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AMA position statement on entry requirements for vocational training

The AMA has released a position statement that sets out the principles that should underpin entry requirements for vocational training.

The rise in medical graduates numbers, insufficient prevocational and vocational training capacity and the subsequent competition for training places in specialty training programs is creating an entry bottleneck in prevocational streaming rotations and vocational training programs. We believe it is critical that entry requirements for selection into vocational training programs are clear, relevant and candid.

The AMA supports published explicit pre-requisites for vocational training programs where they are achievable by prevocational trainees during routine prevocational training.

We do not support pre-requisites that are unnecessarily onerous and/or irrelevant to beginning practice as a vocational trainee, especially those that are hidden or implicit, or are high cost but not required by trainees for selection.

Transparent information about entry requirements for vocational training programs is essential if prevocational trainees are to make informed decisions about their future careers. This in turn will help to improve the distribution of the medical workforce and could encourage junior doctors to seek a specialist career in under-serviced areas.

AMA position statement on entry requirements for vocational training.

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