Media release

AMA calls for better use of private hospitals in medical training

AMA Position Statement on Medical Training in Expanded Settings

The AMA is calling for greater support for medical training in private hospitals and other community settings to complement the traditional public teaching hospitals in meeting increased training demands brought about by higher numbers of medical graduates.

The AMA position is outlined in its revised Position Statement on Medical Training in Expanded Settings, released today.

AMA President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that public teaching hospitals, complemented by general practice, would continue to be the cornerstone of medical training in Australia, but high demand is putting pressure on the public training sector.

“The increasing numbers of medical graduates mean we have to make better use of other training environments to build a quality medical workforce in sufficient numbers to meet the growing future health needs of the community,” Dr Hambleton said.

“The private hospital and community sectors have emerged as excellent training environments to complement the teaching and training that occurs in public hospitals.

“The Federal Government has established the Specialist Training Program to support vocational training in expanded settings, but more can be done to support the full spectrum of medical training from medical school to the completion of specialist training.

“It is widely acknowledged that the private sector can provide access to clinical experiences that may no longer be accessible in the public hospital system.

“The Federal Government recently reached an agreement with some State Governments to support a modest number of intern places for 2013 only.  This is a good start but ongoing funding for this initiative will be needed as medical graduate numbers continue to grow.

“The AMA is calling on all governments to better resource expanded settings to provide medical training, including professional support and access to educational resources for supervisors and trainees.

“Training positions in expanded settings must be accredited by the relevant authority to ensure that a high quality of training is maintained and to ensure that trainee entitlements and working conditions are protected and maintained across all training settings.”

The AMA Position Statement on Medical Training in Expanded Settings is at https://ama.com.au/position-statement/medical-training-expanded-settings-2012


12 December 2012

CONTACT:         John Flannery                       02 6270 5477 / 0419 494 761
                            Kirsty Waterford                  02 6270 5464 / 0427 209 753

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