Medicine degree

What's it like working as a doctor in a and e , are they junior doctors?

What shift patterns do a and e doctors work?

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Reply 2

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

I've moved this to the "current medical students and doctors forum" :smile:

I think firstly it's important to understand what a junior doctor is and by extension, how medical training in the UK works. My understanding is that "junior doctor" refers to essentially any doctor in a training programme, and also I think usually to any/most doctors who have not gotten their CCT (certificate of completion of training - which enables them to apply to consultant posts or e.g. salaried GP positions etc, as applicable). This is a very significant proportion of doctors in the NHS!

Typically for EM doctors I gather the training programme would in theory look like this after medical school:

•

foundation training (all UK medical graduates do this) - 2 years (you rotate between various specialties, you may have an EM/A&E rotation or not)

•

core training - 2 years in this case of EM typically doing the Acute Care Common Stem (6 months of each EM, anaesthetics, internal medicine, and intensive care medicine - this is also completed by other trainees aiming for intensive care medicine or acute internal medicine, as well as I think usually those aiming for anaesthetics)

•

intermediate training - 1 year (all EM from this point I believe, unless in a dual training programme e.g. EM/ICM?)

•

higher specialty training - 3 years (all EM as above I believe, unless in a dual training programme e.g. EM/ICM)

So (minimum) total 8 years as a junior doctor after completing your medical degree (2 years foundation and 6 years specialty training). After completing all the above you'd (assuming satisfactory progression etc) get your CCT and be able to apply to consultant posts.

Not sure about shift patterns although I think from what I've read EM is very shift based with regular night shifts even as a consultant?

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

Original post by artful_lounger

I've moved this to the "current medical students and doctors forum" :smile:

I think firstly it's important to understand what a junior doctor is and by extension, how medical training in the UK works. My understanding is that "junior doctor" refers to essentially any doctor in a training programme, and also I think usually to any/most doctors who have not gotten their CCT (certificate of completion of training - which enables them to apply to consultant posts or e.g. salaried GP positions etc, as applicable). This is a very significant proportion of doctors in the NHS!
Typically for EM doctors I gather the training programme would in theory look like this after medical school:

•

foundation training (all UK medical graduates do this) - 2 years (you rotate between various specialties, you may have an EM/A&E rotation or not)

•

intermediate training - 1 year (all EM from this point I believe, unless in a dual training programme e.g. EM/ICM?)

•

higher specialty training - 3 years (all EM as above I believe, unless in a dual training programme e.g. EM/ICM)

So (minimum) total 8 years as a junior doctor after completing your medical degree (2 years foundation and 6 years specialty training). After completing all the above you'd (assuming satisfactory progression etc) get your CCT and be able to apply to consultant posts.
Not sure about shift patterns although I think from what I've read EM is very shift based with regular night shifts even as a consultant?