AMACDT Trainee Forum on Costs of Training

Key points:

1. Trainee representatives greatly support ongoing efforts by Specialist Medical Colleges to:

●       enhance the transparency of their fiscal arrangements,

●       actively exemplify how training fees are apportioned, and

●       increase the detail about how College fees are utilised each year to be easily accessible and communicated in an easy-to-read format.

2. Trainee Representatives agreed that all Colleges should have in place a clear, fair and widely promoted financial wellbeing/hardship policy for trainees to account for times when personal and/or financial circumstances change and/or training costs are high. 
3. Trainee Representatives asked that more specifically a review of the costs of reconsideration, review and appeals processes be considered by all Colleges due to costs being seen as prohibitive to some trainees and therefore impeding processes of natural justice.

While the majority of College Trainee Representatives agreed that the costs of their training program were reasonable, they were less likely to agree that costs were transparent and readily explained to trainees. Trainees were also more likely to agree that training costs impacted on the financial and personal wellbeing of trainees, especially those from certain backgrounds or demographics.

There was strong support for the AMC to review and strengthen accreditation standards regarding the transparency of training costs. 

Trainees acknowledged that changes to assessment modalities to meet COVID-19 requirements had impacted both positively and negatively on costs of training and recognised the need for ongoing flexibility for Colleges to meet training requirements.

Trainees recommended Colleges work toward national consistency in training requirements and training costs within specialties to reduce discrepancies between states & territories.

The communique from that meeting is available here.

The snap poll results from our AMACDT Trainee Forum are below: