The Medical Board of Australia clarifies changes following AMA advocacy
AMA advocacy to the Medical Board of Australia has helped shape the Professional Performance Framework, a replacement for the ill thought out and heavy handed approach previously mooted under ‘Revalidation’. The AMA provided a submission to the Board requesting further evidence and clarification of what the Board was seeking to achieve, and outlined the considerable concern we had with the Revalidation approach, which helped to clarify the purpose of the Board’s changes.
The Board’s changes include:
- Doctors aged 70 plus will have to complete health tests every three years
- Minimum 50 hours of continuing professional development training each year
- Provide guidance to assist practitioners to identify professional isolation and manage the risk
- Encourage doctors to take care of their own health and wellbeing and support their colleagues
Overall, the AMA Federal President, Dr Michael Gannon, has outlined support for the changes from the AMA. Speaking on ABC Radio, he stressed that there are many doctors practising over the age of 70, who are perfectly capable of providing care for their patients.
“They’ve got so much wisdom, so much experience, and their ability to continue to teach, not just medical students and junior doctors, but their more junior consultant colleagues,” Dr Gannon said.
“One of the things we're very happy to support in the Medical Board's proposals is that there needs to be ramped up continuing medical education. We support the minimalist model that the Board's come up with, including the health checks for people as they get older.”
The AMA has stressed however that the detail of these changes, which are yet to be developed, will be critical. Any changes that come into being need to be workable, and not add to the burden of the busy medical professional workforce.
Read the AMA’s submission to the Medical Board of Australia.
See the changes listed on the Medical Board of Australia’s website.
