The August 2000 meeting of the AMA Federal Council endorsed a strategy set out in a paper titled 'Towards Training and Workplace Flexibility' aimed at progressing an industry and cultural change program for the medical profession to encourage the adoption of greater flexibilities in medical training and workplace arrangements. 

A number of recent studies have identified emerging trends in the composition of the medical workforce and highlighted an apparent increasing gap between the aspiration and expectation of young doctors entering the workforce, and present training and workplace practices.

The AMA's Work Life Flexibility project aims to address these issues by promoting cultural change in the medical profession, its institutions and the hospital sector to encourage the adoption of greater flexibility in medical training and workplace arrangements. This includes improving that availability in the medical workplace of part-time training and work, job sharing and other family friendly work and training practices.

The primary issues to be addressed in this initiative hinge around 4 major themes:

1. Selection and appeals processes for entry into vocational medical training;
2. Policies and practices related to part-time and flexible vocational medical training;
3. Policies and practice related to part-time work, including job sharing and other flexible arrangements, particularly in the public hospital system; and
4. The broader medico-political and industrial issues of concern to doctors in training.

For more information about the Work Life Flexibility project, please contact Federal AMA via email workplace@ama.com.au

A job share register is also available at www.mja.com.au