Time to establish comprehensive long-term monitoring of Australian medical graduates?

Abstract

We believe that the well being of our medical students (and medical staff throughout the continuum of practice) matters too much not to ask, 'How do they feel?' Society, and students themselves, have invested too much in their education not to query 'How well are they performing in the workplace?'. Our accountability to the community demands we ask, 'How are their patients going?' This article presents a schema for building long-term monitoring in Australia, using linked and reliable data, that will enable these questions to be answered. Although the answers will be of interest to many, medical schools will then be well placed to alter their programs and processes based on these three domains of graduate well being, workplace performance and patient outcomes.