LOCAL MEDICAL INTERNSHIP RECRUITMENT ROUND FOR ANUMS GRADUATES

Following ongoing discussions and negotiation with the NSW Institute of Medical Education and Training (IMET) ACT Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher MLA, has informed local students that recruitment action will be undertaken to enable ANU Medical School graduates to apply directly for internships with ACT Health for 2009.

IMET oversees an annual process of allocation of graduating medical officers to NSW and ACT hospitals. Interns are allocated to hospital networks by IMET ensuring that all graduates receive internships, and that all public hospitals receive a fair allocation of junior medical staff.

"The IMET process has served the ACT extremely well over the years" Ms Gallagher said.

"In the 2009 allocation, the ACT received its largest ever allocation of interns, and most importantly, for the first time 37 ANU Medical School graduates were offered places in the ACT," she said.

"This demonstrates our investment in the ANUMS, and our massive investment in the ACT's public healthcare system."

"Due to the success of this long-term commitment to our health system, we have found that in 2009, there were 15 ANUMS graduates who want to commence their medical careers in the ACT public hospital, but were not allocated to the ACT by the IMET process."

"It is a fantastic result for the ACT public health system that 52 of the graduating year of 80 have nominated the ACT as their choice."

"However, I am concerned about the 15 graduates who could not be allocated places, and know that it has been a disappointing process for them."

"As a result, and following a week of negotiations with IMET, I am able to announce a special recruitment round for ANUMS graduates who want to start their career in the ACT's public hospital system for 2009."

Ms Gallagher said all ANUMs graduates who were unsuccessful in gaining a place in the IMET round would be able to participate in an ACT recruitment round to be undertaken in the coming weeks.

The ACT would continue its long-term partnership with IMET, but this would change in the coming years to reflect our changing circumstances, namely that the ANUMS and the ACT Health system were now delivering to the Australian health care system approximately 80 medical graduates each year.

"I look forward to working with IMET and NSW to forge a new arrangement to ensure that our community continues to be well served with top quality medical graduates," Ms Gallagher said.