Health: 3,000 “junior doctors” deployed from Monday, notably in medical deserts
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- About 3,000 junior doctors start work from 2 November.
- They are in the fourth year of general-medicine training and consult under the supervision of a supervising doctor.
- Patients cannot register them as their regular doctor (médecin traitant).
In this article
What is starting
According to franceinfo, about 3,000 junior doctors (docteurs juniors) are being deployed in France from Monday 2 November, notably in areas short of general practitioners. These young GPs, “not quite fully qualified”, consult in surgeries or health centres. Le Monde, for its part, headlines the deployment of 3,000 junior doctors to respond to medical deserts.
What the scheme is
A fourth year of residency has been added this year to general-medicine training. Junior doctors practise after their thesis. According to the Hauts-de-France regional health agency (ARS), they practise “in supervised autonomy, under the responsibility of a supervising doctor”. franceinfo speaks of full autonomy for consultations; in terms of the scheme, it is practice supervised by a teaching doctor.
For patients
According to the ARS, consultations are organised by the supervising doctor; the junior doctor acts under his or her supervision and responsibility, and cannot be registered by patients as their regular doctor. franceinfo’s headline refers to “slightly shorter waits” in practices that host them. If in doubt, you can ask the practice which doctor will see you.
A regional example: Hauts-de-France
In a press release of 28 October, the Hauts-de-France ARS says 214 junior doctors start there in early November, in practices, multi-professional health houses (maisons de santé) and health centres, 71% of them in priority areas for access to care. The region also welcomes 874 postgraduate trainees, 117 more than last year, a record.
Reading the figures
The figure of 3,000 comes from the headlines of franceinfo and Le Monde; it is not the sum of regional announcements (such as the 214 in Hauts-de-France), and the total may be presented differently depending on the source. The key point: this is not an immediate rise in the number of qualified doctors, but final-year students arriving in the field within a supervised framework.
Learn the grammar
French grammar
Learn sentence patterns and usage from the article’s own sentences.
01The present indicative
est / sont + attribute (noun, adjective, prepositional phrase)
franceinfo parle d’une autonomie complète pour les consultations ; sur le plan du dispositif, c’est une pratique encadrée par un maître de stage.Key pointsÊtre in the present is est for a singular subject and sont for a plural one. It describes nature, state or place (“is”, “is located”). If what follows (the attribute) is a noun, adjective or prepositional phrase, it is not a passive. If a past participle follows, it is a passive (est annoncé). Headlines and summaries often use the present to describe the current situation.
02The futur simple
stem (infinitive) + -ai / -as / -a / -ons / -ez / -ont
En cas de doute, vous pouvez demander au cabinet quel médecin vous recevra.Key pointsThe futur simple means “will do” or “is planned to”. Add -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont to the infinitive (participer → il participera). Watch the irregular stems: être → ser-, avoir → aur-, aller → ir-, faire → fer-, pouvoir → pourr-, voir → verr-. In the news it is used for fixed plans and outlooks.
03The passive voice in the present
être (est / sont) + past participle (+ par / de)
Selon franceinfo, environ 3 000 docteurs juniors sont déployés en France à partir du lundi 2 novembre, notamment dans les territoires qui manquent de médecins généralistes.Key pointsThe passive means “is done” or “is being done”. It is formed with être + past participle, which agrees with the subject in gender and number (la mesure est adoptée / les mesures sont adoptées). The agent is introduced by par (or de). In the news it is common when the event, rather than the actor, is the focus (est prévu / est annoncé / est connu).
04Pronominal verbs
se / s’ + verb
Une quatrième année d’internat s’ajoute cette année à la formation de médecine générale.Key pointsA pronominal verb is used with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous) before the verb. It can mean “do to oneself”, “be done” or “do to each other”. In the news, se traduire (to result in), se tenir (to take place), s’agir de (to be a matter of) and se diffuser (to spread) are frequent. The pronoun changes with the subject (il se tient / ils se tiennent / je me souviens).
05Negation and its scope
ne / n’ … pas · ne … plus
Selon l’ARS, les consultations sont organisées par le médecin encadrant ; le docteur junior intervient sous sa supervision et sa responsabilité, et ne peut pas être déclaré médecin traitant par les patients.Key pointsNormally ne and pas wrap the verb. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. Check which part of the sentence the negation covers. Ne … plus means “no longer”.
06Citing a source with selon
selon + noun / organisation
Selon franceinfo, environ 3 000 docteurs juniors sont déployés en France à partir du lundi 2 novembre, notamment dans les territoires qui manquent de médecins généralistes.Key pointsSelon means “according to”. Put a person or organisation after it as the source. It separates facts the writer checked directly from what another body or report said. Citing a source does not turn a forecast into an accomplished fact.
07Pouvoir: ability and possibility
peut / peuvent / pourrait + infinitive
Le chiffre de 3 000 est celui des titres de franceinfo et du Monde ; il ne s’agit pas de la somme des annonces régionales (comme les 214 des Hauts-de-France) et le total peut être présenté différemment selon les sources.Key pointsPut a base-form verb after pouvoir. Peut means “can” or “may”; the conditional pourrait gives a more reserved possibility, “might”. It does not necessarily mean implementation is settled.
08Purpose with pour
pour + infinitive
Le Monde titre de son côté sur le déploiement de 3 000 docteurs juniors pour répondre aux déserts médicaux.Key pointsThis is the purpose, “in order to…”. Put the base form of a verb after pour. The purpose stated here is separate from whether the effect was actually achieved.
09The construction il s’agit de
il s’agit de + noun / infinitive
Le chiffre de 3 000 est celui des titres de franceinfo et du Monde ; il ne s’agit pas de la somme des annonces régionales (comme les 214 des Hauts-de-France) et le total peut être présenté différemment selon les sources.Key pointsIt explains what something is about: “it is a matter of…”. The il is not a particular man but a formal subject of this construction. The negative il ne s’agit pas de means “this is not about…”.
Japanese grammar
Understand the structure and usage from the text.
01Citing a source: によると
noun + によると
franceinfoによると、フランスでは11月2日（月）から、約3,000人の「ドクター・ジュニア（docteurs juniors）」が配置されます。Key pointsAs in “LCPによると”, it shows where the information comes from. What that source reported follows. It is used differently from “私にとって”, which gives one’s own opinion.
02Plan, outlook and policy
〜の予定 / 〜見込み / 〜方針
診療所、多職種の医療拠点（maisons de santé）、保健センターで働き、71％が、医療を受けにくい「優先地域」で働く見込みです。Key points予定 is a plan, 見込み a forecast and 方針 a course of action or intention. None of them asserts that something has already been carried out. Note the difference from expressions such as “決まりました”.
03Cause or purpose with ため
〜ため / 〜ために
ルモンド紙も、「3,000人のドクター・ジュニアが、医療砂漠に対応するため全国に配置される」と伝えています。Key pointsため is used for both reason and purpose. “成立ではないため” is a reason and “運転手を守るため” a purpose. Decide from the whole sentence whether what precedes is a cause or a goal.
04Giving examples with など
noun / expression + など
11月2日から、一般医の養成課程の4年目にあたる若い医師が、診療所などで診察を始めます。Key points“暴言など” gives “abusive language” as one example. It is not necessarily a closed list of only the things named. It also helps when reading the scope of a news story.
05The polite past ました
verb stem (連用形) + ました
一般医（médecine générale）の養成課程に、今年から4年目が加わりました。Key pointsIn “発表しました”, ました makes a verb polite past. The negative is “ませんでした”. Read the actual date together with the date and time in the text.
06Quoting with と: content and report
plain-form sentence + と + verbe de parole (報じる, 説明する…)
ルモンド紙も、「3,000人のドクター・ジュニアが、医療砂漠に対応するため全国に配置される」と伝えています。Key pointsと takes the content that is reported or explained. In “改定する方針だと報じました”, “改定する方針だ” is what the report said. Separating the content from who said it and how makes long sentences easier to read.