Have your say: AMA specialist trainees survey

The AMA is conducting an anonymous online survey of specialist trainees to obtain independent feedback on the strengths and areas for improvement in their specialist training program.

We are asking trainees about various aspects of their training, including the course curriculum; college assessment and examination processes; the flexibility of the training program; and training costs. The survey takes about ten minutes to complete.

The questionnaire was developed by the AMA Council of Doctors-in-Training, with input from medical college trainee representative groups and the medical colleges. It takes into account the Australian Medical Council’s standards for accrediting specialist medical education and training.

The AMA believes that it is important for the medical colleges to be aware of where they are doing well, and where the overall training experience for trainees could be improved. We shall pass on the relevant survey findings to the colleges to help them with their quality assurance processes.

Click here to complete the online survey. The survey closes on 9 May 2010.

For general practice registrars: a separate questionnaire which reflects general practice training arrangements has been prepared for GP Registrars. This can be accessed by clicking www.ama.com.au/specialist-trainees-survey-gpregistrar.

We look forward to your participation.

AMACDT Leadership Development Dinner 2010: keynote speaker Dr Glenn Singleman

The AMA 2010 National Conference will be held in Sydney on 28-29 May. As part of the conference, the AMA will be hosting its annual DiT leadership development dinner on Friday 28 May. All doctors in training and medical students are invited to attend.  Partners and guests are also welcome.

Dr Glenn Singleman is one of Australia’s most respected and accomplished professional adventurers. He currently holds four world records in extreme sport. He is also a practising medical doctor and an acclaimed documentary filmmaker.

When: Friday 28 May 2010: 7.30pm – 10.30pm
Where: Times on the Park Room, Level 1, Sheraton on the Park, Sydney

The dinner includes a two-course meal and drinks. The cost is $60.00 for students, $70 for doctors in training, and $118.00 for all others. For more details call (02) 6270 5481 or email tgoodacre@ama.com.au.

Click here to register online.

COAG health reform agreement

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said recently that it is now up to the Local Hospital Networks to deliver better hospital services for patients and for the states and territories to support them in the spirit of cooperation that marked the COAG agreement on health reform.

Dr Pesce said that the Prime Minister had responded positively to the AMA’s calls for a single funding pool, more new funding, and more real hospital beds, and the states are now responsible for making these new resources and services effective in providing better access for patients to quality health and hospital services.

The AMA has welcomed the commitment to additional real hospital beds, although the number is well short of what we feel is necessary to fully ease access block. These new beds must be put in place as soon as possible if we are to see real movement to address system blockages.

Dr Pesce said that the states must implement the additional committed beds and the other new funding initiatives in consultation with local doctors and nurses.

Block funding for smaller hospitals, teaching and research funding, and major capital funding should be similarly quarantined or it could be diverted from its intended purposes. Under the COAG agreement the Commonwealth will fund 60% of training functions undertaken in public hospitals separate to the funding for hospital services. It is important that this funding is transparent and properly quarantined to be used where it is needed.  Read more

COAG health reform agreement – what does it mean for junior doctors?

The provisions for training places and hospital funding in the health reform package has the potential affect junior doctors significantly. The COAG agreement formalises and significantly expands the number of general practice training places, Pre-vocational General Practice Placements Program places, and specialist training positions in private, community and rural settings announced by the Commonwealth previously. At its upcoming meeting the AMACDT will discuss the Commonwealth’s plans to fund 60% of training functions undertaken in public hospitals and how this will be implemented.

Increased registration fees

Throughout the consultation on the implementation of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions, the AMA consistently highlighted that the cost of bureaucratic structures, additional agencies and layers of oversight would be expensive, and that the scheme would result in higher registration fees. The AMA sought government commitment to covering the additional costs of the scheme in so far as its costs exceeded existing registration fees.
Now the AMA’s fears have been realised. The Medical Board has set the registration fee at $650, nearly 85% more than the current weighted national average fee.

The AMA has written to state and territory health ministers urging them to urgently consider the issue, and to provide an additional Government subsidy to cover the transitional and other ongoing costs of the national registration scheme. Read more

Keep medical student numbers on hold:  MDANZ

The Federal Government must not increase the number of medical student places for at least two years or it could threaten the high standard of the training of the country’s medical graduates, the Medical Deans of Australia and New Zealand have warned.

‘It is important that there is no increase in the number of student places and medical schools in Australia, so we can ensure there is no compromise in the quality of teaching that students receive,’ said Medical Deans’ Secretary, Professor Justin Beilby.

Professor Beilby said while Medical Deans welcomed recent Federal Government initiatives to increase and support clinical training places for students, this was still not enough to allow an increase in the number of students studying medicine.  Read more

Send us your photos!

Medical students and junior doctors are increasingly interested in global health issues, as well as opportunities to practice medicine overseas – particularly in humanitarian and development settings.

To meet the demand for information on global health and how to organise overseas training posts, the Australian Medical Students Association and the AMACDT are writing a guide to working abroad for medical students and junior doctors. We would like to use your photos to illustrate the publication.

If you would like to contribute your photos (with descriptions) from your travel or work in foreign settings, please send them to ditnetwork@ama.com.au. Your contribution would be recognised in the guide.

The AMACDT thanks you for assistance with developing a useful tool for junior doctors interested in medical practice abroad.

AMACDT on Facebook and Twitter

The AMACDT has an AMA Doctors-in-Training Network on Facebook. This site has photos, links and posts and regular updates on the council’s activities. Click here to go our Facebook site. You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amacdt.

MJA Job Share

MJA Job Share is a free noticeboard facility for doctors who would like to arrange shared working arrangements with other doctors. You can notify specific job share opportunities or register your interest in job sharing so that like-minded doctors or employers can contact you.
This service is sponsored by the Australian Medical Association. Please go to: http://www.mja.com.au/classifieds/jobshare.cgi