Dr Kerryn Phelps, to the AMA Work Life Flexibility Forum, 'The New Medical Workforce - Options for Change'

Today's deliberations will quite literally bring to life the saying: "Physician, heal thyself".

It is clear that doctors have to raise the lifestyle issues themselves. Governments won't do it. Hospital administrators are reluctant to do it. And patients are not aware in most cases that it needs to be done.

There is a community expectation that a doctor will always be there. But many factors today are working against that expectation. Long hours, poor remuneration, and fewer doctors coming through the system to share the load - these are just some of the problems.

As the Australian health system is becoming characterised by shortages of doctors and other health professionals, desperately under-funded and under-equipped public hospitals, and crises such as medical indemnity, new entrants to the medical workforce are demanding a better balance between work and lifestyle choices.

Worse still, potential new entrants are looking elsewhere for a career. Medicine is no longer the automatic first choice for many of our brightest students.

Up to 12 years of study and training, the high-pressure work environment, long unbroken shifts, and spiralling practice costs are taking the sheen off medical practice.

Things have got to change, and that's where the participants here today come in.

Today you have a great opportunity to report on and comment on the research undertaken by the AMA into vocational training, medical work practices, flexibility and work life balance - all set in the context of the broader debate in Australian society on the work versus quality of life issue.

Entrants and potential entrants to the medical workforce these days have new expectations of medical training, medicine as a career, and the balance between work and family or leisure.

They want a life…and a career. Probably in that order.

This changed attitude and new expectation will significantly impact on the medical workplace and the medical workforce into the future.

Doctors are looking at their own health, their own lives, and are not happy with what they are seeing.

The demographics of new entrants have changed. There are more women and more mature age entrants.

At the same time, work participation rates are declining against a backdrop of medical workforce shortages.

You will look at focus group research into the attitudes of medical students and junior doctors to the medical training system and their expectations of the medical workplace.

They are markedly different to those of their senior colleagues.

You will discuss the outcomes of AMA consultations with all the major teaching hospitals, medical Colleges, prevocational training bodies, medical schools, health departments and many other stakeholders on the opportunities to greater flexibility, their attitudes to change, and the practical impediments to change.

Issues to do with resources for our hospitals, education and training, medical and hospital culture and workplace organisation will also be explored.

But above all this is an opportunity to gain your input to all these issues so we can identify the best directions, supported by major stakeholders, for bringing about the necessary reforms to the medical culture.

This forum is part of an ongoing AMA project aimed at promoting cultural change in the medical profession, its institutions and the hospital sector to encourage the adoption of greater flexibility in medical training and workplace arrangements.

There are participants from Australia's major hospitals and Health Departments. Chief Medical Officers, HR Directors, Medical Services Directors, Workforce Planners. People from the medical training bodies, including all the major colleges and the prevocational training bodies.

We also have policy advisers to Health Ministers and advisers from the key federal and state government agencies involved in the contemporary Work/Life balance debate.

The keynote address will be by Ms Kerry Fallon Horgan.

Kerry is a consultant, trainer and author. Kerry will set the social and economic context in which the medical and hospital sector must deal with the lifestyle issues.

Dr Linda Sheahan will present AMA commissioned focus group research into attitudes of medical students and young doctors to workplace, training, medicine and the balance between workplace and home.

Erich Janssen, the Federal AMA's Workplace Policy Director will report on the outcome of consultations with hospitals, colleges, and other stakeholders on opportunities for and impediments to greater workplace flexibility.

Industry perspectives on how the flexibility debate has impacted on their organisations, and what they are doing about it, will be presented by:

Tony Farley, IR Director with the NSW Department of Health

Margaret Banks, Medical Training and Workforce Manager, NSW Department of Health

Jennifer Willet, Medical Education Manager, Postgraduate Medical Education Foundation of Queensland

Elaine Golding, Director of HR and Organisational Development at the Flinders Medical Centre in South Australia

And Professor Clifford Hughes from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Policy discussion groups involving all participants will be held to determine future directions for changes in policy.

They will concentrate on four themes:

Resources

Education and Training

Workplace Organisation

and Culture.

Outcomes of today's Forum will help set the AMA agenda for policy reform recommendations.

We need to set the scene for change to modernise and re-engineer the medical workplace.

If not, there will be fewer and fewer doctors to serve a growing and ageing population.

The shortages are already evident and it is the most disadvantaged and isolated who are becoming more disadvantaged and isolated.

Above all this is about people, their family and friends - and the importance of striking a balance between work and life outside work. Yes, that's right, doctors are people, too.

I declare the forum open and wish you well with your discussions.

CONTACT: John Flannery (02) 6270 5477 / (0419) 494 761

Judith Tokley (02) 6270 5471 / (0408) 824 306