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Current proposals for significant primary health care reform in Australia create a timely opportunity to reflect on the education and training requirements of future general practitioners. Australian general practice will become increasingly team-based, with growing emphasis on coordinated care, chronic disease management, and disease prevention and self-management, while maintaining its focus on delivering high-quality, patient-centred care. This will require cost-effective application of new technologies and information management systems within new models of delivering health care. Future models of general practice training must respond to these new ways of working to ensure general practice remains an attractive career choice and training programs graduate doctors who are equipped to meet the health needs of Australians. This article discusses potential development of new general practice vocational training models in Australia. This includes hospital rotations that are more directly integrated with general practice placements and have greater emphasis on the needs of the future general practice workforce; and an extension of the training program to 4 years with a final year tailored to future career plans including development of expertise in practice management, specific clinical disciplines or academic skills.

This article reviews the history of general practice vocational training in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, identifies current initiatives and recommends future approaches based on recent evidence. General practice vocational training in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health requires ongoing support and investment from governments and training and general practice organisations if the gains made to date are to be consolidated and health outcomes are to improve. In particular, investment in sustained and respectful partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations will continue to provide the groundwork for effective training of general practitioners in this critical health area, and will also play an important role in capacity-building in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

How has general practice vocational training progressed towards the original goals established by the federal government and General Practice Education and Training 10 years ago?

This article explores various models and ideas for future sustainable general practice vocational training supervision in Australia. The general practitioner supervisor in the clinical practice setting is currently central to training the future general practice workforce. Finding ways to recruit, retain and motivate both new and experienced GP teachers is discussed, as is the creation of career paths for such teachers. Some of the newer methods of practice-based teaching are considered for further development, including vertically integrated teaching, e-learning, wave consulting and teaching on the run, teaching teams and remote teaching. Approaches to supporting and resourcing teaching and the required infrastructure are also considered. Further research into sustaining the practice-based general practice supervision model will be required.

Background: The educative role of experiential workplace placements has been discussed in the context of many health professions. Quality assurance and enhancement strategies rely on evaluations that provide valid and reliable data, so that informed decisions can be made about improving learning for students. No research could be located in the literature to determine the gap between stakeholders' perceptions of the importance of indicators and their perceptions of whether these practices occur in experiential placements. Aim: To develop indicators that can be used to describe a quality clinical placement; and to determine stakeholder perspectives on the occurrence of the indicators in Australian pharmacy student workplace placements. Method: A questionnaire was developed and administered to students, academics and placement preceptors. Results: The indicators for placement quality were perceived to be important. However, perceptions of the degree to which these indicators actually occurred on placement varied between the three stakeholder groups. Conclusion: Stakeholder groups are either not aware or do not necessarily understand the contribution of the other stakeholders to the placement process. This highlights the need for collaboration and recognition of the roles of all participants in quality placements.

[No abstract available]

The medical resident's portfolio is a collection of materials that show reflective learning in the context of clinical practice. A portfolio contains documents (such as case histories and questionnaires the resident has used), images, and video recordings that reveal that an individual has acquired the competencies needed for professional practice. A portfolio is an assessment tool that simultaneously supports learning and gives evidence for certifying competence. It encourages independent continuing professional development that is incremental and centered on answering questions about what one has learned, how it might be applied, what still needs to be learned, and what must be done to reach one's goal. Answering such questions provides evidence of competencies that have been acquired and what is still lacking, allowing the trainee to develop a plan for personal improvement and evaluate subsequent achievements. The first step in creating a portfolio is to list required skills and abilities, along with the actions that will allow the resident to acquire them during each year of residency training. The ultimate goal is to define the resident's professional competence. We describe a model on which to base a training and assessment portfolio for residents in dermatology. © 2010 Elsevier España, S.L. y AEDV. Todos los derechos reservados.

Objective: The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission Report suggests introducing an internship period for all newly qualified dental/oral health practitioners in Australia. This study gauged the opinions of undergraduates from three dental schools in Australia.Methods: An online survey collected demographic information on gender and age, the program registered for, year and place of study. The level of support for an internship was gauged using a five-point scale. Open-ended questions on the concerns, advantages and disadvantages of an internship concluded the survey. All students in the participating universities were invited to participate via email.Results: There were 445 responses. Forty per cent of students were supportive of an internship scheme. The level of support differed by gender, age, relationship status, having a previous tertiary qualification and year of study. Males, older participants, those with children and those with previous qualifications were less supportive. The main concerns related to issues around choice, family commitments, location of internship placements and salary levels.Conclusion: Support for an internship scheme for dental graduates elicited a divided opinion amongst dental students. Many issues around financing and logistics have to be addressed before any such scheme could be implemented in Australia: there is a need to consult with dental graduates and promote the benefits to the student body. © Health Education Journal 2010.

Background: We sought to assess views of young physicians, performing vocational trainings in hospitals, regarding primary care. Methods: Semi quantitative questionnaires sent to 535 assistant physicians (hospitals in cantons Zurich and Berne). Results: 318 (62.4%) questionnaires were returned. 143 (45.0%) of the assistant physicians considered becoming a general practitioner (GP). There from, 58 (40.3%) decided in their undergraduate phase, 56 (38.9%) decided postgraduate. They felt generally supported by supervisors.A lack of specific learning objectives and hospital GP-traineeships were revealed. Conclusions: Our study shows that the decision for a career in primary care is made in equal parts undergraduate and postgraduate. These future and potential GPs should be attracted by an appropriate GP curriculum during their vocational training. © 2011 by Verlag Hans Huber, Hogrefe AG.

This paper explores the nature and development of competence in speech-language pathology and is informed by the development and validation of a competency-based assessment tool to assess Australian speech-language pathology students' professional performance in the workplace (COMPASS®). Background is provided on speech-language pathology competency frameworks in Australia and a systematic program of research to validate this assessment tool. Findings relevant to understanding the nature and development of speech-language pathology competency are described. The domains of competence considered important for practice were found to extend beyond specific processes of professional practice to include generic competencies of Reasoning, Communication, Lifelong Learning, and Professionalism. The achievement of competency was identified as developmental, and clinical educators were found to validly and reliably identify seven levels of competency development. Competency may transfer across the scope of practice, and marginal students' performances were characterized by a high degree of variability. These findings are discussed in relation to the profession's understanding of competency and speech-language pathology education, professional development, and further research. © 2011 The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited.