The 2023 AMA Specialist Trainee Health Check (STHC) offers insights from the latest Medical Training Survey – which is conducted annually and surveys doctors in training across Australia. Below is a summary of their key insights.
- Training Experience and Satisfaction
- No training program achieved an "A grade" rating from trainees, with most receiving a "C+" or "pass." This suggests a general dissatisfaction or areas needing improvement in medical training programs.
- Areas needing focus include timely feedback on exams, mental health support, and better communication between trainees and colleges.
- Rural Training Pathways
- Only 44% of specialist trainees are interested in future rural practice, though rural exposure greatly increases interest (78% of trainees in rural areas expressed interest in rural work). This emphasises the importance of encouraging rural training to address workforce shortages in these regions.
- Flexible Working Arrangements
- 30% of trainees could access flexible work arrangements, but 21% could not or chose not to due to various reasons, such as not being offered arrangements or feeling uncomfortable asking. Improving access to flexibility is vital for trainee retention.
- Mental Health Support
- Only 47% of trainees felt their college provided access to mental health support. This highlights a need for better mental health services to support trainee well-being.
Comparisons Between Medical Colleges and over time (2019-2023):
The AMA’s STHC provides an interactive tool with graphs that highlight longitudinal trainee experiences reported since the Medical Training Survey began in 2019. The tool can be used to compare trainee experiences over time and by medical specialty/college. Some key comparisons include:
- More RACGP trainees know who to contact at the College about their training program (up to 80% in 2023, from 57% in 2019)
- Although it has fluctuated over the 2019-2023 period, most Colleges are providing their trainees better access to mental health support services in 2023 compared to 2019, except for Royal Australasian College of Surgeons trainees.
- More trainees from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) feel they received useful feedback about their exam performance (up to 61% in 2023 from 34% in 2019)
- Compared to 2019, more trainees from RANZCOG and RACP felt they were receiving timely feedback.
- Access to protected study time/leave has remained steady for most colleges over the 2019-2023 period, however the rate varied between colleges. Over 80% of trainees from the RANZCR, RANZCP, ANZCA, and ACEM felt they had access to protected study time/leave, but only 60% of trainees from RACP agreed.
- Decreasing numbers of College of Intensive Care Medicine trainees agree their College clearly communicates changes to their training program (down to 66% in 2023, from 80% in 2019); less agree that their exams always reflected the College training curriculum (down to 55% in 2023 from 72% in 2019), less agree that they received useful feedback about their exam performance (down to 14% in 2023, from 21% in 2019), or that the feedback was timely (down to 17% in 2023 from 25% in 2019).
- While 80% of trainees from RACGP agreed their job responsibilities do not prevent from meeting training requirements, only 47% of RANZCOG trainees agreed.
- 80% of RACGP trainees felt they had a good work/life balance, compared to only 42% of RACS trainees.
- Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists trainees were the least likely to agree that their College provides safe mechanisms for raising training/wellbeing concerns.
- There was reduction in unpaid or unrostered overtime work (down 11%), which was a notable area of improvement in 2023.
Recommendations for Employers and Staff:
- Addressing Flexibility and Support: Expand flexible working options and ensure clear communication regarding their availability.
- Promoting Rural Practice: Increase rural training opportunities and incentivise rural rotations.
- Enhancing Mental Health Services: Prioritise access to mental health support for trainees
- Exam feedback and training program quality: Make feedback mechanisms more useful and timely, improve the quality of medical training where possible.
- Long-Term Career Support: Provide career counselling and resources to help trainees feel more confident about their employment prospects post-training.
These areas of focus could improve trainee satisfaction and help retain medical professionals in the long term.
