To the GPET conference on the Gold Coast this week, where there were some interesting discussions about the entry of Generation Y into general practice.
I’ve always been skeptical of these generational labels, which seem to be like horoscopes in ascribing common traits merely on the basis of your birthdate. But at least in some respects there is now evidence for different attitudes among new graduates to general practice.
An interesting piece of research about what registrars consider to be an ideal rural practice showed marked differences between Generation X and Generation Y, for example (the cut-off year of birth being around 1983, I believe). The gist of it was that Generation Y doctors place much more importance on lifestyle and work-life balance than their predecessors. The survey of current and former registrars by Caroline Laurence of the Adelaide University department of general practice found some unsurprising attributes of the “ideal practice”: things like having a well run practice with a good practice manager and with opportunities for using different kinds of medical skills.
Where Generation Y differed was their emphasis on wanting to live in a diverse community with access to amenities like childcare, to live within two hours travel from a major city and in a practice of four to six doctors (enough to ensure a reasonable on call workload without being too impersonal). The researchers described these factors as “latte rural”.
Another theme that came through from the doctors now in training was that they wanted to work in a practice that had a good team environment and which practiced in a way they felt comfortable with – or in their own words “not like a chain or a supermarket”.
Other sessions at the conference showed how today’s registrars were comfortable with using new technology and the internet to help in their work. Registrars in Tasmania, for example, now have their supervisors conduct virtual External Clinical Teaching visits using webcams and VOiP software like Skype. I’ll write more about that next week, along with other highlights from the conference.
But one thing that has not changed over the generations is the level of enthusiasm, commitment and professionalism shown by registrars at the conference - reassuring prospect for the future of general practice.
