How much do doctors in training earn? British salary explained
JUNIOR doctors in the NHS have ended six days of strike action in protest over pay.
This industrial action is thought to be the longest strike on NHS record.
How much do doctors in training earn?
The salary that doctors in training receive depends on experience.
In 2023/2024, the annual basic salary for a first year junior doctor in England is £32,397.
This was after the government also announced a pay rise for trainee doctors of 6% plus £1,250 each.
Payment for this started in the autumn of 2023, retroactive to April.
This equates to a basic wage of £15.53 per hour for most trainee doctors.
However, the average physician assistant is not in their first year and therefore earns much more than the basic salary.
According to NHS Digital workforce and income data, the average full-time doctor earned a basic salary of £44,5000 in September 2023.
This figure also does not include any additional income resulting from working extra hours.
A doctor starting their specialist training will earn between £40,257 and £53,398 per year.
The average salary is approximately €50,000 per year.
If you are a specialist you will earn a basic salary of £83,945 to £92,275.
Will trainee doctors go on strike?
The British Medical Association (BMA) confirmed six days of strikes in January 2024, with services across England seriously affected.
The industrial action from January 3 to January 9 was the longest in the history of the NHS.
The strikes only involved young doctors in England.
The strikes were intended to “save the NHS” from conditions that are endangering patient care.
In the summer of 2023, the government gave trainee doctors an 8.8% pay rise, while the last round of negotiations offered an additional 3% towards the end of the year.
However, the BMA has rejected the 3% offer as it does not compensate for the real pay cut of almost a quarter for junior doctors since 2008.
The BMA claims that junior doctors in England have suffered a real pay cut of 26.1% between 2008 and 2022.
With 6.4 million patients on the waiting list for treatment, the union says staff are burning out and leaving the profession altogether.
More than 100,000 appointments and surgeries are expected to be canceled during the strike.
Health Minister Victoria Atkins branded trainee doctors 'unreasonable' for downing tools at the worst time of the year.
Today she told the House of Commons that the BMA only accepted two of 40 hospital requests for doctors to come out of the picket lines to protect patients.
Ms Atkins said: “Work doesn't stop when strikes stop.
“NHS workers will turn their attention to recovering from the impact of industrial action.
“The junior doctors committee's choice to strike at this time of year means this work now has to be done under added pressure as staff move to catch up and the impact of cold weather, Covid, flu and norovirus to deal with.”
According to the MirrorThe junior doctors' committee said it is finalizing plans to vote again in the coming weeks to extend its strike mandate, which expires on February 29.
How do I become a junior doctor?
A junior doctor is a qualified doctor in clinical training who works under the supervision of a senior doctor.
For anyone who wants to become a doctor, the first step is to study medicine at the undergraduate level.
After completing their medical studies, they continue with a two-year integrated course.
These are known as Foundation Year One and Foundation Year Two.
To work as a doctor in the UK, you must have completed the two-year general training programme.