All interns will undertake 10 week rotations in medical, surgical and emergency and a 20 week rotation in general practice. The purpose of the internship is to provide a structured experience that enables the intern to consolidate and extend theoretical knowledge and technical skills. The Australian Curriculum Framework for Junior Doctors is provided to outline the knowledge, skills and behaviors required of prevocational doctors to work safely in Australian Healthcare settings. The Australian Curriculum Framework for Junior Doctors provides an educational template that clearly identifies the professional skills required to deliver quality health care. To ensure that all interns access a high quality and supportive training and working experience a supervisor will be nominated for each intern. Interns will however experience support from a variety of supervisors during their rotations.

Supervisors of Prevocational medical trainees

A Term Supervisor (member of senior medical staff) should be allocated for each prevocational doctor rotation/term.

Orientation

• Oversee unit prevocational doctor roster(s) ensuring appropriate supervision and working hours.
• Support unit orientation.
• Meet with new prevocational doctors to discuss training goals for the rotation.
• Oversee the development/review of relevant unit orientation/education resources (Position Descriptions, Unit Handbooks etc)

Education

• Have an understanding of curriculum requirements for prevocational doctors within the rotation.
• Support unit formal and informal learning opportunities for prevocational doctors.
• Support prevocational doctor attendance at relevant organisation education programs.
• Support supervision and teaching by other unit medical staff.

Supervision

• Directly supervise and oversee the supervision of others (e.g. registrars) of unit prevocational doctors.
• Ensure that supervision of junior doctors aligns with the PMCV Supervision Policy and the following principles:
• Senior medical staff are responsible for the provision of safe and quality medical care within their units and should be aware of their responsibilities in relation to supervision of junior medical staff.
• Senior medical staff should ensure that prevocational doctors within their unit have clinical supervision that at all times is sufficient to ensure good clinical care, and that provides a safe learning environment.
• Senior medical staff should be aware of the clinical performance of their unit prevocational doctors both via feedback from more senior doctors-in-training, and via direct observation/interaction.
• Senior medical staff require appropriate training and time to undertake clinical supervision, and should have access to supports should they identify a prevocational doctor who requires additional support.
• Clinical supervision of prevocational doctors may also be undertaken by more senior doctors-in-training (registrars/HMOs). Senior medical staff should confirm that these doctors are appropriately experienced to do so.

Performance Assessment

• Provide regular informal feedback to prevocational doctors
• Complete mid and end of term prevocational doctor performance appraisal and assessment (in conjunction with other unit medical staff) and discuss with the prevocational doctor
• Identify the poorly performing doctor/doctor in difficulty and refer/manage with support

Support & Evaluation

• Provide general advice and support to unit prevocational doctors
• Regularly review prevocational doctor’s feedback of their term experiences, and use feedback to improve term experiences for junior doctors