Sexual harassment in the workplace is a new subject covered in this year’s Medical Training Survey (MTS), which is now open.
The survey, now in its sixth year, is used to gain invaluable longitudinal data that can improve medical training.
More than half of Australia’s doctors in training, including ophthalmology trainees under RANZCO, do the MTS each year, making it the most comprehensive national data source about medical training.
Each year, the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) reviews MTS questions, balancing the value of a consistent longitudinal dataset with updates to questions that ensure the MTS tracks current and emerging issues in medical training.
In 2024, a new question separates out sexual harassment from other forms of harassment – which the MBA said would meet stakeholder requests for more detail to help health services, educators and training providers address and eliminate this behaviour from medical workplaces.
Past MTS results exposing fault lines in the culture of medicine are now being used across the health sector to drive improvements in medical training.
MBA acting chair Dr Susan O’Dwyer urged doctors in training to do the MTS.
“Australia’s doctors in training are among the best in the world – it’s worth your time to do the MTS to keep it that way,” she said.
All doctors in training in Australia can do the MTS. This includes interns, hospital medical officers, resident medical officers, non-accredited trainees, postgraduate trainees, principal house officers, registrars, specialist trainees and international medical graduates (with provisional or limited registration). Career medical officers who intend to undertake further postgraduate training in medicine can also participate.
There are five versions of the survey, tailored to different groups of trainees: interns, prevocational and unaccredited trainees, international medical graduates (with provisional or limited registration), specialist GP trainees and specialist non-GP trainees.
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