Medical college grades are in – these are the areas that need work

These were some of the findings of the AMA Specialist Trainee Health Check, which compares the experience between different speciality training programs and identifies areas of excellence and areas for improvement.

The report, based on the 2025 Medical Training Survey, found just under half of respondents felt their college provided them with access to mental health support services.

Only 39% of trainees received useful feedback about their exam performance and 66% felt feedback was not provided promptly.

It also found 60% of trainees reported training costs had caused stress, and only 25% said their college clearly explained how fees were spent.

No specialist college received an A grade in any area assessed by trainees, and no training program achieved an overall A grade rating either.

The RACGP was the best performing college, receiving an overall grade of B-, while the College of Intensive Care Medicine and Royal Australasian College of Physicians had the worst ratings of D+.

Trainee experiences have remained largely unchanged over the last five years, with many indicators showing little or no meaningful improvement.

AMA Doctors in Training Committee Chair Dr Natasha Abeysekera said the results showed there was still significant work to do.

“Doctors in training are the future of Australia’s specialist workforce, but too many trainees continue to report concerns about examination feedback, training costs, representation in decision-making and access to mental health support,” she said.

“Progress across the sector remains frustratingly slow. Doctors invest years of their lives in specialist training and deserve timely feedback, affordable training pathways and confidence that their voice is being heard by the colleges responsible for their training,” Dr Abeysekera said.

“The fact that no specialist college received an A grade in any area assessed by trainees shows there is still significant room for improvement."

She said improving the trainee experience was not just about supporting doctors in training but about strengthening the future workforce.

The nation already has a shortage of specialists and registrars, with gaps between current numbers and the required numbers expected to grow.

A Whole of Medical Workforce report released by the federal Department of Health earlier this year forecast an undersupply of almost 7000 specialists by 2033, increasing to 12,812 by 2048.

Dr Abeysekera acknowledged some improvements were evident in areas such as access to protected study leave and payment for unrostered overtime.

More doctors in training said they had access to protected study time/leave, with the percentage for this statement increasing from 67% in 2023 to 73% in 2025.

A similar improvement was seen in those saying their job responsibilities did not prevent them from meeting training requirements.

The proportion of trainees who got paid for unrostered training time increased by 7%.