AMA calls for Community Residency Program

The AMA has called on the Government to rethink its approach to prevocational training in general practice and recommended the establishment of a Community Residency Program to fill the gap left by the abolition of the PGPPP.

The AMA proposal sets out the design and funding principles that would support opportunities for JMOs to undertake rotations of up to 13 weeks into general practice - helping them to experience life as a GP and to enhance their clinical experience. In this regard a recent study demonstrated the educational value of a general practice placement in comparison with hospital placements and recommended that the expansion of prevocational general practice placements should be considered to provide all junior doctors with the benefits of exposure to generalist skills in the community. The AMA proposal is affordable and represents a very worthy investment in our future medical workforce so that it is well equipped to tackle the community's future health needs.