§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many students(a) completed degree courses in medicine and (b) carried on to work as doctors/ surgeons in the NHS in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [24350]
§ Mr. Hutton3,980 students completed first degree courses in medicine in 1999–2000 in England. In the same year the NHS in England employed 3,540 pre-registration house officers—the first NHS job that new medical graduates take up.
678WGraduates from medical courses do not all go on to become NHS doctors though the vast majority will spend part of their careers working in the NHS. Some choose to use their skills by working in the research, industrial or charity sectors. Some of those from outside England return home following graduation.