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Prevocational training in Australia has long needed reform. Internship in postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) was variably accredited by state and territory medical registration boards and then prevocational medical councils (PMCs), which were established in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2013, the Australian Medical Council (AMC) introduced a national framework for medical internship on behalf of the Medical Board of Australia (MBA). This was enabled by a new national registration scheme. Many, but not all, PMCs have also accredited postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) posts. The AMC began accrediting PMCs almost three decades after medical schools and after a decade of college accreditation.

The structure of Australian internship, with mandatory terms in medicine, surgery and emergency medical care, has not changed in decades, despite significant changes in medical practice and health care needs. Interns have increasingly been performing more administrative tasks to maintain hospital throughput with fewer opportunities to use or develop their clinical skills. PGY2 rosters have generally been designed to meet hospital workforce requirements rather than the needs of prevocational doctors. The United Kingdom and New Zealand have introduced significant reforms focusing on educational value and generalist experience.

This MJA Perspective shares more.

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Authors: Brendan Crotty, Nicholas J Glasgow, Jo Burnand, Georga Cooke, Katrina Anderson, Kirsty White, Sarah Vaughan, Madeleine Novak and Andrew H Singer

Article Type: Perspective