Australian Medical Association

Did you know that the RACGP Vocational Training Standards are changing? The new draft standards involve significant change and a move to an outcomes based approach. Supervisors and doctors-in-training have expressed concern about some elements of the draft standards. Find out what the changes to the Vocational Training Standards could mean for you by reading our submission.

Learn how simulated learning environments can be used to enhance the clinical training experience for doctors-in-training. The AMA position statement on The role of simulated learning environments on postgraduate medical education and training (2011) says that simulation can add significant value to medical training by complementing the education delivered in patient care settings, and encourages further research and evaluation to build an evidence base about what works best for trainees.

The AMA today released its Position Statement on Prevocational Medical Education and Training – 2011.

AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said that the significant increase in medical student numbers in Australia puts additional pressures on the health system to provide clinical training for students and junior doctors.

“The AMA has called for an overarching medical workforce plan that ensures there is an appropriate number of adequately funded undergraduate, prevocational and vocational training places,” Dr Hambleton said.

The AMA today urged all parties and Independents to vote for the abolition of the student learning entitlement (SLE), which requires tertiary students to pay full fees after they have received seven years of Commonwealth-supported study.

The Higher Education Support Amendment (Demand Driven Funding System and Other Measures) Bill 2011, which is being debated in the Lower House today, will abolish the SLE if passed.

The AMA has made an additional submission to the Department of Health and Ageing to raise concerns identified by AMA member junior doctors. This submission:

• emphasises the need to ensure that time-based targets do not impact on the ability of public hospitals to provide quality clinical education and training;
• calls for ongoing resources to support the ability of emergency departments, the hospital and community providers to fulfil education and training obligations; and
• recommends that the monitoring and evaluation of the impact of targets also includes the impact on education, training and junior doctor experiences.

This submission supplements the submission lodged by the AMA on 25 May 2011.

MJA media release: The Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test (UMAT) does not reliably predict academic performance at university, according to a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

In 2009, 14 universities in Australia and New Zealand used the UMAT as part of their selection processes for accepting students into medical degree programs.

MJA release: Australian medical schools need to improve their conflict-of-interest policies to ensure quality medical student education, medical research and patient care, according to a study in the latest Medical Journal of Australia.

Dr Paul Mason, Intern at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and co-author Prof Martin Tattersall, Professor of Cancer Medicine from the Central Clinical School at the University of Sydney and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, examined the adequacy of policies at Australian medical schools for managing and declaring potential conflicts-of-interest with the pharmaceutical industry.

MJA media release: Australian medical schools do not have consistent fitness-to-practise policies (FTPPs) for addressing unprofessional conduct by medical students, according to a study in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Assoc. Prof. Paul McGurgan at the University of Western Australia, and co-authors described current use and possible effects of Australian medical school FTPPs, and aimed to define and benchmark FTPP best practice.

The survey included 15 of the 19 medical schools in Australia. Of these, 12 schools reported using an FTPP. The most common reason for exclusion of medical students was persistent inappropriate attitude or behaviour, including poor attendance, and most exclusions occurred by the third year of study.

There is an increasing focus on the introduction of competency-based training (CBT) across the health workforce. Within the medical profession, there is growing debate about the potential impact of CBT on the outcomes of medical education. To assist this debate, the AMA has developed a position statement on CBT in medical education. The AMA recognises that while CBT can be an effective part of medical education and training programs, it also has significant limitations.

The consortium of eleven graduate medical schools is seeking the ACCC’s permission to continue its policies and practices for selecting applicants to graduate medical schools. These include the preference policy where applicants submit a single application to the Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admission Centre, and the one interview policy whereby applicants receive only one offer for an interview.

In its submission the AMA has said that, on balance, the public benefits from authorising the graduate medical school consortium to continue these polices and practices outweighs any potential drawbacks;  however, the AMA has noted that where a graduate medical school uses the interview process to look for certain qualities in an applicant, there is the potential for the applicant to be disadvantaged by the interview process in some circumstances. The AMA has encouraged the ACCC to address these issues in the authorisation process.