Low Uni spots for Medicine when there is shortage of doctors?

Lack of funding, its all very political. Cheaper to import docs in than it is to train them

Thanks TR-8R.

Also, lack of drs is in certain specialities (GP, A&E, psych) and not a lack of foundation program places (the FP is oversubscribed every year). Thus, they can't increase medical school places without increasing the number of foundation places (which would be very costly).

Government-imposed quotas. Simples.

In most cases its mostly RG universities and a few outside of the RG group which provide the MBBS degree. Medicine cannot go down the route that Law has done or you will get everyone trying to apply to BCU and DMU with CCC in the hopes of becoming a Lawyer/doctor. Universities can only offer so many places and only so many universities should be allowed to even provide the degree.

I'm quite curious about this, why is there such a shortage of psychs? Like I get why there's a shortage of A&E (Rising population, departments oversubscribes, many people us A&E when they could use another NHS service etc etc, also the fact no one wants to do this job past junior doc level) and GP's (I presume its also to do with the increasing needs of the rising population) but why psychiatrists? Is the gov just ignoring mental health care, do doctors not want to specialise in pysch? Is it pretty intense? Bad conditions?

I've tagged you because I think your a doctor? So you might know

I understand fully well what you are saying but I'm not even saying that people with lower grades should be given places, the reason I asked the question in the first place is because so many people with AAA or even A*AA have been rejected for medicine and it worries me because I want to apply as well.

and GP's (I presume its also to do with the increasing needs of the rising population)

I'm quite curious about this, why is there such a shortage of psychs? Like I get why there's a shortage of A&E (Rising population, departments oversubscribes, many people us A&E when they could use another NHS service etc etc, also the fact no one wants to do this job past junior doc level) and GP's (I presume its also to do with the increasing needs of the rising population) but why psychiatrists? Is the gov just ignoring mental health care, do doctors not want to specialise in pysch? Is it pretty intense? Bad conditions?

Its all down to money. More medical students means more facilities at medical schools, hospitals and GP surgeries, It costs tens of thousands of pounds to train a single doctor,

They used to have to offer foundation training (or house jobs as then called) to all UK qualified doctors. Now for reasons I don't understand and which seem a huge waste of money they don't.

I think with GPs, it is a symptom of a collapse in entrepreneurial spirit amongst the classes entering traditional professions.

How many law graduates want to set up their own firms? Likewise, pharmacists, Vets, dentists, opticians. How many teachers hope to raise some money and buy or set up their own prep school? In the same way few doctors hope to make money from setting up or becoming a member of a GP practice.

I worked in psychiatry last year. In addition to the above, Its just... very different to other medicine. Your inpatients are invariably with you for months and mostly do not want to be there, not infrequently to the point of violence. You will rarely get thanked for anything you do. Whilst a lot of mental health is eminently treatable, by the time a patient has had to be referred to a psychiatrist the outlook is not great and very few of your patients will ever be 'cured' and when it does its a long process. A lot of your time is spent filling out long forms getting legal permission for everything you do. You will spend a lot of time at section appeals defending your actions. You are also very likely to be sued by unhappy patients/family and if even one of your patients ends up dying/being violent in the community then there's a good chance your name will be in the Daily Mail so that is always that threat hanging over your head. The actual job is really easy compared to other medical specialities, but people just do not want to do it.

Its also the third biggest speciality (after GP and anaesthetics) which adds to the problem.



Hundreds of thousands! The normal estimate quoted is £250,000.

Yeah that's pretty much it. They'd rather get developing countries to pay for the training then take the product than pay for it themselves.



But they do? There's always concerns about over-subscription but to my knowledge once all is said and done and those who fail finals are removed no one has missed out to date.

I think with GPs, it is a symptom of a collapse in entrepreneurial spirit amongst the classes entering traditional professions.

How many law graduates want to set up their own firms? Likewise, pharmacists, Vets, dentists, opticians. How many teachers hope to raise some money and buy or set up their own prep school? In the same way few doctors hope to make money from setting up or becoming a member of a GP practice.

GPs unlike hospital doctors have to invest in the practice if they want to become a partner. Not all GPs want to get a big loan to invest or get tied down to a single location. There is arguably more prestige being a hospital consultant than a GP which matters to some people.