MMC Surveys
With the semi-collapse of Modernising Medical Careers (MMC), about which I have certainly written elsewhere, if not here, everyone seems to be trying to figure out what to do next. Despite Remedy UK failing in court, they are still the moral voice of UK doctors - and the BMA is rapidly backpedalling to try and regain legitimacy. This is evident in their most recent mail out to doctors, in which they say they are "committed to assisting junior doctors" - although this has hardly been apparent over the past few months, and it is the same signatories at the end of the mail sending us "Best wishes." What is perhaps most ironic is that the BMA consistently claims to be the voice of the profession, representing all doctors, even those not members, yet advice and surveys go only to their members. Oh, but for more choice... roll on Remedy, the union!
So, there are a couple of surveys at the moment to take part in. If you're a BMA member, one is located inside the members-only pages, so I thought I would mention some of the ambiguities here...
8. Please indicate if you agree or disagree with the following statements:
The mechanisms that exist for
a) training trainers and
b) Assessing their skills
are adequate.
err, like when? Now? - they're not ideal, but they're working well. Under MMC? - probably not, but as nobody knows what they are, how can one answer?
Actually, I was going to quote a number of other points - but they're so bloody irrelevant and weighted and out-of-context that, like the one above, I'm sure they won't make any sense to anyone else. Instead, the survey from the Tooke review will be a lot more thorough, I am hoping, and probably of a lot more use. The BMA consistently just using doctors' to validate their own viewpoints (um, not expressed very well there, I think: what I mean is that the BMA hierarchy have their own agenda and use the guise of "representing doctors" to validate it, whilst actually just providing sham options for their members without giving any option for comment). Typical. Anyhow, I'll report back on that later.
Finally, interesting to note that the BMA is now hosting a "psychometric test designed to provide a list of medical career choices that reasonably match your personal profile." Again, members only, so I will try to keep you informed about the specifics...
