While various groups in WA lay claim to represent doctors, in March 2012 we asked 100 GPs and 71 Specialists their views on this important topic.
Background Information
Around one third of our survey respondents said that representing most if not all the profession was an impossible claim to meet.
Knowing there will always be a majority point of view within the profession, and needing to focus respondents on a scenario that all could respond to in this survey, we asked what doctors felt was most important to them for anyone claiming to represent the whole medical profession. Surveyed doctors thought paid-up membership was not as important (only 18% specialists and 11% of GPs support this idea), and neither was surveying the views of financial members (6%, 9%). Instead, they gave major weight to ‘frequent dialogue’ (70%, 76%), leaders being accountable (59%, 57%), and expressing the views gleaned from surveying all doctors (51%, 60%).
Only about a third of both groups (29% of GPs and 38% of specialists) believed that leaders will accurately represent the views of members or craft groups, if elected by them.
The indications are that amongst our surveyed doctors, they feel better represented when they can directly interact with an organisation that claims to represent them, either by being asked their opinion often or by their representatives explaining their actions and being available to all for feedback.
WA Doctors’ Attitudes to Representation
E-poll question:
Choose up to four things you feel carry most importance in allowing any group to claim it acts on behalf of the whole medical profession? [Multiple answers]
| Answer | Spec | GPs |
| There is frequent dialogue and review of ideas between the group and the profession as a whole. | 70% | 70% |
| The reasoning behind the decisions of leaders is recorded, published soon after, and open for feedback by all doctors. | 59% | 57% |
| The views expressed arise from surveying of all doctors. | 51% | 60% |
| Leaders will accurately represent the views of members or craft groups if elected by them. | 38% | 29% |
| Doctors who pay to belong to the group make up the majority of all doctors. | 18% | 11% |
| The views expressed come from the leaders of a broad range of medical disciplines and it is not important how they became leaders. | 15% | 13% |
| The views expressed arise from surveying of all financial members of the group. | 6% | 9% |
| The decisions made and views expressed by the group follow my beliefs. | 0% | 10% |
| Other (please indicate below). | 7% | 5% |
| Uncertain. | 1% | 2% |
| Impossible – no-one can claim they represent the views of the whole profession. | 37% | 30% |
WA Doctors on AMA Membership
Background. AMA “members” can encompass non-financial, non-voting medical students, honorary members, retirees and associate members. We wondered if WA doctors had some idea of AMA WA financial membership, a figure not released by AMA WA. Such membership makes up doctors who are eligible to vote during AMA WA elections and such like.
E-poll question:
A guestimate! What percentage of all doctors in WA do you believe are financial members of the AMA?
ED. This ‘straw poll’ of 171 WA doctors yields qualitative results only – a rough interpretation is that most specialists say around half doctors in WA are AMA members, while most GPs say the percentage is less.
| Specialists | GPs | |
| <25% | 8% | 21% |
| 25-40% | 30% | 35% |
| 41-55% | 27% | 28% |
| 56-70% | 25% | 10% |
| 70% | 6% | 1% |
| Cannot guess | 4% | 5% |