Work-readiness and workforce numbers: the challenges

We need clinicians prepared for work in a system of integrated, person-centred, affordable health care

Over the past 15 years or so, Australia has embarked upon what some might describe as a “courageous” solution for guaranteeing our medical workforce. Following a perceived shortage of doctors at the beginning of the 2000s, the number of accredited medical schools has grown from 10 to 20,1 with another currently undergoing accreditation; the number of medical graduates has almost tripled from 1316 in 2001 to 3547 in 2015.2 Increasingly large numbers of doctors have also been recruited from overseas to overcome shortfalls: 2820 temporary visas were granted during 2014–15 alone.3 The per capita production of local medical graduates4 and growth in the stock of foreign-trained doctors5 are among the highest in the world.