Article

2014 AMA Specialist Trainee Survey: Report of findings. February 2015

There are nearly 16,800 specialist trainees undertaking a recognised medical specialty training program in Australia. In May 2014, the AMA surveyed hospital-based specialist trainees and general practice registrars about their training experience to provide medical colleges with independent feedback on their vocational training programs.

Now in its second iteration, the survey highlights strengths and areas for improvement in training programs, and identifies emerging issues and trends in vocational training.  Importantly, it begins to provide longitudinal data on this core issue.

The 2014 STS shows that medical colleges are performing well in most areas of vocational training. Career choice, level of supervision, standard of training, clinical experience, and access to safe working hours are areas where trainees continue to have a high level of confidence.

There were however, significant areas of dissatisfaction, many of which have unfortunately remained unchanged since 2010.  Responsiveness to cases of bullying and harassment, feedback, appeals and remediation processes, and the cost of training are ongoing issues for trainees. Trainees are also uncertain about how to access academic streams and accredited overseas rotations as part of their training program.

Medical colleges and health departments can use the results to review their own education and training policies, with a particular focus on areas for improvement, and on their performance against the Australian Medical Council’s (AMC) standards for specialty education and training.

Click here for the full report.

 

Related Download

Related topics