The Medic Crunch
Inflation is something I’ve frankly never understood. Perhaps odd for a child of the Thatcher years but economics has never particularly interested me. It is only recently that I’ve come to recognise the consequences of the current economic climate and for the first time start to feel the real squeeze. Being a medical student living in one of the most expensive cities in the world has started to take its toll. Coupled to that, the very real recession we seem to be plunging into means that things are not likely to look up anytime soon.
Yes my friends, welcome to ‘The Medic Crunch’.
House prices dropping at a record rate makes home owners reluctant to sell, preventing first time buyers getting on the ladder. The consequence of which – more and more people rent, hence pushing up rent prices. Inflation rocketing on essential items such as food and increased utility bills for gas and electric, it all adds up.
And what does the government do for us?
- Increases the basic loan by 2.5% (well below current rates of inflation)
- Charge us £3000 a year in top-up fees (or £3145 as it’s linked to inflation)
- Remove free hospital accommodation for foundation year doctors who have just accumulated 5+ years of student debt, with no compensation.
- Offer a pathetic salary to newly qualified doctors.
- Limit the amount of hours worked by impoverished junior doctors in line with the EWTD.
- Fuck up the economy so none of us can afford to eat.
To make matters worse, we can’t win. We’re deemed “lazy students who get up mid afternoon in time for Jeremy Kyle”, who will then “go on to become lazy GPs earning £100,000+ a year”. Jeremy Kyle?? I can barely afford the TV licence!
A year’s tuition - £3000+
A year’s accommodation - £6000+
A degree in medicine – Penniless
For everything thing else, there’s MasterCard.
Finding a job has proven near impossible, with medics finishing late in the year after all the other students have had time to go on holiday and get the work. I’ve managed to secure myself a weeks temping so far, which hopefully will lead on to something more substantial. Fingers crossed.








Locomotor’s ‘Walking and Posture’!










