Clearing a path to long-term career country growth
(Chief Executive)WA Country Health Service
WA Country Health Service welcomes the results of the AMA (WA) HHC survey and sincerely thanks its DiTs (Junior Medical Officers) for the valuable feedback provided.
The HHC 2025 results are clear, and we have listened. There are a number of key areas to improve, and we’ll continue the work already started to action this feedback.
The honest information provided by our JMOs is critically important for us to hear, action and frequently check progress against, to ensure we continue to improve all aspects of our service and workplace, including the elimination of bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination.
This is our commitment so that every person – whether they’re providing or receiving patient care – feels heard, respected, and safe.
While hospitals across Australia continue to face workforce challenges, we are committed to attracting, training, retaining and expanding the number of junior doctors in our hospitals, with a record number of 33 interns joining us in 2025.
We are proud that more than 83% of interns choose to stay with WA Country Health Service (WACHS) as RMOs.
While we have demonstrated we can minimise the need for unrostered overtime, we also appreciate it can occur, and we are working with South Metropolitan Health Service to implement a simple and consistent IT-based, mobile-friendly solution for claiming overtime.
At the heart of our wellbeing framework are practical tools and personalised support structures such as the Junior Medical Officer (JMO) Welfare Resource Guide and site-specific Survival Guides. In addition, a clear Pathway for Escalation of Issues is readily available to help junior doctors navigate the unique challenges of rural medical practice.
Mindfulness is now embedded as a key part of the JMO experience, with an eight-week online training program integrating simple, impactful mindfulness techniques, available to all junior doctors.
We also work with our junior doctors via our junior doctor societies, regional medical education teams, and prevocational education and training committees to co-design solutions that address morale and culture to allow us to achieve an A+ grade across all domains.
This includes continuing to grow the capacity of our senior clinicians to deliver high-quality medical education, supervision and mentorship.
We are pleased to have scored highly in the provision of access to debrief after a stressful event and have worked hard to ensure appropriate mechanisms are in place to fully support staff on the ground.
“ We are pleased to have scored highly in the provision of access to debrief after a stressful event, and we have worked hard to ensure appropriate mechanisms are in place to fully support staff on the ground.
When it comes to long-term career growth, many of our junior doctors were clear they wanted to stay with us as vocational trainees. To do this, we are growing our vocational training pathways in areas including rural generalism, psychiatry, intensive care and physician training.
WACHS also offers signature programs including the Junior Doctor Leadership Program and Clinical Service Improvement Program, as well as dedicated prevocational programs such as RAPTOR (Physician) and ASPIRE (Surgical).
The improved rating from B to A, compared to last year, for accessing annual and professional development leave signals we are on the right path in this area.
To our JMOs – thank you again for your valuable feedback, honest reflections and continued partnership. Together, we’re shaping a regional health service that not only delivers excellent care, but also nurtures the people who make that care possible.