ABSTRACT
There will be a massive increase in the number of medical school graduates over the next 5-10 years--there were 1287 Australian resident graduates in 2004, and there will be more than 3000 by the middle of the next decade. A workshop held during the 11th National Prevocational Medical Education Forum explored ways to provide the additional prevocational training posts that will be required. Four possible sites for additional training posts were discussed: expansion of public hospital training posts; general practice; private hospitals; and other sites, including private rooms and community placements. Current accreditation procedures will need to be amended to accommodate more interns. There will be limited access to prevocational training posts for non-resident (full-fee-paying) graduates and international medical graduates. There is an urgent need for postgraduate medical councils, state health departments, the federal government, and medical boards to work together to identify, develop and accredit new training posts.
Subject(s)
Medical Staff, Hospital/education , Accreditation , Australia , Family Practice , Federal Government , Forecasting , Foreign Medical Graduates , Hospitals, Private , Hospitals, Public , Humans , Medical Staff, Hospital/statistics & numerical data , State Government , United Kingdom , WorkforceSubject(s)
Medical Staff, Hospital/education , Accreditation , Australia , Curriculum , Forecasting , Humans , Leadership , Medical Staff, Hospital/standards , ResearchABSTRACT
The lack of cohesion across health and education sections and national and state jurisdictions is counterproductive to effective national policies in medical education and training. Existing systems in Australia for medical education and training lack coordination, and are under resourced and under pressure. There is a need for a coordinated national approach to assessment of international medical graduates, and for meeting their education and training needs. The links between prevocational and vocational training must be improved. Tensions between workforce planning, education and training can only be resolved if workforce and training agencies work collaboratively. All prevocational positions should be designed and structured to ensure that service, training, teaching and research are appropriately balanced. There is a need for more health education research in Australia.
Subject(s)
Education, Medical/organization & administration , Education, Medical/trends , Models, Organizational , Needs Assessment , Organizational Innovation , Australia , Clinical Competence , Curriculum , Educational Measurement/methods , Foreign Medical Graduates , Humans , Internship and Residency/organization & administrationABSTRACT
We urgently need to expand clinical teaching into the private sector.
