Assistant in Medicine

The Assistant in Medicine role was first developed and implemented in 2020 as part of NSW Health COVID-19 medical surge workforce planning to supplement the existing junior medical workforce. From June 2020 to December 2020 over 400 Assistants in Medicine worked across 10 local health districts/specialty networks in 41 facilities.      

The Assistant in Medicine role is again being rolled out from August 2021 across NSW Health facilities in rural, regional and metropolitan locations.

The purpose of the position is to provide medical care and support, as part of the multi-disciplinary team. The Assistant in Medicine position description outlines their role.

Key features of the Assistant in Medicine program

• Position filled by final year medical students
• Assistants in Medicine are part of the medical team
• This role is part-time position
• Health facilities determine hours based on workforce needs up to a maximum of 32 hours
• Assistants in Medicine employed are paid at 75% of the NSW Medical Officer Intern salary
• It is not mandatory for medical students to take up position

For more information about the role see FAQs.

Background

The Assistant in Medicine role was developed by the NSW Ministry of Health in March/April 2020 in collaboration with NSW medical schools, Local Health districts/specialty networks and the Health Education and Training Institute (HETI). 

The Assistants in Medicine were final year medical students from the University of Sydney, the University of Notre Dame, Western Sydney University, University of New South Wales, University of Newcastle/University of New England and University of Wollongong.

 The Ministry of Health undertook an evaluation of the implementation of the Assistant in Medicine role in 2020 and the findings are published in the NSW Health Assistant in Medicine Evaluation Report. Overall, it was found that the Assistant in Medicine role was effective in achieving the intentions of the program and was also valued by the medical workforce and medical schools as an opportunity to further integrate students with the team and utilise their skills and capabilities in managing the workload.