Medical

Ministerial Review of Victorian Public Health Medical Staff - Report of the Review Panel (2007) (PDF File - 905.9 kb)

Initial response to the Ministerial Review of Victorian Public Health Medical Staff (2008) (PDF File - 63.7 kb)

This report has been developed to augment the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's national Medical Labour Force reports by providing more detailed and specific information about the medical workforce in Victoria. This report incorporates data from surveys from 2000 to 2006 to enable analysis of change over time.

The Victorian Medical Workforce 2000 - 2006 (PDF File - 2.1 mb)

The 2010 Strengthening Medical Specialist Training program has been developed to increase medical specialist training positions in Victorian public hospitals. 

The program aims to:

The program aims to provide flexible funding options to support growth in specialist training positions in specialties where there are identified shortages. It provides for incremental growth in training capacity in the public health system in preparation for the increased number of medical trainees seeking specialist training positions in 2013/4 onwards.

Download instruction (PDF File - 157.2 kb)

2010 Strengthening Medical Specialist Training program information sheet (PDF File - 73.2 kb)

For program enquires please contact Cameron Rowe at: cameron.rowe@dhs.vic.gov.au or (03) 90967848 or Melanie Heyward at melanie.heyward@dhs.vic.gov.au or (03) 90967315.

For Access Database enquires please contact Kirstie McKenzie at: kirstie.mckenzie@dhs.vic.gov.au or (03) 90968205.

In 2006, the Commonwealth government announced an additional 220 undergraduate medical places for Victoria.

The Commonwealth government also, in 2007, removed the 25 per cent cap on the number of domestic undergraduate full fee paying students that can enter medical studies.

As a result of these changes, the number of medical intern positions required by domestic graduates of Victorian medical schools is predicted to jump from 348 in 2008 to as many as 690 in 2012. Demand for postgraduate year two (PGY2) and specialist training places will also increase in the future.

In response, the 2008–09 State Budget includes funding of $55.15 million over four years to support the increased numbers of students. This includes additional capital investment in teaching infrastructure ($20.02 million over two years) as well as further early graduate places to train up to 211 additional doctors per year by 2012 to meet future workforce challenges ($35.13 million over four years).

The growth in training positions will be staged over four years to build system capacity and ensure that service viability and the quality of clinical education are maintained. As the first stage of this growth, in 2009 there will be a total of 45 new funded medical intern positions and 16 PGY2 positions available for distribution.

Further information on this matter can be found in the document, Planning for growth in the Victorian medical workforce - June 2008 (PDF file 127KB)

Expressions of interest for projects to expand organisational capacity

The Department of Human Services has funds available to assist Victorian health services to expand organisational capacity in preparation for the increased numbers of medical graduates that will be seeking internships and PGY2 positions from 2012.

Developing Organisational Capacity (DOC) funds are non-recurrent program funds that will be available to support projects to run between January 2009 and June 2012. The overall aim of DOC funds is to expand the capacity within health services to address the needs of increased numbers of medical graduates by:

• Establishing more prevocational clinical placements within hospitals and in expanded settings, and/or
• Improving the quality of education, training and supervision offered in respect of early medical graduates – in particular, medical interns and PGY2 doctors.

Further information can be found in the call for expressions of interest, which is available for download below.

Call for expressions of interest - DOC funds (MS Word File - 128.5 kb)

Service providers may contact Dean Raven on (03) 9096 7092 or by email at dean.raven@dhs.vic.gov.au to clarify matters relating to the expressions of interest process or to clarify aspects of project specifications. Expressions of interest for the first round of funding must be received by the Department of Human Services no later than Friday 12 December 2008.

Victorian Prevocational Medical Workforce Forum – 5 December 2008

The Department of Human Services will hold a forum on 5 December 2008 to discuss and decide on plans and priorities for Victoria’s prevocational medical workforce.

Invitation to Victorian Prevocational Medical Workforce Forum (PDF File - 71.8 kb)

The forum will assist in identifying what is desirable, what is achievable and how we can best design tomorrow’s system to meet tomorrow’s needs.

In March 2007, the Victorian Government launched the Health careers for a healthy future campaign. As part of this campaign the Department of Human Services has developed the Recruitment of international health care professionals to Victoria – strategic directions 2007-10 package.

The package includes information about:

• incentive packages for international medical graduates (IMGs) and allied health professionals (AHPs)
  
  
• scholarships to support international nurse graduates to meet Victorian registration requirements
  
  
• a research project looking at the barriers to recruitment of IMGs to Victoria
• the opportunity for hospitals to advertise medical vacancies in the British Medical Journal at no cost
  
  
• Region of Choice initiative for AHPs
  
  
• retention of specialist recruitment firm to screen unsolicited curriculum vitae from IMGs and assist with recruitment of senior specialist staff for hospitals
  
  
• Cultural Diversity Education Program for overseas trained nurses.

Further information for international health care professionals:

Instructions for completing forms

If you have Adobe Acrobat Reader 7 [or higher], you can download the interactive version of the International Medical Graduate Recruitment - Incentive Package Application and Acquittal Forms directly above, save it to your computer, fill it in and email it to: despina.papastamopoulos@dhs.vic.gov.au

Note: Acrobat Reader versions 6 or below will allow you to save the response form and fill it in on screen but you will need to print and fax or mail in your response to the address above.

In February 2001, the Commonwealth Government committed $117.6 million over 4 years to establish Rural Clinical Schools (RCS) attached to university medical faculties. In Victoria, the venture is supported by the Victorian Government, with a contribution of $4.5 million over 3 years to each of the University of Melbourne and Monash University for teaching infrastructure and student accommodation.

University of Melbourne School of Rural Health sites are located at Shepparton, Ballarat and Wangaratta. Monash University School of Rural Health sites are located at Traralgon, Bairnsdale, Sale, Warragul, Bendigo and Mildura.

Although the focus is on medical training, the Rural Clinical Schools will create a network of quality to support all health professions in rural Victoria.

> Get the latest version of Acrobat Reader

The objective of the Procedural GPs Initiative is to increase the number of procedural GPs by providing more opportunities for GPs to acquire and maintain the relevant skills.

Procedural posts are supernumerary advanced procedural skill posts with Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) Advanced Rural Skills Post (ARSP) accreditation.  Funding is available for posts in anaesthetics, surgery, obstetrics and emergency medicine and can be applied for through the GP Regional Training Providers (RTPs).  Contact details for the RTPs is included in the application kit.

Advanced GP Procedural Training Posts in Rural Victoria - Guidelines for 2007 (2006) (PDF File - 103.2 kb)

The Extended Skills for GPs program was launched in 2004 as an initiative to support the acquisition of specialised skills for general practitioners in Victoria. The Extended Skills for GPs program aims to provide a skilled GP workforce that is competent to deliver medical services relevant to the State’s health priorities. The program seeks to increase the retention and recruitment of GPs in areas of workforce shortage.

Funding is available for posts in a wide range of areas and can be applied for through the GP Regional Training Providers (RTPs).  Contact details for the RTPs is included in the application kit

Extended Skills for GPs - Guidelines for 2007 (2006) (PDF File - 121.0 kb)

The Council of Australian Governments agreed on 10 February 2006 to a national assessment process for international medical graduates (IMGs) to ensure appropriate standards in qualifications and training as well as an increase in the efficiency of the assessment process.

A national implementation committee has been overseeing the development of the process. A report is provided below.

Victorian report - National assessment process for IMGs - 30 June 2009 (PDF File - 49.8 kb)

Further information on the national assessment process can be found on the websites of the Australian Medical Council and the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria.

Support for the national assessment process

In the 2007?08 State Budget, the Victorian government allocated $7.82 million over four years to implement the national assessment process for international medical graduates. This includes $1.75 million in 2008-09, rising to $2.06 million in 2009-10.

Funds have been used to:

• Establish the national assessment process in Victoria
• Employ more medical clinical educators (MCEs) in health services
• Run a number of projects within health services to improve the assessment, orientation, upskilling and support of international medical graduates
• Develop statewide processes and resources through the Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria to implement the national assessment process and support international medical graduates and their employers
• Run cross cultural communication workshops for international medical graduates.

'A World of Expertise' - Wednesday 5 August 2009

The Department of Human Services is hosting a showcase of support programs for international medical graduates. 

'A World of Expertise' will feature presentations on some of the innovative and exciting projects happening around Victoria to support international medical graduates. The showcase is an opportunity for doctors, educators, health service managers and others to hear about a wide variety of recruitment, assessment, upskilling and support programs that may be adapted for use in other organisations.

You can download the invitation and program below. Please register online by 15 July 2009 at www.health.vic.gov.au/workforce/showcase.

Invitation - A World of Expertise - 23 June 2009 (PDF File - 68.4 kb)

Program - A World of Expertise - 30 June 2009 (PDF File - 77.8 kb)

Further information for international medical graduates

Information for IMGs about immigration and visa requirements, medical registration, the Victorian health system, living in Victoria and finding a job can be found at IMGs in Victoria

Rural Workforce Agency Victoria (RWAV) was established in 1998 to overcome the shortage of rural doctors and improve access to medical services for rural Victorians.  Initiatives include:

• Continuing Professional Development for GPs Subsidy Program

The Department provides over $200,000 per annum to subsidise rural GPs' access to procedural, non-procedural and other health related training. The capped subsidies address direct training costs as well as travel, accommodation and child-care.

• Rural Medical Family Network (RMFN)

The RMFN aims to attract, recruit and retain general practitioners to rural general practice through the promotion of rural lifestyles and through the provision of support, mentoring and networking opportunities for doctor's families. Funding provided by the Department assists in the development of information brochures for families who are relocating and spouse programs at major event and "meet and greet" programs.

• Overseas Trained Doctor Rural Recruitment Scheme

Operated by RWAV on behalf of the Victorian Government the Victorian Overseas Trained Doctor Rural Recruitment Scheme is a program to attract, assess, place and support overseas trained general practitioners in rural and regional Victoria.
Enquiries can be directed to the Rural Workforce Agency Victoria on Ph +61 3 9349 7800.

This program is designed to provide junior doctors with a 10-13 week placement in a rural general/community practice. Further information can be found on the Commonwealth Department of Health website

The DoctorConnect website is an Australian Government initiative. This website has been developed by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing for doctors trained outside of Australia and Australian medical employers.

For more information, please contact workforce@dhs.vic.gov.au