Assessment of an Australian medical internship

The work patterns of interns were observed, recorded and analysed into categories descriptive of service and training functions. As would be expected, the service component predominated, while only 7-13% of interns' time could be identified as educative. Interns make little use of formal postgraduate educational sessions and visit the library rarely. They acquire the necessary clinical skills and attitudes to fit them for future practice largely by osmosis and from discussions with residents and registrars. Consultants play only a small role in their education . Non-formal education, which is acquired as part of the service function, has the most potential for effective training. Its unsystematic character, however, may present a problem for both interns and their supervisors since neither may have a comprehensive view of what requires to be learned or what progress is being made. There is a need for interns and their supervisors to identify the learning objectives and experiences which they should attain during each term.