Hospital managers have apologised to junior doctors for an email suggesting anybody struggling with rostering was not cut out for medicine.

The email, with the sender removed, was shared by the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation (ASMOF) of NSW, which said it had been sent to junior doctors at Nepean Hospital in Sydney last week.

“Your careers will be hopefully long … Please come and make contact if you are struggling now as it’s not a great indicator for longevity in the profession if you are already feeling the strain from rosters which are absolutely standard in health,” the email said.

“There is an implicit acceptance when entering medicine: you are going to be exposed to after-hours and nights BECAUSE all doctors cover these hours because healthcare is 24/7.”