Junior doctor training: has the pendulum swung too far?

Abstract

The current Australian Medical Association doctors in training enterprise agreement dictates that hours beyond 38 or 43 ordinary hours per week incur overtime. Costly overtime has led to strict adherence to ordinary hours with dramatically reduced rostered and unrostered overtime. The stringent regulation over ordinary hours may protect doctors at a cost to training and potentially patient safety. Reduced shift duration adds to the number of clinical handovers, while reduced exposure to patients and training opportunities may prolong training time. Now is the time for renegotiation of working hours, which are most favourable for doctor training and well-being.