Projects & reports

Review of Internship in SA — a network approach

Internship has changed dramatically in recent years. In the past, doctors completing internship often entered independent practice without further training. This meant the internship was vital in providing practical training to enable a doctor to practice independently in the community. Today, interns almost always commit to several further years of vocational training and the intern year emphasis has moved to being primarily a critical first year of practical experience and learning in the medical workforce.

It is necessary that the South Australian Internship is reviewed to optimally address contemporary issues. The most critical of these are:

  1. the need to align internship to its modern role in providing a base for entry to vocational training
  2. increasing nationalisation of the internship through a national medical board, a national curriculum framework and a range of national collaborative approaches to intern allocation, education and assessment
  3. increases in medical graduates nationally from 1587 doctors graduating in 2005 to an estimated 3430 graduates in 2012.

These changes have created uncertainty and anxiety. Undergraduate students and especially international students in Australian medical schools are concerned that they may not gain an internship placement and, if they do, that they may not receive a placement that allows them to enter the vocational training of their choosing. Health Services are under pressure to provide sufficient internship placements and a mix of rotations which allow interns to complete their compulsory term requirements as well as receiving a balanced education.

Review of Internship in SA - a network approach (pdf)

 

 

2012 Revision of the Australian Curriculum Framework for Junior Doctors (AFCJD)

Various medical education interest groups were asked to provide feedback on the revised AFCJD. SA IMET summarised the feedback and provided this to CPMEC for consideration.

SA IMET would like to take the opportunity to thank the various interest groups for their feedback and continued support to medical education.