Resident doctors: why do not we appreciate more the remaining ones?
Change language:
Dr Rita Lénárd, an internal specialist, wrote about the difficulties and injustice that resident doctors have to face in Hungary. Her article that appeared on wmn.hu is meant to be a wakeup call, to appreciate those doctors who would stay in Hungary and give them the opportunity to learn.
After the unsettling news about Hungarian hospitals being gravely indebted, here is another problem that our healthcare system faces: the bad treatment of resident doctors. They are the young specialist candidates who have already graduated and should take the place of senior doctors in a few years. To do that, however,
they need practice. Instead, they are treated like servants.
They have already studied for 18 years, but their knowledge is mostly theoretical. That is why they should work side by side with more experienced specialists.
Painful memories
Dr Rita Lénárd recalls in her article the shocking experience she had 39 years ago when she applied for her first job in a hospital. She was a 24-year-old summa cum laude graduate full of excitement. At the job interview, they immediately rejected her, only because she was a woman.
The only question they asked was if she could cook or not, and then they said:
“How do you dare to think you could do such a difficult job? You are a woman, go have children and cook for your family…”
She obviously left the place outraged, but this example was only one of many disappointments – for her and other resident doctors.
What is actually a resident doctor?
In the past century, they were called doctors with servant’s licence
(referring to medical students’ hospital passes). After graduation, they still had to study to specialise before they could practice on their own. These young professionals lived in the hospital and could be called in at any time.
For their work they only got board and lodging, but no salary.
When Dr Rita Lénárd started her job, they were no longer called servants but assistant doctors, but the arrangement and the place at the bottom of the hierarchy did not change with the name. They worked 260-280 hours a month, obliged to be on duty 12-14 times.
They were not appreciated at all. She remembers the embarrassing time when she tried to sit with other colleagues in the cafeteria. They just looked at her and told her that she had not deserved it yet to sit with them. That was when she vowed to be different once she would be in their position.
What is the situation today?
Well, unfortunately, it is not much better nowadays than it was in Dr Lénárd’s time, despite us living the days of permanent lack of doctors.
The purpose of having resident doctors is that they learn the ins and outs of the field from a senior.
Wonder how the senior ELITE politicians and business people are going to feel when their Medical practitioners have all left the country or continent to continue what they started to try and make out of this. The article states it clear, you need residence experience to continue. How are you going to get this if they’re all gone or disceased? Somebody is not watching the camp!