The role of the doctor must change, and if we do not push for it ourselves, other forces – namely technology and governments – will change it for us.
In my role as AMA Queensland president, I have to do a lot of speaking.
But communication is a two-way street. Advocacy is a two-way street. I can’t speak up for our members unless I truly listen to them.
It concerns me that their struggles and frustrations often seem to swallow the joys of our job – the reason why we became doctors in the first place.
One of those frustrations is losing the time to really talk with their patients. To really listen to them.
I’ve been reflecting on this as I’ve been promoting AMA Queensland’s Workforce Action Plan, a comprehensive blueprint on what state and federal changes are needed to boost our medical workforce.
Getting enough doctors to where they’re needed most is the biggest challenge facing the health system in Queensland, and, dare I say, the rest of the country as well.
One of the six planks of the Action Plan is “The Role of the Doctor”.
This century has been marked by both a profound leap in medical technology and a paradigm shift among younger doctors wanting to better balance their work with their life.
These are not fads.
As a so-called “Elder Millennial” with the privilege to travel the state talking to doctors of all ages, I find myself uniquely positioned to see the hard work of those who laid the path for me, and now the choices the next generation want to make.
The role of the doctor must change, and if we do not push for it ourselves, other forces – namely technology and governments – will change it for us.
So, what are some of our solutions?
Getting Rid of Stupid Stuff (GROSS) is a popular – and cost-effective – place to start. Our Workforce Working Group heard tales galore, from interns to visiting medical officers, of inefficiencies and waste across all health settings.
Duplication, unnecessary and/or outdated bureaucratic processes and work methods and poor or non-existent systems integration are usually the culprits.
Think of it like asking doctors to hand-calligraphy your wedding invitations. Sure, we could do it, but you’re going to get a faster and more legible result by using the right people for the job.
This would also free up time to allow doctors to work at their full scope of practice.
Our members have trained for years; let’s resource them properly and let them do the work they’re best at. It’s cheaper and safer to start filling the gaps ourselves than expanding scope for other health practitioners to do so.
It’s also a guaranteed way to immediately improve doctors’ wellbeing and improve workplace culture.
We can further boost this by seriously examining what technology can be used to improve doctors’ workflows.
The use of AI scribes is rolling out across the country, and large learning models have the potential to unlock better integration, access and efficiency, as well as speed of assessment.
Technology that is supported by clinicians on the ground across tertiary and primary care in all Queensland hospitals presents an incredible opportunity to free up their time.
Doctors also experience frustration when their careers feel like they’re stalling.
Our Workforce Action Plan has two key recommendations for that.
The first is remodelling our “middle-grade” workforce – the non-accredited and accredited registrars who keep hospitals running. Reducing their administrative tasks and establishing the role of a career medical officer for experienced, non-specialist doctors will help them be fulfilled.
The second is to push for a revived focus on generalist, flexible, broad-skilled specialists.
Related
We want to encourage trainees to maintain a broad base of skills through their career, ensuring they can contribute in many meaningful ways.
Our regional and rural doctors know the personal satisfaction of being able to deploy their skills across a variety of situations. Anaesthetists who can treat trauma, obstetrics and paediatric patients, surgeons who can work both with and without robots – this mix of skills benefits the public as well as the practitioner.
Incorporating a generalist skill competency as a prerequisite or high-scoring attribute for specialty training, broadening the scope of practice acceptable for fellowship completion, expanding specialists’ roles in hospitals and reforming medico-legal frameworks, and prevocational and college training are all ways of achieving this outcome.
It isn’t about over-burdening doctors – it’s about engaging us and using our abilities to our best advantage.
What good are the years and cost of our training if we lose the skills we learned at the beginning of our careers?
The world of entertainment is peppered with parts for doctors: Dr Watson, Dr Jekyll, Dr Moreau, Dr Frankenstein, Dr Strange, Dr McCoy, Dr Grey, Dr Quinn, Dr House.
If we are willing to adapt, and willing to fight for it, we can reinvent our own “Role of the Doctor”.
Dr Nick Yim is president of AMA Queensland.
