The AMA Council of Doctors-in-Training met in Canberra on May 3 & 4 2008 to discuss current issues in medical education and training. DiT representatives from each state and territory attended as well as trainee representatives from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. The meeting was also attended by AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua; AMA Vice President, Dr Gary Speck; and AMA Secretary-General, Mr Francis Sullivan, reflecting the AMA's commitment to DiT issues.

The agenda covered a variety of issues affecting junior doctors, including: doctors' health; proposed changes to national registration and accreditation and the implications for quality, independent medical education; expanded specialist training in the private sector; specialty streaming in medical schools; the implementation of the Australian Curriculum Framework; and physician assistant pilot programs and their impact on doctors' training. A key area of discussion was ensuring adequate training opportunities for medical students and graduates and the important role of the Medical Training Review Panel (MTRP) in helping to expose the main areas that require urgent attention.

THE BUDGET - GOVERNMENT MUST FUND MORE MEDICAL TRAINING PLACES

The Australian Medical Association is pursuing the Government to allocate some of the investment returns from the $10b Health and Hospitals Fund announced in the recent Federal Budget to fund medical training places across the country. The Government has increased the number of medical school places significantly and these students and graduates will need access to adequate numbers of quality training places.

In a recent AMA media release, AMA President Dr Rosanna Capolingua said, "We currently have only 1,776 intern places across the country and we will struggle to find high-quality clinical placements in hospitals and general practice for medical students from 2009 onwards." The AMA Council of Doctors-in-Training has been lobbying hard on this issue and will continue to do so to ensure quality training for future medical graduates.

FOUR OUT OF FIVE DOCTORS WANT MORE FLEXIBILITY

The AMA's Work Life Flexibility report was released in early April 2008. The report provides an insight into the current level of access to flexible work arrangements as well as barriers to better work life balance. The report also reveals that four out of five (81%) of doctors want greater access to flexible working arrangements to allow them to spend more time with family and friends, take time to look after children, or continue further formal training. It also reveals that the demand for more flexible working arrangements will grow significantly over coming years.

The full report is available at: /node/4168

CONTACT US

Either via our Facebook Group AMA Doctors-in-Training Network or via email to ditnetwork@ama.com.au or by phone 02 6270 5400.You can unsubscribe from E_dit by emailing the Federal AMA at ditnetwork@ama.com.au