I sit watching a battle rage over my head. It has been raging for years and the battle lines are well drawn. Yet, in little more than 14 months, I can get up and skip around these troubles, care free.

I am talking about prescribing rights. The political powers have been thinking about extending them beyond doctors to include nurses, physiotherapists, and pharmacists. And current plans don't limit their formulary. Supplementary prescribers will soon be able to dole out anything they wish.

We have nothing like the 35 days' training that nurses get

Where do I come into all this? I am a medical student, coming to the end of my fourth year. In 14 glorious months someone will tap me on the head with a magic wand and I will be a doctor. I have just spent part of my elective working at the BMJ and, as part of that, I attended a conference last month about excellence in prescribing. …