The British Medical Association (BMA) has announced that it will refer to junior doctors as resident doctors from 18th September 2024, after an Annual Representative Meeting in June 2024.
Dr Claire-Marie Hosein, incoming Chair of the RCPsych Psychiatric Trainees’ Committee, said:
“We have been following the proposals to replace the title ‘junior doctor’ with other terminology, including ‘resident doctor’ closely and appreciate that there are passionate views on all sides of the debate.
“The Psychiatric Trainees’ Committee has discussed this at length recently and have decided that we need to further consider the implications of any change in terminology for psychiatry.
“It is crucial that we take the appropriate amount of time to consider this change and ensure doctors training in psychiatry feel comfortable that any title change reflects their role while at the same time being clear to patients.
“In the meantime, the Royal College of Psychiatrists will retain the name of the Psychiatric Trainees’ Committee and continue to refer to core and higher specialty psychiatrists collectively as trainees.”
For further information, please contact:
- Email: PTCsupport@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Contact Name: PTC support