[Residents not-in-training and hospital physicians: the pariahs in the hospital?].

Patient care in Dutch hospitals is performed by medical specialists and residents in training for the various specialties. In addition there is an increasing number of young physicians who are not (yet) in training: this category has arisen because of a restriction of the number of medical specialists. Recently a new career has been put forward in advertisements, offering training for positions at a level below that of the traditional medical specialists. This development is worrisome in view of the quality of patient care and the perspectives of young doctors.