Lots of gains in second year of survey participation for PathWest

This is PathWest Laboratory Medicine’s (PathWest) second year of being included in the AMA (WA) HHC, and we continue to value this important source of feedback, which helps us better understand and address the needs of our Registrars.

Each of our Registrars has an important voice, and we are pleased to see that more of our Registrars have participated this year compared to last year, up from 17 to 24 respondents. While this is a relatively small cohort representing fewer than half of all our Registrars, their voices are nonetheless very important to us.

We are delighted to have improved on four categories this year and to have achieved three new A ratings in Recommended Employer, Teaching and Training, and Access to leave. It was very pleasing to note a 95% satisfaction with work rating from our Registrars, the highest score of any service this year.  We also achieved an overall improvement in the Morale and Culture category, from a C to a B rating in 2025.

Last year, as a follow-up from the HHC we met with our Registrars and focused specifically on some key issues. These included addressing any fear of speaking up. We are pleased that the work underway, including education and familiarisation with speak-up options and the options for anonymous reporting, has improved this score from 25% to 50%. This is heading in the right direction and work will continue to support the confidence of Registrars in speaking up. Registrars had also expressed concerns over access to leave last year, and after specifically seeking their views and implementing their solutions, we have seen this score improve from a 60% to 70% range to 93% to 94% range and an A rating.

In the Wellbeing category, we still have some work to do. Although we scored well on Registrars being able to take leave when unwell, some of our group still expressed concerns over bullying, harassment or discrimination. Our People Capability and Culture team will focus on supporting our local managers and teams over the coming year, to address the specific concerns of our individual Registrars.

Our Teaching and Training rating, which has always scored highly, improved further from a B last year to an A rating this year. This is a testament to the commitment of our Consultant Pathologists and Scientific staff who provide such excellent teaching and support for our Pathology Registrars. I wish to acknowledge the senior leadership of PathWest who are always striving to teach and equip Registrars in their professional journey.

Lastly, we are delighted to know that an increasing number of our Registrars would recommend others to choose PathWest as an employer, and to score an A in this regard is a wonderful acknowledgement of the commitment that we have at PathWest to our future generation of pathologists.

Thank you to all our Registrars who participated in the 2025 survey.