News
Record junior doctors take AMA (WA) Hospital Health Check
Tuesday May 7, 2024
More than 1,110 Doctors in Training completed the 2024 AMA (WA) Hospital Health Check (HHC), the record participation underlining the significance of the AMA (WA)’s annual survey in holding hospital Employers to account for the welfare of their doctors. With the higher participation, PathWest results were able to be analysed for the first time.
Results built on some of the improvements evident in the 2023 HHC, though there are still significant deficiencies demonstrated by responses.
Workplace Entitlements & Flexibility scored uniformly poorly across the hospital system, with no Health Service Provider (HSP) scoring above a D (50-59%).
There were marked improvements for some HSPs in most categories, reflecting various initiatives to address concerns with workplace conditions. Several HSPs cooperated to promote the survey and provide time for their staff to complete it, indicating the importance of transparency and the need for Employers to compete for a finite number of employees.
The Doctors in Training Practice Group continues to look for ways to improve the survey, and make it a more complete snapshot of workplace conditions faced by junior doctors. Specific questions were asked of International Medical Graduates for the first time, to provide data on this vital cohort.
AMA (WA) President Dr Michael Page was concerned to see that levels of burnout remain high across much of the health system, with little improvement.
“The global shortage of doctors remains a major contributor to short-staffing, but there are clear differences, year after year, between the local employers; implying that some do much better with their available resource than others,” he said.
“Quite clearly, the consistently poor performers need to implement major changes in their attitudes and approaches to their doctors. The time for head-in-the-sand denialism is well and truly over.”
Similarly, Dr Page noted that bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment remain entrenched problems across the health system, with by far the majority going unreported.
“I would strongly encourage employers to look at new ways to shed light on, and ultimately work to eliminate, these toxic behaviours that contribute greatly to low morale.”
AMA (WA) Doctors in Training Practice Group Co Chair Dr Natalie Ferrington said the HHC results showed us how difficult a career in medicine can be to maintain for doctors from diverse backgrounds.
“Given the State’s shortage of junior doctors, ensuring IMGs feel able to access their employee entitlements is crucial to retaining numbers,” Dr Ferrington said.
“Additionally, doctors who trained in non-English speaking countries are vulnerable to discrimination and social isolation. It was very important that we were able to capture that in this year’s survey.”
Dr Ferrington said that in an industry where small errors could have life-changing impacts for patients, it was difficult to understand why the wellbeing of junior doctors was not being protected overall.
“I certainly would not want to be treated by a doctor who was in the 23rd hour of their shift, or 15th day in a row of work. I wish I could say that these were the exceptions, but you only need to glance at this year’s HHC to see that they are not.”
The findings of Hospital Health Check 2024 are available at https://www.amawa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AMA-WA-2024-HHC-Report.pdf
