Medical administration and health education needs.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the role of the Royal Australian College of Medical Administrators in the training of medical graduates who wish to pursue a career in health services management. The Royal Australian College of Medical Administrators, founded in May 1968 with an initial membership of 279, is a specialist educational body conducted along similar lines to the other medical colleges in Australia and the United Kingdom. The development of the educational requirements of the college, and the evolution of its training program over the past twenty years, is examined, as well as the appropriateness of the British college model for the training of medical administrators, and the impact that the changes in Australian health care services may have on future educational programs.