Fig. 1

Types of locally trained graduate doctors and their 2008–2013 work location, by when they graduated and entered the medical workforce in Australia.

The methods used for this figure have been published elsewhere [27]. Based on locally trained respondents answering the MABEL question “in what year did you complete your basic medical degree”, four groups were categorised (1) late career = graduated during 1970s (mostly aged 55–70 years at time of survey); (2) mid-career = graduated during 1980s (mostly aged 45–60 years); (3) early career = graduated during 1990s (mostly aged 35–50 years); (4) establishing career = graduated during 2000s (mostly aged 25–40 years). Work location was identified by a question “where is your main place of work – town and postcode”, geocoded and categorised rural or metropolitan based on the Modified Monash Model. Each doctor responded to between one and six surveys, thus contributing up to six aggregate person-years of work location data 2008–2013. Non-response weights were applied. Respondents for each cohort were as follows: 1970s = 18%, 1980s = 23%, 1990s = 22%, 2000s = 37% [64]