Well, my finalist friends got their results last night. I know somone who got their rota for their FY1 post already, taking them from August to January. At least he knows what he will be doing next year. Sadly, there wasn't much rejoicing last night. MMC/MTAS has completely knocked the stuffing out of junior doctors, but also out of their future colleagues. Not that many people were running around full of joy to be entering the medical profession in a few short months.

No great suprise there then. How can you get excited about joining a so-called profession where you are not even allowed to apply for the jobs which are available? How many other public sector workers would put up with not being allowed to have any say in where in the country they were to work? Is it any wonder that the suicide rate among doctors is higher than any other profession, that people are dropping out like rats from a sinking ship and heading to the city, so at least they can afford to live where they want to? On the topic, where is the European Working Time Directive that tells city boys that they can't work all night?

I applied for an academic foundation post today. If I do get it, I will know by the end of July where I will be working in August 2008. So, can't complain in that sense. But, what is the point of fighting for a prestigious post when like as not I will have to enter what is effectively a lottery in 2 years time to the point where I won't even get much choice as to what branch of medicine I will specialise in? Having just spent a week or two doing nothing but fill out a form, I am starting to get an insight into how it must feel to be a junior doctor. How can you justify yourself in 5 or 6 150 word questions without a CV? I was stressed enough and I got to list my academic achievements (such as they are) on my form.

Watch this space, you might find it turns into "my accountancy adventures" all too soon.

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