The Doctors our Communities Need: Building, Sustaining and Supporting the General Practice workforce in Australia and New Zealand – Position Paper

This Position Paper sets out Medical Deans’ vision for how medical education and training can contribute to building, sustaining and supporting the General Practice workforce in Australia and New Zealand, and how to realise this vision.

The GP shortages across Australia and New Zealand are being widely felt and projected to worsen. Growing this vital medical workforce is key to meet the healthcare needs of our communities. In this paper we recommend reforms to increase the appeal to medical students and junior doctors of a career as a GP specialist, better prepare them for careers in primary care settings, and ensure all medical graduates have a strong understanding and positive experience of the challenges and rewards of General Practice.

Our recommendations consider all stages of the medical education and training continuum, from recruitment into medical school, learning for and about General Practice, learning in General Practice, progressing to practice, and the General Practice profession. We also need to build the research and the evidence base into graduates’ choice of medical vocation, and the primary care environment and context in both countries.