Medical trainees have rated the quality of their medical training highly in the latest Medical Training Survey, but the rate of bullying, discrimination, harassment and racism has remained unchanged.
The annual survey reveals the insights of more than 18,000 trainees, including those training to be ophthalmologists.
The Medical Board of Australia (MBA) initiative is a longitudinal survey that tracks the quality of medical training.
According to the 2025 results, 89% of trainees rated the quality of their clinical supervision very highly, and 86% rated the quality of their teaching and education sessions as good/excellent.
The MBA said there had also been improvements in clinical supervision, orientation, teaching and education, with 83% of trainees recommending their training position and workplace as a place to train.
It said that despite these positive signs, there were still elements of the training experience that had proved resistant to change, as well as emerging new challenges for stakeholders to address.
Trainees continued to experience or witness unacceptable behaviour.
Over time, they had become less likely to nominate senior medical staff as the source, and more likely to nominate patients and their families and carers.
In 2025 both groups were cited by 46% of trainees.
“It seems the deficits in the culture of medicine reported by trainees are firmly anchored to wider community attitudes and behaviours,” MBA chair Dr Susan O’Dwyer said.
The rate of bullying, discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment) and racism was unchanged from the previous survey at an average of 30%.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainees the rate was nearly twice that (56%), with 38% reporting they experienced and/or witnessed racism.
“Work across the profession and the health sector to improve cultural safety and address racism remains urgent and essential,” Dr O’Dwyer said.
The MBA said trainees were using the survey results to shape their choice of training sites and specialties, and health sector stakeholders were using the data to identify hot-spots, address issues and share strengths.
New insights in 2025 include:
- One in 10 trainees and one in six Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainees indicated they were considering a career outside of medicine within the next 12 months.
- There was a slight decrease in the number of trainees reporting a heavy or very heavy workload.
The 2025 MTS results can be found at MedicalTrainingSurvey.gov.au.
