The social mission of Australian medical schools in a time of expansion

Abstract

The social mission, or accepted social responsibility of Australian medical schools, was assessed at a time of rapid expansion and resulting pressure on staff and facilities. Nine new schools have been established in 2005–10 and there has been particular concern about adequacy of clinical training places. Discussions with most of the deans revealed their strong social commitments. We consider two of these in depth – raising the status and thus the involvement of students in general and especially rural practice; and increasing the numbers of Indigenous students and the knowledge of Indigenous health and culture among all students. We examine a system by which medical schools in the USA have been ranked for social mission achievements and suggest this approach might be used in Australia to measure the response of medical schools to Government initiatives and policies. What is known about this topic? The rapid expansion of medical schools and student numbers has given rise to much concern. Encouragement of training for general practice is well described. Many medical schools have worked to increase intake of Indigenous students. Data on medical graduates are being gathered. What does this paper add? The social mission and responsibility of medical schools is new to Australia; information was obtained by interview of medical deans and review of the international literature. Matters of special note are rural healthcare, developments in general practice and expansion of support for Indigenous students. Recent studies of graduate output in the USA are considered. What are the implications for practitioners? Expansion of medical student numbers has brought increased demand for general practitioner involvement in training of students and graduates, which affects practice resources. The need for workforce planning to match training paths and places with future national needs means medical schools have new responsibilities for career guidance of students.