Page 673 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 31 March 2021
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Doctors in training in the ACT also highly rated the quality of formal education programs, team or unit-based activities, simulation teaching, online modules and bedside teaching for patient care. The Medical Board results also showed positivity and collegiality among clinical staff, which is critically important to building trust and competence for doctors in training. Doctors in training highly rated the support and availability of other senior medical staff during work hours and after hours.
Despite difficulties highlighted by the physician training review, the number of trainees in the ACT physician training network has grown year on year. As of March 2021, ACT basic physician trainees are undertaking two sets of exams. The 2020 exams which were delayed due to the pandemic will likely be completed by the end of April. All registrars who trained in the ACT network in 2020 have so far been successful in progressing from stage 1 to stage 2 of this exam. In the 2021 cycle of exams the written exam has been completed, with 88 per cent of local physician trainees being successful. This is above the national benchmark of 78 per cent in 2021.
Canberra Health Services accepted all 54 recommendations of the physician training review, and most have now been implemented, with many more partially addressed. A comprehensive plan to address and monitor the recommendations has been developed with stakeholder consultation overseen by the physician training committee. Where recommendations require extra resources, the ACT network director of physician education is undertaking benchmarking with comparably sized hospitals to determine appropriate resource requirements.
More broadly, specialist training programs at CHS are very successful. For example, the pass rates in emergency medicine and general surgery are consistently at or very near to 100 per cent and among the highest in Australia, and 100 per cent of ACT trainees passed various components of exams in the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia in 2020.
The results from radiology training exams in late 2020 were also very positive, with all junior radiology registrars passing. Five out of seven senior radiology registrars passed all or most components, noting that most radiology trainees complete their full examinations in more than one attempt. The first round of exams for 2021 commenced in March.
Significant work is underway across the health service to address bullying, harassment and discrimination. For junior doctors, CHS is addressing workplace concerns by proactively monitoring and assessing workload issues and ensuring that the rostering and leave arrangements are managed appropriately for a training setting. This includes and is not limited to: ensuring that leave is taken and used within appropriate time frames; that JMOs do not do more than three on-call shifts per fortnight; and that there is clarity during orientation on overtime expectations.
In closing, I thank everyone across the ACT public health system for their commitment to developing initiatives and approaches to support positive culture change. In particular, I thank the members of the steering group and oversight group who are driving and overseeing this work, and the professional colleges,
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