When first-time attendees joined the junior doctor conference in 2023, they hoped their motion would be popular with others.

They felt that being called ‘junior’ doctors was demeaning and didn’t reflect their skills and expertise. When they had to choose the FTA (first-time attendee) motion for conference, they proposed that they should simply be called doctors. They didn’t realise that their motion would have such an impact, with the name resident doctors now so widely accepted. 

The FTA motion, which was enhanced with a rider (or mini-motion) was debated at conference and passed. 

Later that year, a shorter motion calling for the same name change was passed by the BMA’s representative body at the ARM (annual representative meeting), meaning the name change became BMA-wide policy. 

A work stream was set up to prepare for the name change, with other branch of practice committees consulted. At this point it was agreed that a more specific replacement term than ‘doctors’ was needed to avoid confusion and encourage uptake. 

Then in January 2024, BMA council agreed to a name change but confirmed that the UK Junior doctors committee would need to determine an alternative name. The committee undertook an SMS survey of (then) junior doctor members. Over 9,000 members responded to the survey – 91% were in support of changing to the term ‘residents’. 

At the 2024 junior doctors conference, a new, more specific motion was debated and passed that confirmed the change to ‘resident doctors’ as junior doctors’ policy. 

This conference believes that terms such as 'junior doctors' and 'postgraduate doctors in training' are outdated, infantilising and demean the profession in the public sphere; believes that our branch of practice should have a short and effective differentiating adjective that has the potential for good public uptake; and therefore calls on the BMA to: 

– Adopt 'residents' or 'resident doctors' as an all-encompassing term for this branch of practice currently known as 'junior doctors' and avoid using the terms 'doctors in training', 'postgraduate doctors in training' or 'trainee doctors' 

– Immediately adopt the term 'resident' in place of 'junior' across all internal and external documents and communications, including renaming the 'junior doctors committee' into the 'resident doctors committee' and the 'junior doctors conference' into the 'resident doctors conference'

– Educate NHS employers, the public and all relevant stakeholders that ‘resident doctors’ is the new term for foundation year 1 to specialty trainee 8 doctors and all locally employed doctors who currently work on a junior doctor mirrored contract or any contract that is equivalent but is not an SAS, GP or consultant contract and

– Adopt the terms 'residency programme' in place of the term 'training programme', as appropriate, in all internal and external communications and internal structures, and work with relevant stakeholders to adopt this change in all settings. 

The name change was also confirmed at the 2024 ARM, setting the wheels in motion for full implementation. 

An implementation date of 18 September 2024 was set. Launching the new term just before party conference season increased visibility by having politicians use it at the Labour Party Conference. 

The BMA wrote to Royal Colleges, NHS bodies across all four nations, the General Medical Council and other healthcare organisations. BMA staff and members worked extensively with media outlets, broadcasters and Government to inform them of the name change and request adoption of the term from 18 September. And changed the tens of thousands of website and pdf occurrences of the term ‘junior doctor’ in BMA materials! 

Grassroots members and pay activists were sent BMA materials which they put up in their workplaces, as well as encouraging their employers to adopt the change. 

As you can see, the resident doctors conference is where we come together to engage in the democratic process of our union. It is your opportunity as members to set the direction of the BMA, make change in the areas that matter most to you, and have your voice heard. 

Like with the proposed name change, your ideas go to conference in the form of motions which, if passed, become resident doctors committee policy and can change the course of the profession. We know many of you have great ideas that could be the next historic turn for our profession. But you might be unsure how to turn them into motions, or whether you can truly affect change. 

The name change motion is a great example of how an idea became a change that resident doctors experience every day. 

To help you understand conference terms and turn your ideas into motions for the 2026 resident doctor conference, our motion writing guidance, available in both written and video formats, should be invaluable. If you need any further help with your motion, please contact your regional doctors committee, or get in touch at [email protected] and we will be happy to help.   

And remember, the term ‘resident doctor’ is now used almost unanimously among the healthcare sector, employers, regulators, and educators. Mainstream media has also adapted, albeit often with the “Prince” effect – the “doctors formerly known as junior”. There are still media outlets with an agenda who deliberately revert to using the “junior” term when they want to convey contempt, but in general the change has been remarkably rapid. 

Your motions really can make a difference. 

The motion submission deadline is 9am, 15 December, so submit your motions now 

Erin Gourley and Francesco Palazzo are the co-chairs of the 2026 resident doctors conference agenda committee