- Medical Students
- Doctor in Specialist Training
- Doctor in Training (JMO)
- Intern and Final Year Student
Intern and Final Year Student
Supporting you in getting the best start to your internship, so you can keep on striving as your career progresses
This is your MDA National – your trusted partner for support in the moments that matter
As a final year student/medical intern, you are the future of Australia’s healthcare system – and MDA National will be by your side providing the support and advice you need, when you need it.
Over these next few years, your hands will be full with training, long hours and the many responsibilities that come with being a doctor. You want to be certain that you have expert medico-legal protection, because the last thing you need to worry about is a complaint or claim that could have lasting consequences in the future.
For over 95 years, MDA National has protected thousands of medical professionals through every stage of their career. Today, we’re here to provide you with that same peace of mind so you can keep on excelling as your career progresses.
Why do you need your own cover?
As a doctor working in a public hospital, you are likely to have access to indemnity through your employer or state government. However, hospital indemnity may not cover you in all situations. Without your own professional indemnity, you could be liable to personally fund certain medico-legal matters not covered under the indemnity provided by your employer. It is crucial that you have access to independent medico-legal advice, or a second opinion, to protect your best interests.
Some matters we commonly assist junior doctors with include:
- medical college training disputes;
- medico-legal advice, including ethical dilemmas, police statements, confidentiality and privacy queries;
- Ahpra health complaints or investigations;
- bullying and harassment; and
- coronial inquests.
Reasons why interns called us for advice
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47%Advice/Ethical Dilemma |
12%Employment Issues |
8%Medical Records |
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6%Clinical Incident |
5%Legislation/Legal |
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How to choose the right Medical Defence Organisation (MDO)
We have prepared a guide on choosing the right medical defence organisation so you can focus on providing outstanding care at each stage of your career.
- Why do doctors need medical indemnity insurance?
- Why do you need your own cover?
- How to choose the best medical defence organisation for you
Why interns choose MDA National?
At MDA National, we understand the challenges you may face in medicine today and in your career ahead. We proactively support more than 60% of the country’s doctors in training* with competitive professional indemnity premiums, education, career development, our Ambassador Program, and regular networking opportunities.
With MDA National you are a click or phone call away from industry-leading doctors, lawyers and medical defence experts – always responsive, always confidential, always on your side. Some of our member benefits include:
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Complimentary Professional Indemnity |
Expert medico-legal advice |
Tailor on-demand education |
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Have peace of mind that you're covered for medical board proceedings, coronial investigations and hospital enquiries
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Our team of medico-legal specialists are here to help you with independent, unbiased advice and support | Explore our webinars, videos, blogs and podcasts on topics relevant to junior doctors, including applying for junior doctor positions, physical contact, patient communication and informed consent. |
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Professional Development |
Career Development |
Health and Wellbeing |
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Upskill you in the key competencies of Leadership, Clinical Governance, and the 3 C’s of professional development: Communication, Culture & Collaboration
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To support you as you plan your career and prepare for medical officer interviews |
Provide you with a complimentary series of health and wellbeing webinars and facilitated group sessions, focusing on mental health and wellbeing |
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Special offers and discounts |
Medico-legal blog insights and news |
MDA National app |
| Save money and enjoy exclusive member deals on textbooks, food services and more | Read online and receive email notification of the latest articles on topical medico-legal issues, such as changes to Medicare items, so you are well-informed for study and at work throughout the year | Quickly and easily view your policy information, connect with medico-legal advisers and member services via livechat and check out the latest library resources |
Not a Member?
Apply now for MDA National professional indemnity insurance, providing you with peace of mind and extensive cover.
What am I covered for?
Your extensive MDA National Professional Indemnity covers you for civil claims, employment disputes, representation at a coronial inquiry and a wide range of medico-legal matters.
The following table is a brief summary of covers and limits. The summary wording should not be relied on as a full description of cover. Please refer to the Policy Wording† for full details of terms and conditions:
We will...
| Aggregate Limit of Cover for all Claims* | |
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$20 million |
| We will... | Aggregate Sub-limits* |
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$2 million |
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$100,000 but for claims by you for unpaid remuneration we will not pay more than the amount reasonably sought by you |
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$100,000 (with Excess of $20,000) |
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$100,000 |
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$250,000 |
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$100,000 for Medical Practitioner |
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$20,000 (with a maximum of $2,000 per day for up to 10 days) |
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$100,000 |
*Provided that the Maximum Limit of Indemnity is not exceeded.
†A copy of the Policy Wording is available at mdanational.com.au/Downloads.
For more information please read our Professional Indemnity Insurance Policy Combined Financial Services Guide (FSG), Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Policy Wording and Supplementary FSG and PDS including Amendments to the Policy Wording from our Download Center.
Webinars and Videos |
Common medico-legal challenges for interns
For early career Members – open accessDo you know what constitutes a breach of confidentiality? Do you know how to manage inappropriate requests and maintain appropriate professional boundaries?
In this webinar, you will learn about managing boundaries and issues around confidentiality with patients. We will cover specific case scenarios such as accessing medical records of an ex-partner, senior colleague asking for a script for opioids, sharing videos of resus on social media, as well as answer your questions.
This webinar was recorded on 8 April 2020.
The information in this webinar recording and related resources is provided as a guide only and MDA National accepts no responsibility for how it may apply to your personal situation.
General enquiries or comments relating to this webinar should be emailed to marketing@mdanational.com.au.
If you have a specific medico-legal query freecall 1800 011 255 or complete our Contact us form. This is a service for MDA National Members.
Can I have membership and insurance with more than one MDO?
Yes, you can! Most MDO’s provide complimentary membership and insurance cover for medical students, interns and doctors in training. We believe it is important that you have the option of signing up with multiple providers to experience the service and benefits offered. This will help you decide which MDO you prefer to remain with for your future medico-legal and professional indemnity needs.
I’ve had a medico-legal incident – can I choose which MDO to receive advice from?
Yes. If you hold membership and insurance with multiple providers you can choose which MDO you obtain medico legal advice from in each instance.
Can I receive advice from more than one MDO?
You can contact multiple MDO’s to obtain medico legal advice. If you have obtained advice from one MDO and the matter progresses to a claim or investigation, it is recommended that you continue to allow that MDO to continue to manage that matter.
Can I claim from more than one MDO?
If you hold insurance policies with more than one MDO to cover your medical practice, you can claim indemnity from whichever MDO you choose. However you cannot claim from more than one MDO’s for the same matter. The concept of ‘dual insurance’ is covered under legislation in the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth) (Act). Dual insurance occurs when a person is insured against the same risk with two different insurers.
Insurance policies also include ‘other insurance’ clauses that exclude or limit an insurer's liability if the policy holder has cover available under another policy. While this is a standard exclusion under professional indemnity policies, it can only be applied to the extent allowed under law and as outlined in the Act. If both policies exclude cover through ‘other insurance’ provisions, the clauses cancel each other out, and both policies can respond.
This means the MDO who handles and incurs the costs of the claim can seek contribution from the other MDO. The contribution is negotiated between the two insurers and should not have any impact on you as the member or policy holder.
Why do I need medical indemnity when my hospital provides me with indemnity?
As an intern, you will have access to cover through your employer or the State Government however, hospital indemnity may not provide the broad cover you need. Without your own indemnity cover, you could be liable to personally fund some medico-legal matters.
It is important you have access to independent legal advice or a second opinion to protect your best interests. Focus on your internship knowing that MDA National will support you in the moments that matter, so you can keep on striving as your career progresses.
Read more about the importance of medical indemnity
What kind of issues can I contact MDA National for during my internship?
As a new doctor, you're still learning and as an intern, you're likely to experience a number of first-time experiences such as:
• your first coroners request or death certificate
• providing your first police statement
• bullying from a colleague, harassment from a patient or a dispute with your employer
• a medical board complaint or investigation
These scenarios are just a few examples of the many situations where you may find yourself unsure how to proceed or where to go for help. MDA National’s priority is to support you in these moments. We’re here to guide you through your journey as a medical professional, 24/7. To find out more about when you should call MDA National, read our “Don’t sweat the small stuff” article here.
MDA National will be there for you in the moments that matter, so that you can keep on excelling as your career progresses.
Resources
MDA National provides timely education to help our Members minimise their medico-legal risk and continually improve their communication and non-clinical skills.
We’ve put together a handful of our resources particularly relevant to interns below. You will also find a series of Podcasts on Apple Music and Spotify.
Articles and case studies
- Medical records: the only source of truth
- Training program dilemmas
- Tips for surviving internship and beyond
- The brilliant Intern who didn’t make the grade
- Top 10 tips for interns
- Things I wish I’d known as an intern
- Livin’ the dream… or not?
- More than just advice
- From ship to shore
Videos / webinar recordings
- Diplomacy in hierarchy webinar recording
- Surviving nightshift video
e-Learning activities
- Informed consent challenges
- Medico-legal CPD quizzes
- The challenging emotions of difficult news
- Noteworthy: the how, what, where and why of medical documentation
Other resources
- Head over to the MDA National library to see our full suite of articles, blog posts, webinars and podcasts.
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Resources |
MDA National provides timely education to help our Members minimise their medico-legal risk and continually improve their communication and non-clinical skills.
We’ve put together a handful of our resources particularly relevant to interns below. You will also find a series of Podcasts on Apple Music and Spotify.
Articles and case studies
- Medical records: the only source of truth
- Training program dilemmas
- Tips for surviving internship and beyond
- The brilliant Intern who didn’t make the grade
- Top 10 tips for interns
- Things I wish I’d known as an intern
- Livin’ the dream… or not?
- More than just advice
- From ship to shore
Videos / webinar recordings
- Diplomacy in hierarchy webinar recording
- Surviving nightshift video
e-Learning activities
- Informed consent challenges
- Medico-legal CPD quizzes
- The challenging emotions of difficult news
- Noteworthy: the how, what, where and why of medical documentation
Other resources
- Head over to the MDA National library to see our full suite of articles, blog posts, webinars and podcasts.
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Subscribe to our medico-legal blog at the bottom of this page so you can stay up to date with the latest medico-legal updates and best practice advice, relevant to the medical profession.
