TY - JOUR T1 - The call of general practice beckons JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 657 LP - 657 DO - 10.3399/bjgp08X342075 VL - 58 IS - 554 AU - Robert Marsh Y1 - 2008/09/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/58/554/657.abstract N2 - The time of the year when our health service was at greatest risk of being thrown into chaos has thankfully passed. Newly-qualified interns have commenced work as doctors for the first time, fresh from that blissful 6 weeks between passing final medical exams and starting the new job. Short straws were drawn, meaning some of them started their careers on call at a weekend; always a dreaded prospect which at least a quarter of us have experienced. In addition to this, newly-appointed registrars in all specialties took up new posts with considerably more responsibility. This situation coupled with the skeletal or sometimes nonexistent ancillary medical services at weekends, particularly in the smaller hospitals all adds to the stress. My colleagues and I in the third year of the Western Area GP training programme have left all this behind, no more bleeps, no more continuous 36-hour shifts every fourth … ER -