Network principles for prevocational medical training - HETI

NSW state structures
The NSW Ministry of Health (www.health.nsw.gov.au) sets policy for the NSW public health system
as a whole, and controls the distribution of State funds to the public health system. This includes
funding for prevocational medical education and training.
The provision of health services is organised by local health districts and specialty health networks
(eg, the Children’s and Paediatric Services network). Most prevocational training networks cross
local health district and specialty health network boundaries, requiring cooperation between different
administrative units.
The Health Education and Training Institute (HETI, www.heti.nsw.gov.au) is the leading statewide
agency for health workforce education and training in the NSW public health system (see below).
Other NSW Health agencies also play a role in education and training. For example, the Clinical
Excellence Commission (CEC, www.cec.health.nsw.gov.au) developed the DETECT program, and
the clinical networks of the Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI, www.aci.health.nsw.gov.au) support
professional development activity for multiprofessional groups specialised in various clinical domains
(eg, aged health, anaesthesia perioperative care, and so on).
The role of HETI
As an outcome of the Director-General’s Governance Review on the future directions for NSW
Health completed in October 2011, the Clinical Education and Training Institute was restructured to
become the Health Education and Training Institute (HETI).
The role of HETI is to work closely with local health districts and other health organisations and
clinical training providers to develop and deliver education and training across the NSW public
health system. Supporting clinical training networks is a core activity of HETI.
HETI pursues excellence in health education and training and workforce capability to improve the
health of patients and the working lives of NSW Health staff.
HETI’s vision is a world class NSW health workforce supporting excellent patient centred care.
HETI Medical Directorate
As well as the Prevocational Training Program, HETI’s Medical Directorate includes programs in
Hospital Skills (for generalist medical officers working in NSW hospitals), Surgical Skills, Basic
Physician Training, Emergency Medicine, Paediatrics, Psychiatry, Radiology, Cardiology, and Medical
Administration.
The Medical Directorate operates in three units:
• z General Medical Training Unit: (Prevocational Training, Hospital Skills and Surgical Skills) —
responsible for the continuing professional development of doctors employed in NSW Health
who are not enrolled as trainees, members or fellows of a specialist college.
• z Standards, Accreditation and Allocation Unit: (Prevocational Training) — responsible for
allocating interns to training positions and accrediting training facilities for prevocational
training.
z • Specialist Medical Training Unit: provides a growing range of programs for doctors employed in
NSW Health who are trainees enrolled in college training programs.
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