As of 18 September, all references to junior doctors in BMA communications will be changed to ‘resident doctors’, including all mentions on our website and our social media channels. 

A new title that reflects the expertise of resident doctors

This move has been a long time coming and after much hard work, a cohort of doctors who make up nearly 25% of all doctors in the UK will now have a title that better reflects the huge range of skills and responsibilities they have.

Back in April 2023, the junior doctors conference voted to abolish the term ‘junior doctor’ on the grounds it implies doctors at this level are students, apprentices and not fully qualified. The move was then agreed by the wider BMA with the passing of a motion at July 2023’s ARM (annual representative meeting). 

We then had to begin agreeing a replacement title. Some titles we discounted included simply ‘doctors’ or ‘postgraduate doctors’ (accurate but too broad as these could also apply to consultants, SAS doctors and GPs); ‘trainee doctors’ or ‘doctors in postgraduate training’ (the same problematic implications as ‘junior’ and maybe even more likely to be misunderstood by patients and the public as meaning ‘student doctors’); and ‘non-consultant hospital doctors’ (too wordy and open to confusion with SAS colleagues).

Ultimately, doctors themselves landed on ‘resident’ because it avoids confusion with other colleagues, doesn’t imply a lack of qualifications, and is snappy enough to be used day-to-day. It’s also a term used in the US, Canada, the Philippines, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Spain and Australia, so patients may already have some familiarity with it. What’s more, it encompasses the whole branch of practice in a new one-word term, whilst allowing us to keep the terms, such as ‘registrar’, that differentiate between grades. 

Voting to change ‘junior doctors’ to the new ‘resident doctor’ title

The next step was to get majority support for the proposal. So, in February this year, we sent all junior doctor members in the UK a survey via text. The results were overwhelming, with 91% approving of the change from ‘juniors’ to ‘residents’. This clear outcome meant we were able to move forward with getting the change approved at our ARM in June 2024.

The call to replace the title was presented by then-FY1 doctor Sai Ram Pillarisetti who explained how the term ‘junior doctor’ was both inappropriate and misleading: ‘It may imply lack of experience or competence, creating a misunderstanding about the work we do and the qualifications we hold.

‘Every day these so-called junior doctors act as the first point of contact for sick and unwell patients on the ward, they’re in theatre operating on your loved ones, and they’re leading teams across various specialties in health service.’ After a formal vote, the change was agreed and a date of 18 September set for the new resident title to be implemented.

The BMA is now working with our colleagues across the NHS and stakeholders including healthcare organisations, royal colleges, and media outlets to strongly encourage the wider adoption of the term ‘resident doctors’. We are grateful to the secretary of state for health for indicating his support for this important change in language.

For the confidence and reassurance of patients, it is vital that it’s understood that there’s nothing ‘junior’ about resident doctors.