Creating a better learning environment for medical trainees

AMA Vice President, Professor Geoffrey Dobb, said today that achieving high quality supervision and assessment of trainees must be a top priority for the Australian health system.

“Our hospitals are currently busier than ever, we have an increasing number of medical graduates, and the total amount of time and resources that can be dedicated to supervision activities is stretched to the limit,” Professor Dobb said.

“This all means that maintaining quality clinical supervision and assessment presents a significant challenge – to governments, to hospitals, to supervisors, and to trainees.

“The AMA Position Statement outlines the key requirements for effective supervision and assessment of trainees to ensure that the quality of medical education and training remains at a high standard.

“It reflects what trainees need to navigate in their training and what they need to be properly supported in their training, and it sets out what supervisors need in terms of support, time, and payment to provide the training.

“It can be used by doctors, policymakers and organisations to ensure that appropriate policy, processes, and infrastructure exists to support high quality supervision and assessment of hospital based postgraduate medical trainees.

“The information and experiences that underpin this Statement come from doctors who work and teach in our hospitals every day,” Professor Dobb said.

The AMA’s Position Statement, which can be found at http://ama.com.au/node/7670, covers:

• Structures supporting effective supervision and assessment;
• Supervision;
• Assessment; and
• Resourcing effective supervision and assessment.

4 April 2012

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                        Kirsty Waterford                    02 6270 5464 / 0427 209 753

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