The British Medical Association has warned that 10,000 doctors could miss out on training jobs in the NHS. What could they do instead?
It is not what Robert Thomas had in mind. Despite conquering medical exams for seven years his dreams of becoming a top consultant have been replaced by the prospect of the dole queue.
Despite a glittering academic record he says he has not been offered even an interview for one of the all-important NHS training contracts - and time is running out.
'Miserable times'
The contracts enable junior doctors to train to become GPs or consultants and move on to the next stage in their careers.
As the BMA says many of the 10,000 students will not find contracts this year, the question of what to do instead looms large.
But many young doctors are now so disillusioned with the medical profession they are, like Dr Thomas, considering a career change. Caroline Stones, 26, is searching for one of the training contracts after completing a number of six-month placements since her graduation.
She said: "Not getting a contract will leave a very big gap on my CV. I could work as a locum but there will still be the question of why I wasn't training.
"A lot of people in my position have already got jobs in Australia and New Zealand but I'm not prepared to leave the country. I'm settled here.
"I would be happy to leave the industry altogether. I'm considering retraining and doing something completely different.
"I'm sure there are companies which would want to use my people skills and management skills."
