NZ Medical Workforce in 2012 - workforce survey results

26 November 2013

The New Zealand Medical Workforce in 2012 - workforce survey results

The Medical Council of New Zealand today released The New Zealand Medical Workforce in 2012 survey results.

Dr John Adams, the Council’s chairperson said the survey shows that the number of active doctors increased by 2.5 percent, from 14,333 in 2011 to 14,686 in 2012. This change compares with increases of 3.2 percent in 2011 and 3.5 percent in 2010.

Feminisation of the medical workforce

As in previous years, the feminisation of the medical workforce has continued.

Forty five percent of females in the workforce are under the age of 40, compared to 28 percent of males. Only 5 percent of females in the workforce are over the age of 60, compared to 19 percent of males.

This reflects that although male doctors have historically outnumbered female doctors, and still make up 59 percent of the medical workforce, this gap is decreasing. Females now outnumber males amongst new doctors: 58 percent of house officers and 49 percent of registrars were female.

There are a higher proportion of female doctors in urban areas compared with rural areas – 42.3 percent of doctors in main urban areas are female compared with 36.1 percent of doctors in rural areas.

In the vocational or specialist training area between 40 and 50 percent of vocational trainees were female in accident and medical practice, internal medicine, anaesthesia, diagnostic radiology and emergency medicine.

Females outnumbered males in vocational training in:

· psychiatry (54 percent)

· general practice (59 percent)

· paediatrics (68 percent)

· pathology (69 percent)

· obstetrics and gynaecology (74 percent).

Ethnicity

Doctors identifying as New Zealand European/Pākehā made up 52.7 percent of all doctors, but were more highly represented amongst specialists (63.1 percent) and GPs (56.6 percent), and were less represented amongst house officers (36.3 percent), and registrars (33.4 percent). This reflects the increasing ethnic diversity of the medical workforce and of the increasing ethnic diversity of

New Zealand.

Doctors identifying as Māori reported their main work role as:

· GP (30 percent)

· specialist (24 percent)

· registrar (20 percent)

· house officer (15 percent).

Doctors identifying as New Zealand Māori made up 2.9 percent of all doctors, but were more highly represented amongst house officers (4.9 percent) and registrars (3.6 percent).

Dr Adams says, ‘The good news is that this suggests that although New Zealand Māori doctors are currently under represented amongst specialists, this is likely to change in the future as those house officers and registrars advance into more senior positions within the workforce.’

Doctors identifying as Pacific Island are in a similar situation to those identifying as New Zealand Māori. They make up 1.8 percent of all doctors, but 3.7 percent of house officers and 2.5 percent of registrars.

New Zealand graduates – retention by class

On average, 84 percent of New Zealand graduates are retained 2 years after graduation and by the third year, 78 percent are retained, rising to 79 percent 5 years after graduation. Retention rates level out to between 61 and 70 percent in years 8 to 14 after graduation.

International medical graduates IMGs) – retention after registration

Between 53 and 54 percent of IMGs are retained in the year immediately after initial registration.

After this initial drop, the percentage of IMGs continues to decrease more gradually, dropping to just less than 33 percent after 3 years from initial registration.

For the 2012 workforce survey, survey forms were sent out to 13,947 doctors with New Zealand addresses. Ninety-six percent (13,415) replied.

The results in this report include only the 12,017 active doctors – that is, those working 4 or more hours a week. Some doctors in active employment may not have responded to the survey. No allowance has been made in figures for the response rate.

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