GP registrars call for salaries

GP registrars say they want to be put on salaries amid concerns many are now earning less than interns at WA hospitals.
The call was made at the AMA national conference, where Dr Rosalind Forward, a registrar in Perth, revealed she took a $25,000 pay cut after leaving the hospital system to start GP training last year.
“I have got a young family, so to supplement my income, I’ve continued to work the occasional shift as a resident medical officer in the local hospitals. The reason is simple. On a Sunday shift, I can earn around $2000 due to penalty rates. It is more than I earn in a fortnight working as a GP registrar,” she said.
“In the hospital, everything I do is supervised by someone else. All I have to do is take the history, do the examination, make a recommendation and speak to the senior and they will make the decision as to whether I am right or not.