LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Doctor training

TOOWOOMBA Hospital is very proud of its junior doctor training program and in particular the caring and supportive approach adopted by our long-standing Director of Clinical Training, Dr Sheree Conroy.

One hundred per cent of junior doctors complete written feedback surveys after each 10-week rotation and these are carefully reviewed by Dr Conroy and our Medical Education Unit.

In addition, Dr Conroy or her team meet individually with each junior doctor every five weeks to discuss how they are doing and to work through any issues raised. All negative feedback is acted upon including working closely with the senior doctors in any work unit that receives negative reports to ensure issues are addressed.

Each year Toowoomba Hospital has more junior doctor applicants than available positions and, in particular, the proportion of first-year doctors applying to stay on for a second or third year is very high.

We also have a high rate of doctors returning as trainee specialists and ultimately as fully qualified specialists. We believe this high return rate and the success of our “grow-your own” approach to senior doctor recruitment demonstrates how positive and healthy the medical culture is within Toowoomba Hospital and the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service.

In addition to the development of a number of in-house management training programs the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service has recently partnered with the internationally renowned Cognitive Institute to roll-out an organisation-wide five-year culture improvement program.

We are one of only eight organisations in the world to be invited to formally partner with the Cognitive Institute in this Safety and Reliability Improvement Programme and the first regional health service.

We’re confident the implementation of this programme will lead to ongoing improvements in our organisational culture.