On the eve of the holidays, the professional union recalls that the replacements are full-fledged doctors.
“Hello, I would like to make an appointment with Dr Philippe”. “He’s on vacation all July. Do you want to make an appointment with his replacement? The secretariats will repeat this sentence all summer.
Aware that patients may be destabilized, the ReAGJIR union (Autonomous Regrouping of Young Generalists Installed and Replacements in France) wishes to reassure them and “remind them who this famous replacement is”.
The union insists that they are full-fledged doctors, not trainees. “He is recognized by the Council of the Order of Physicians as capable of practicing. The replacement exercises under his sole responsibility, in place of the replaced, ”he explains.
Patients may have “two types of substitutes” in front of them. The first is a doctor who holds a state diploma and is registered with the Order. They are often young doctors who have just left the faculty and who do not wish to settle down yet. “The replacement is a rich and precious experience which allows young doctors to get as close as possible to the daily life of their profession, without having to set up a structure”, specifies Dr Sophie Augros, president of the union.
More than 7,000 replacements
At the same time, there are also medical interns holding a replacement license. Valid for one year, this license can be obtained after having completed 3 internships with a general practitioner. “As a result, the status of the substitute can be multiple: internal substitute, substitute employed or not, retired substitute, etc.”, summarizes ReAGJIR.
In 2016, France had more than 7,100 locum physicians, 70% of whom were women and aged on average 31 years. A driving force that plays a key role in the French health system. According to the Replact 3 survey carried out by the ReAGJIR union, a replacement ensures the continuity of care for at least 7 doctors, and participates in more on-call care (guards) than the doctors installed.
“Whatever the reason why doctors cannot be present with their patients for a few days or a few months, having recourse to a replacement allows doctors to ensure continuity of care for their patients”, assures Dr. Augros.
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