Australia
Medical Training Survey Results Released
Results of the 2022 Medical Training Survey (MTS) are broadly consistent with previous years, with some small but statistically significant variations in year-on-year results, including an increase in trainee workload, a dip in the quality of teaching, a drop in the number of trainees who would recommend their current training position or organization and an increase in the number of trainees considering a future outside of medicine.
Run by the Medical Board of Australia, the MTS is a longitudinal survey that tracks feedback about the quality of medical training run in Australia. Stringent privacy controls make it safe and confidential for trainees to take part.
With a 56% response rate in 2022, the survey generated a robust evidence base to inform ongoing improvements in training. Trends are visible early, enabling close monitoring or swift action by agencies best placed to respond and effect positive change.
“The MTS has given us all an important opportunity to listen to and act on the feedback from these trainees, as we move towards providing culturally safe and appropriate medical training and more broadly, culturally safe medical care,” said Medical Board of Australia Chair, Dr. Anne Tonkin.
Dr. Tonkin said while there was still a lot going well in medical training, results show some important issues that require attention and some early trends to monitor closely.
Further information is available at https://medicaltrainingsurvey.gov.au/
Source: Ahpra News Release, February 1, 2023
Canada
Pan-Canadian Licensure Survey Summary Report Released
Physicians and medical learners across Canada overwhelmingly support the implementation of pan-Canadian licensure to reduce barriers to physician mobility and improve access to patient care. In response to a recent Canada-wide poll conducted by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), 95% of respondents indicated that they are very supportive (87%) or somewhat supportive (8%) of pan-Canadian licensure.
“Canadian patients and health care providers are struggling with the greatest health human resources crisis our country has ever seen,” says Dr. Alika Lafontaine, CMA president. “Solutions to solve this crisis must ensure patients receive timely care and providers can work in environments where they are supported to thrive. Physicians recognize that pan-Canadian licensure is one tool to help address regional inequalities in care delivery while supporting cross-border virtual care and enabling physicians to support their colleagues across jurisdictions.”
The summary report is available at https://www.cma.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/Media-Releases/PCL_Survey_Summary_Report_2023_EN.pdf
Source: Canadian Medical Association News Release, January 30, 2023
FAIMER
Interim President Announced
Intealth has selected Lieutenant General Ronald R. Blanck, DO, MACP (retired US Army), as Interim President of FAIMER, a member of Intealth. Dr. Blanck assumed leadership of FAIMER in late 2022.
As Interim President of FAIMER, Dr. Blanck is responsible for developing and guiding the overall strategic direction of FAIMER, which was formed in 2000 as a nonprofit foundation of ECFMG®. FAIMER supports the education of physicians and other health care professionals worldwide, conducts data analyses and research to inform policies and program development, and develops resources on the health care workforce used by global communities. In late 2021, ECFMG and FAIMER created Intealth, an overarching identity reflecting their integrated approach to operations and the enhanced potential this integration offers to support the health professions worldwide.
Dr. Blanck is a partner and Board Chair of Martin, Blanck & Associates, a health care consulting company for the private sector and the government. He retired in June 2006 as President of the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, where he headed an academic health center that includes the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, and School of Health Professions.
Source: ECFMG News Release, January 25, 2023
