BMA Condemns Possibility Of Random Shortlisting Of Junior Doctors, UK

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 07 Dec 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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The BMA condemns as outrageous the suggestion that junior doctors applying for jobs in England next year could be shortlisted randomly.

In a leaked memo, the National Association of Clinical Tutors appears to suggest that high competition for training posts will mean many applications being discarded without being looked at.

Mr Ram Moorthy, chairman of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee, says:

"There is no way doctors are going to stand for random shortlisting. If this is true, it's an absolutely outrageous suggestion. You can't recruit doctors by picking numbers out of a hat. Competition for jobs next year is going to be extremely high, so applicants need to know that the system is fair and transparent."

The memo, apparently from the National Association of Clinical Tutors, which advises senior doctors involved in recruitment, says:

"This year there may be high volume recruitment if trainees apply to lots of specialties and UoAs [geographical areas]. This may result in random shortlisting in order for the process to be deliverable ie. eligible applications are numbered as they come in and every 8th / 10th etc taken to be further shortlisted by the specialty panel."

The BMA is demanding that the Department of Health instructs the postgraduate deaneries (local bodies that oversee doctors' training) to demonstrate to all doctors that all their applications have been dealt with fairly.

The government is predicting a ratio of three applications for every training post during the 2008 recruitment process in England.

http://www.bma.org.uk