My son is a 5th year medical student and will finish studies next year. He’s already concerned about making ends meet on a junior doctors salary particularly as his foundation year placements for two years could be away from home. He was hoping to get placed somewhere local and live at home for those two years so he could save enough for a deposit on his own place. But the criteria on foundation placement allocations which were previously based on achievement are changing and it now seems less likely it will be close to home.
When he sees friends starting jobs in finance and already progressing in their careers and the prospects of him being a junior doctor on a relatively low wage for a number of years is disheartening.
His conviction to medicine has been unwavering since a very young age despite us highlighting all the negatives and only now is he questioning whether he has made the right decision.
Unless something is done to bridge the pay gap or reduce working hours the profession will cease to attract students.