70 junior doctors to start on-the-job training across the Central Coast

The Central Coast community will benefit from a major boost to its local medical workforce – with 70 medical graduate interns starting work in local public hospitals this month – the Minister for Health Ryan Park announced last Thursday.

31 January 2024

 

MINISTER for the Central Coast, David Harris said “I welcome the 70 new junior doctors who will play an important role across the Central Coast in keeping our communities safe.

 

“It has been tough for our health workers who have been left under resourced and the NSW Government plan to rebuild the health workforce.”

 

Interns are medical graduates who have completed their medical degree and are required to complete a supervised year of practice in order to become independent practitioners.

 

The interns will work with and learn from NSW Health’s experienced and highly skilled medical staff in one of the world’s best health systems.

 

The new doctors starting their internship will be entering a training program with networked hospitals throughout the state, providing formal and on-the-job training.

 

They receive two-year contracts to rotate between metropolitan, regional and rural hospitals to ensure the diversity of their experience.

 

They also rotate across different specialties during the intern year, including surgery, medicine and emergency medicine.

 

Member for Swansea, Yasmin Catley said that these 70 junior doctors are a shot in the arm for the Central Coast. “They’ll learn from the best and they’ll lift the standard of care for locals. I’m proud to be part of a Government that’s developing our next generation of doctors.

 

“It’s a huge step towards rebuilding our healthcare workforce. We’re backing these doctors to learn and we’re backing our health workers with better pay.”

 

The NSW Government is undertaking an ambitious plan to rebuild the state’s health workforce, including through:

 

• Implementing safe staffing levels of nurses and midwives beginning in our emergency departments;

 

• saving 1,112 temporary nurses by making them permanent;

 

• abolishing the wages cap and delivering record pay increases for nurses, paramedics and other health workers as well as salary packaging;

 

• beginning to roll out 500 additional paramedics in regional, rural and remote communities; and

 

• doubling the health worker study subsidies.

 

David Mehan, Member for the Entrance. said that the past couple of years have been a challenge for our health workers who have been left under resourced by the Liberals and Nationals.

 

“We are investing and boosting our health workforce to improve health outcomes, it’s as simple as that.,” he said.

 

Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch commented that over the past twelve years. health workers have been left under-resourced and underpaid.

 

“We have committed to investing in our health care system again, ensuring that the teams that are there for us in our most vulnerable moments are looked after, Ms Tesch said.

 

“The simple fact is that when we have a well-resourced healthcare system, we see improved health outcomes across our community. Ensuring that our hospitals have adequate staff to do what they do best is the absolute bedrock of ensuring these outcomes.

 

“Thank you to our local health workforce across the Central Coast and NSW for your work each and every day to protect our community. I wish our 70 new Central Coast medical graduates all the very best. Thank you for choosing our beautiful Central Coast!"