Friday, September 7, 2012

Medical internships in Australia are in short supply


Medical students languish in a critical condition

"The Australian Medical Students' Association estimates almost 500 students will miss out on an internship next year because of insufficient places. Under the internship system students must work for a year under supervision in a hospital before they can work as doctors.

"Recent changes to the application process have further complicated the situation in Victoria. International students will now have priority for internships over Victorian students who have studied interstate but want to return for hospital placements.
 ...
"Australian Medical Association president Steve Hambleton points to the curious situation where the nation has a shortage of doctors, yet there are too few internships. A report by Health Workforce Australia has forecast a shortfall of 2701 doctors by 2025.

"The placement system has fallen apart, he says, because the federal government regulates the number of students universities can enrol while its state counterparts oversee the provision of internships. ''Nobody's got the control levers for the pipeline,'' he says.

"A complicating factor has been the ability of universities to enrol an unlimited number of full-fee-paying international medical students without guaranteeing a hospital placement at the end of the course."

2 comments:

  1. That's so sad and typical. A good post though. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is potentially driving an influx of overseas-trained doctors as international students return home or decide not to come here in the first place, Autoclave

    ReplyDelete

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