What will you earn as a junior doctor?

The vote to take industrial action over pensions by BMA members, announced on 30 May, has sparked a debate about the privileges of doctors. Some people have called the UK medical profession greedy,1 whereas others have defended doctors’ hard work and well deserved pensions.2

In the United Kingdom it seems that junior doctors are the least happy with their financial prospects when compared to their more senior colleagues. A junior doctor is someone who has qualified as a doctor and is most likely in postgraduate training to become a consultant, a general practitioner (GP), or a staff grade associate specialist. In a recent BMA pensions ballot, 92% of junior doctors voted for industrial action, compared with 79% of GPs and 84% of hospital consultants.3 This might be because junior doctors will be affected most by the proposed changes.

Why else might junior doctors in the UK be dissatisfied with their