A friend who is a hospital reg is on like 50k, for crazy hours and responsibility, plus forking out for exams (thousands at a time) and also the extra 9% tax by way of student loan. It’s brutal.

I see the racetothebottomistas are already coming out of the woodwork with their nonsense about ‘average wages’.

Keep striking OP! Hold those scumbags who would rather we all kept up the infighting than turned on them to account!

Starting salary is £29,384, little over £14 an hour.

I get just less than that and I've not even been to Uni or have a degree.

Some real race to the bottom stuff here. Disappointing.

OP YANBU. You shouldn't be struggling to pay bills on a dr's salary.

Fully support the industrial action for junior doctors (not a medic or in any way connected to the NHS).

I'm a GP, and I'm eligible for universal credit.

I was on benefits as a foundation doctor.

This idea that we're all rolling in it is completely false. Once you add in children and childcare- it's hard.

I think that junior doctor salary is surprisingly low for the amount of effort to get to that point, and how hard it is. But… it’s the low end of your career with a lot of increase to come, and an excellent pension. The biggest issue here sounds like the fact you have 2 (?) kids. So you’re unlikely to be foundation years but well into core training? If you’ve got childcare fees it’s painful in many professions at this point - it’s the children not the salary! It doesn’t last forever, get through these tough years and your salary goes up just as your childcare costs go down !