equipment that can be used . |
Is exploitation on the verge of extinction ? |
The courts are also awarding massively inflated compensation supported by so-called specialist advisers , who in many cases are offering immature emotional opinions rather than fact . And they often |
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Junior doctors win $ 230 million settlement after wage-theft class action
Overtime was seen as training back in the day .
Of course , junior doctoring was paper-monkey stuff along with replacing cannulas .
We stayed back for hours to write the discharge summaries , finish notes , do patient reviews and check pathology and radiology for the following day .
But none of it was overtime , apparently .
Then there was the ward call for a whole hospital , along with recharting meds and being first to arrive at a medical emergency team call . Great training it was not . Nowadays , as a doctor working in rural and remote areas , I am seeing a new paradigm for those juniors who come out and work .
Yes , the paper-monkey stuff still exists , but we also ask them to participate in medicine .
They are no longer first on call or on their own overnight , thank goodness .
They contribute because — and this is the other important thing we need to remember — they are recently trained and have heads stuffed full of knowledge .
The juniors are worth paying , and we need to recognise they are holding up the public system .
Dr Janet Roberts GP , South West Rocks , NSW
In 1973 , as a resident anaesthetist at Guy ’ s Hospital in London , we were awarded overtime after 72 hours on call . The rate was 25 %.
Dr Timothy Watford GP , Bairnsdale , Vic
I think this attitude of exploiting junior doctors may still exist among a very small number of surgery dinosaurs .
In my experience , most of the bullying today towards junior staff arises from hospital administrators and nurses .
The good news is that now a lot of doctors are happy to call it out rather than allowing it to continue .
These are great changes all round .
Dr Amira Mahboub Physician , Melbourne , Vic
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I was a state AMA rep for junior doctors in the early 1990s .
Most of the mental energy in that job was expended on the unrostered overtime that was demanded .
Three decades later , we are hearing the exact same experience .
Unfortunately , it seems state public health authorities will never permanently change the culture of
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exploiting junior staff .
Key to the success of this case was the support from senior staff , which is all too often lacking in these situations .
Dr David de la Hunty Ophthalmologist , Perth , WA
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Pushing back on the new world order Qld pharmacists have started independently diagnosing and prescribing for 17 conditions
“ We , the willing , led by the unknowing , are doing the impossible for the ungrateful .
“ We have done so much , for so long , with so little , we are now qualified to do anything with nothing .” That is a quote from Mother Teresa , but it relates to GPs and their current predicaments .
There are a number of reasons why pharmacy prescribing has become a reality even though patients will suffer as a result .
Superior advocacy from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia is one element , and feeble political advocacy from the AMA , RACGP and ACRRM is another .
Then throw in politicians looking for a cheap and politically popular fix . But the real underlying driver is general practice letting patients down with wait times for what these patient voters perceive as their urgent needs . The options for the profession include complaining bitterly and uselessly in private forums such as this .
History suggests we GPs will do just this and ultimately accept the new world order ; we never push back .
Or we can understand that the political will for this misadventure can be stymied if it becomes publicly embarrassing for the minister .
I come from a generation where dobbing was not the done thing , so it hurts me to suggest making alerts to AHPRA and perhaps encouraging
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patients to litigate their misdiagnoses when they arise .
It is important that the minister does not remain blissfully unaware of the harm being caused and that pharmacists understand why my procedural GP insurance costs around $ 5000 a year .
Dr James Freeman GP , Hobart , Tas
I think pharmacy expansion has become a disgrace .
My medical degree took five years full time , two years of internship and another three years of full-time GP training .
Had I known then that one day a pharmacist could act like a doctor with four years of pharmacy training , maybe I would not have made all those sacrifices across 10 years to become a GP .
Dr Bianca Farrugia Parsons GP , Newcastle , NSW
Stable income trumps MBS messiness Too good to be true ?
Practices offering GPs up to 90 % of billings
I have been looking for a new GP for the past few months : my practice is busy , and we are turning away new patients .
However , as a small practice , guaranteeing a minimum income of $ 150- $ 180 an hour for the first three months puts a huge burden on practice finances .
I would have to salary sacrifice to cover this with no guarantee that the new doctor would be a success .
Alternatively , do I just keep working until I retire and shut up shop one day with no succession plan ?
I started as a small practice owner and built up .
It took 18 months to feel I had made the right decision .
But young doctors do not seem to want to take a financial risk ,
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preferring to work in larger corporate practices where their income is guaranteed .
General practice is changing ; I am not sure for the better .
Dr Philippa Whiteson GP , Sydney , NSW
It is all getting a bit messy .
Maybe it is time for government employment of GPs within government clinics with all the benefits — just like hospital doctors .
At $ 200 an hour , it would probably work out cheaper and much easier than the current MBS fee-forservice fiasco , with its impenetrable and innumerable rules , criteria and interpretations .
Dr Adam Maclagan GP , Adelaide , SA
I worked in Aboriginal health with a non-government organisation and got paid a daily rate , sick pay , carer ’ s leave , paid annual leave and superannuation . I even got paid when my day fell on a public holiday .
To top it off , I had a salary sacrifice credit card with pre-tax $ 15,000 per annum that I could spend on anything I liked because the service was considered a benevolent institution . I would very happily go back to that model if the government offered it for general practice .
Dr Jean Foster GP , Perth , WA
Irrational claims come at a cost Fresh fears over medical indemnity as some specialties see 20 % premium hikes
Part of the problem are the irrational negligence claims being made for non-ideal outcomes when a doctor is trying to manage complex illnesses , degenerative processes and injuries , particularly when there are monetary limitations on the procedures and
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fail to evaluate the whole process in doing so .
Maternal death rates used to be horrible . This has been drastically reduced over time , but some mothers must be turning on their medical helpers given the way premiums in this area are now under stress .
If individual awards are passed on to specialists by indemnity insurers , then the costs ultimately have to be paid by their patients .
The courts have the power to degrade and dramatically restrict the supply of medical services .
Dr David Grosser Surgeon , Gold Coast , Qld
I encourage every young relative not to go into medicine .
Dr Nicole Fairweather Anaesthetist , Brisbane , Qld
I do not think it is quite that grim as to discourage the kids from doing medicine .
Public work is indemnified , and premiums are nominal .
For private work , we just need to charge a gap .
Okay , for the high-risk subspecialties , the gaps will be eye-watering , but that is not my problem .
It is for the government and the wider community to address .
Dr Julian Marshall Anaesthetist , Sydney , NSW
Calling out a relationship breakdown A radiologist ringing this late made my stomach sink — I thought of sneaking out of the door
Thank goodness some radiologists still make telephone contact with their referring GPs .
I am aware of a diagnostic imaging practice in which the principal chastised other radiologists for spending time on the phone with colleagues , claiming the report should speak for itself .
During my years in active clinical pathology practice , I was frequently on the telephone to them .
Some cases were dramatic ; many were less so , but the subtleties of the findings deserved a personal conversation .
My impression is that the amount of personal contact between GPs and their pathologists has fallen off dramatically with the progressive corporatisation of this important branch of medicine . Associate Professor Stephen
Flecknoe-Brown Haematologist , Port Macquarie , NSW
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