MEDICAL COLLEGES REFORM TO ADDRESS ACCESSIBILITY, AFFORDABILITY AND RURAL CHALLENGES Priority given to new trainee candidates who come from rural backgrounds and have relevant experience
With
Jodie Long, CEO
Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC)
AUSTRALIAN HEALTH JOURNAL SEGMENT
Filmed in Melbourne | September 2025
The Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC) is the peak body for Australia’s specialist medical colleges. CPMC provides a voice in the areas such as workforce issues, quality of healthcare and patient safety, and the education and training of specialist doctors.
Australia’s specialist medical colleges are introducing significant changes to their training selection processes to tackle the ongoing shortage of specialist doctors in rural and remote areas. The Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC), in collaboration with the National Rural Health Commissioner, has unveiled new guidelines that prioritise candidates with rural backgrounds and experience during trainee selection.
Associate Professor Sanjay Jeganathan, Chair of CPMC, stated, “Too many rural Australians are waiting too long for specialist care or having to travel vast distances.” Research shows that doctors from rural areas are more likely to return and practice in those communities. The new framework systematically rewards candidates with relevant rural experience, including those who spent their childhood in rural settings, medical students who completed over 12 months of rural placements, and junior doctors who worked in rural hospitals.
The initiative reflects unprecedented collaboration among Australia’s specialist medical colleges, moving from good intentions to systematic change. “Every college will now use consistent definitions and transparent processes,” added A/Prof Jeganathan.
In tandem with these changes, CPMC is reforming its governance structure to better address workforce shortages and access challenges. This revised structure includes a Representative College Council and a separate Board of Directors, promoting agile decision-making and clearer communication with stakeholders. Dr. Jeganathan emphasised the importance of creating a unified voice for specialist doctors to respond effectively to urgent healthcare reforms, enhancing the organisation’s accountability and responsiveness.
Australian Health Journal spoke to CPMC CEO Jodie Long about some of the findings and challenges in the workforce within regional and rural settings and how the new governance structure will support representation of the 16 colleges to Government bodies.
Source: Adapted from CPMC media releases
-
Landmark research projects tackle critical issues in emergency healthcare
For two decades, the demand for emergency department services in Australia has outpaced population growth and wait times have increased. In 2022-2023 more than 8.8 million emergency department presentations occurred nationwide.
While demand is a contributing factor, EDs are currently being impacted by various factors across the entire health system.
The Emergency Medicine Foundation (EMF) is a non-profit organisation funding innovative Australian research that improves the way people are cared for in a medical emergency. The aim of the research is to deliver better and more effective health services to save lives and money.
-
Intervention in hearing loss for patients
In her role as an audiologist and trainer, Lauren McNee emphasises the urgency of addressing sudden hearing loss, highlighting the time-sensitive nature of available treatment options. She advises healthcare professionals, including GPs, pharmacists, primary care nurses and specialists, to remain vigilant for subtle signs of hearing loss in their patients. Such signs may include difficulty following prescription guidelines, miscommunication during conversations, or non-verbal cues like a tilt of the head or asking for repetitions.
-
Delivering anaesthetic services to countries where surgical services can’t be provided
Dr Wendy Falloon is an Anaesthetist of over 30 years experience and a Fellow of Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA). She studied medicine at the University of Tasmania, and worked in Hobart, Sydney and the Uk while completing her specialist qualifications. Her primary professional focus has always been to deliver the best possible experience of anaesthesia to each and every patient, and for them to know that she sees and values them, and their stories.
Having been born in Africa, she realised even as a child that health and wealth were largely a product of where people happen to be born. This sowed the seed of her ongoing desire to be of help to others in less fortunate circumstances, ultimately leading to her volunteer work with the Mercy Ships charity. This is one of the most fulfilling aspects of her career, and she has volunteered in Africa with Mercy Ships 8 times since 2014.
