Firm foundation for senior house officers: Five years is long enough

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7459.230

BMJ 2004;329:230 (24 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7459.230

Letter

Firm foundation for senior house officers

Five years is long enough

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—The editorial by Gallen and Peile signals anythingbut a firm foundation for training junior doctors.¹ The firstfoundation year will essentially be an extension of undergraduatetraining, its doctors allowed only to observe medical practice.And doctors in foundation year 2 will be "career tourists,"spending too little time in each specialty to be able to offermuch service in return.

Medical educationalists should realise that nurses and otherparamedical groups are encroaching on traditional medical practiceand do not seem to need the sort of extended training we demandof medical students. For example, a six week course apparentlyenables paramedics to administer safely almost all drugs usedin emergency practice. By contrast we seem intent on postponingthe time at which our bright and enthusiastic young doctorscan start treating patients.

Five years is quite long enough to learn the theory of medicine.After that, . . . [Full text of this article]

Alan Leaman, consultant in emergency medicine

Princess Royal Hospital, Telford TF1 6TF caleaman@doctors.org.uk