Jeremy Vine Clueless of What a Junior Doctor Is

I want to believe that Jeremy Vine isn’t a source of information for everyday people, but it’s proven that he is after the uproar of people on Twitter agreeing with his viewpoint. 

The JV Twitter account did a poll, where 31% of people said the 35% pay rise is too much. 

Do you back the junior doctors' 35% pay rise?

— Jeremy Vine On 5 (@JeremyVineOn5) March 13, 2023

So, let’s talk about what’s wrong with this entire segment:

First, Jeremy talks about Foundation Doctors and Junior Doctors as if they’re interchangeable, which they’re not. Anyone who knows how University degrees and work structures function will know that Foundation comes first, so why is he suggesting that a Foundation Doctor is the same as a Junior Doctor? 

Once you graduate from Medical School, you spend two years as a Foundation Doctor (Years F1 and F2 on his little chart). After that, you’re a Junior Doctor who’s going onto their Specialist Training Years.

An F1 Doctor is currently getting paid £29,837. This is what they’re getting in their first job after finishing Medical School. This has been stagnant for the past two decades. It’s not risen with inflation. So, after a minimum of 5 years in Medical School, they come into the workplace to stress and long shifts and get peanuts for their time.

This is called a Pay Restoration by Junior Doctors because their pay has been entirely fixed since 2008… 

Now, onto where Jeremy continued being entirely incorrect. Is a Foundation Doctor a Trainee? No. 

Is a Junior Doctor a Trainee? Also no.

He goes on to suggest that a Doctor will only be a Junior for four years, which is entirely incorrect. A doctor graduates and becomes Foundation for two years before going onto specialist training for at least 8+ years. Maddy Lucy Dann, a Junior A&E Doctor, has commented that she won’t be a consultant for another four years, at least, after graduating in 2016.

The connotation that a Junior Doctor is a Trainee is both hilarious and incredibly damaging. Most doctors you will ever see will likely be considered Junior Doctors. 

They’re fully qualified, which Jeremy suggests they’re not. 

So, are so many of JV’s viewers upset that they’re getting a pay rise this big? For the same reason as Lin Mei – Other gradutates are only getting £25k! Why should they start at £39k? 

Because Junior Doctors work more hours, with more stress, saving literal lives – unlike IT and Engineering Graduates who don’t 90% of the time.

As someone who’s worked in the IT industry for almost a decade, and has been in situations where my work has saved lives, it’s definitely not as common as what a Junior Doctor does… 

If Junior Doctors were going to be paid £1,000 for every life they save, they’d be a millionaire by the end of the year. Unlike me, who’d have a maximum of £12k by the end of the year in my last job… And let’s not forget that Junior Doctors regularly come into contact with infectious diseases and illnesses – including COVID – risking their own lives to save ours.

Junior Doctors deserve to earn enough to live comfortably, just like anyone else. If you’re upset that they’re going to be getting a 35% restorative pay rise because you’re not earning that much upon graduation, then that’s an issue with the companies in your field. 

Demand more – you’re university educated – how can you finish Uni and still think the world is fair?

Junior Doctors encompass every Doctor in a hospital below Consultancy – if you honestly believe they should be paid the same amount as an IT Technician who’s been to Uni or had training, then you’re not for the NHS.

You cannot support the NHS, clap for two years, only to say they don’t deserve the pay they should’ve been getting over the past two decades.

Dr Dann explains it best:

@maddylucydann

⚠️PAY RESTORATION FOR JUNIOR DOCTORS ⚠️It’s a long one but an important one

♬ original sound – Maddy