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February 18, 2019AMA (NSW) and ASMOF (NSW) are welcoming the interns of 2019 to the fold as they start their careers in the state’s hospitals.
“We would like to be among the first to welcome the interns of 2019 to the beginning of their medical careers,” AMA (NSW) President, Dr Kean-Seng Lim, and ASMOF (NSW) President, Dr Tony Sara, said.
“The jump from medical student to intern is a very exciting time in any doctor’s career.
“While the interns of 2019 are now facing new responsibilities, they should remember that this is still a learning process.
“It will be for some years yet and, as such, it should be treated like any learning process – successes and failures both provide lessons.
“The medical training system is very good at preserving patient safety while still providing that room for learning,” Dr Lim said.
“In recent years, a lot has been said about the weaknesses of the training system and doctors and the NSW Government have been working to address these.
“We don’t want to see any more doctors burn out or worse.
“Many of 2019’s interns have already joined the AMA (NSW) / ASMOF (NSW) Alliance and that is an excellent resource for doctors-in-training – especially if they run into trouble at work,” Dr Sara said.
“This year’s interns should be especially proud of progressing to this point given the increasing competition for medical training spots.
“Unfortunately, that is going to continue throughout their careers with bottlenecks remaining for those wanting to get into specialty training programs.
“NSW needs every one of these interns to be able to complete their training and become the GPs and other specialists we need to see to the increasing demand for medical services.
“This demand is increasing at a much faster rate than population growth and hospitals are already overstretched,” Dr Sara said.
“As a GP, of course I recommend specialising in general practice but statistics show we need more doctors to take up training in it as well.
“It is one of a number of specialties in which there is a significant deficit,” Dr Lim said.
Media contact: Lachlan Jones 0419 402 955