I don’t think junior doctors should get higher pay because they’re ‘better’ than other courses, but I do find it a bit disappointing that after doing a 5 year degree you start off on the same salary as someone who has done 3 years. I don’t think you can really compare though. Junior doctors did get a pay rise in 2016 I think it was, and you do get raises as you do your specialist training. No one should go into medicine for the money and so as a medical hopeful, I’m not too fussed about the starting salary as I know it will be a job I love and the pay will get better. But I can understand that after doing a 5 year degree on an extremely competitive course and then starting your foundation programme where you can have shifts up to 12 hours with little breaks and you get paid the same salary as someone who has done a 3 year degree with a 9-5 job can be frustrating. But in the end, you’re still just starting out. I think other nhs workers such as nurses etc should get pay rises. A fully qualified nurse working for the nhs starts off on about £24K a year (band 5), rising to about £30K (still band 5) after 7-10 years of experience! I can under and why nhs nurses etc are protesting