Message from the new Chair of CDT
I am delighted to be writing my first Chair’s message as I start my term as AMA CDT Chair. I am two weeks into the role, and it has been a busy fortnight! Since returning from the AMA National Conference, we have held a meeting of the Council of Doctors in Training, the Trainee Forum, meetings of our special interest groups and advisory committees, and CDT Deputy Chair elections.
The Trainee Forum brings together the Trainee Committee Chairs from all of the Specialist Colleges as well as a representative from the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association. The forum focused on trainee wellbeing and a prominent theme of discussion was the impact of exam processes and lack of flexible training options on wellbeing.
We released our second report of the Specialist Trainee Experience Health Check. This report uses data from the Medical Training Survey to compare trainees’ experiences in different training programs. Of note no college scored higher than a C+, although some improvements had been made, particularly exams reflecting the training curriculum and unrostered overtime being paid, however there was no improvement in receiving timely exam feedback. The report compares the performance of the different colleges as well as looking at 2019 vs 2021 data to analyse where improvements have, or have not, been made. The report can be found here.
Our CDT Policy Advisory Committee met to finalise work on our ‘competency based medical education’ and ‘entry requirements for vocational training’ position statements. The GP Trainee Advisory Committee discussed GP registrar employment reform and the benefits of a single employer model, the transition to college-led training and how to ensure that more doctors choose a career in general practice as the demand for GPs continues to grow much faster than supply. Issues affecting doctors in training not in specialist training programs were tackled by the Prevocational Special Interest Group and included topics such as forthcoming CPD homes and our work on the National Medical Workforce Strategy’s Service Registrar Working Group.
I am excited to announce that CDT has elected two new Deputy Chairs! Dr Dan Wilson and Dr Elise Buisson will be joining the team. Their knowledge, experience and drive to improve conditions for DiTs will be invaluable and I am looking forward to working together to take on the many issues impacting DiTs at the moment.
Whilst I am excited to work with the new team, I need to recognise the work of the outgoing team – Dr Hash Abdeen and Dr Laura Raiti, who I have had the pleasure of working with as a Deputy Co-Chair over the past year and who I have learned so much from.
I would like to thank outgoing CDT Chair Dr Hash Abdeen for his incredible and insurmountable work over the past two and a half years. Hash has been an extremely effective Chair and the benefits of his vision, and hard work, will be seen for years to come. Hash has revolutionised the way that CDT works through the development of CDTs Special Interest Groups and Advisory Committees as well as the Communications and Engagement Team. This expansion has engaged more members with CDT and allowed CDT to draw on the expertise of our members and enabled increased contributions related to our advocacy goals.
I plan to continue the momentum that Hash, and CDT Chairs before him, have built. I will strive to improve working conditions for GP registrars, improve doctor wellbeing by making psychosocial safety in the workplace a priority and to ensure there is some form of accreditation for all doctor in training positions, not just those who are in specialist training programs.
There is some serious work to be done, but I am excited to see what we can achieve together.
Dr Hannah Szewczyk