I am actually impressed with the man who is taking life changing decisions
potentially late in his career. As one who had been in situations of leaving
a country for survival purposes, leaving everything behind, I know what it
takes to do it. Despair must be at ever higher stakes for such decisions in
the Western World where bread and meat is not a worry. It, therefore, must
have been a worse life scenario for one to change like this. If he is paid
67 or 87 or 107 a year has no relevance. Relevance has the fact that people
surrounding him, the institution in which he is/was working did not do
enough to address the root of the problem. Someone must have thought that a
SG work is worth some £41 an hour and this is what he is paid from locum
agencies. That is 71K a year. Twice what he is earning normally, for a lot
of antisocial hours, for saving the department when the sho/registrar is
away for protected teaching, week long courses and 30 days a year of study
leave, inductions etc etc. And even with working any amount of hours, your
pension is based on a 40 hours per week contract, although you pay your 40%
tax out of all you earn.

A man in his mid adult life, who wanted to be a A&E doctor, changing back to
SHO for a completely different career must be admired. Losing your
independence in thinking and treating, embarking in disciplines on which the
dust is inches-thick on your mRNA and sitting again exams, while still
having a life, not to mention the incertitude of a future job takes guts. If
this is coming with 1 or 2 years of  50 or 60k pay this is not his fault,
nor his choice. After all, any job you need done to your house or car does
not come much cheaper than 40-50 pounds per hour either.

I am one of the lucky ones, however!



Dr. Tudor Codreanu MSc(Med)
Staff Grade
Accident and Emergency Dept.
Dr. Gray's Hospital
Elgin
tel: 01343 543131 ext 67360
dir: 01343 567360
fax: 01343 552612
e-mail: [log in to unmask]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Simon Odum [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 15 May 2003 07:13
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      RE: The £84,000 SHO
> 
> Sounds like you're starting to feel the same way as most Staff Grades have
> felt for the last several years! I refer the honourable gentleman to the
> previous thread - "Don't Blame Me"!
> 
> Simon Ødum
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Accident and Emergency Academic List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Danny McGeehan
> Sent: 13 May 2003 22:56
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: The £84,000 SHO
> 
> Had an interesting discussion with Medical Director about SHO in
> neighbouring Acute Trust.  I believe they have hit the record and have an
> SHO on £84,000 per annum.  Was apparently SG in A&E and has converted to
> the
> GP VTS and employed as SHO.  Defies belief and quite obvious where the
> hard
> earned NI contributions are going.
> 
> I have seriously considered going off and retraining in something obscure
> like Trick Cycling and with salary protection etc over £80K a year makes
> it
> more exciting.
> 
> Joking aside though it really is beyond the pale.  We recently had one SHO
> on £67K a year and it really used to annoy me when he buggared off to the
> teaching sessions and left me on my own to run the shop floor and he was
> earning more than me and no responsibility!!!!.
> 
> Danny McGeehan