Earlier this year, over 1,200 members shared their feedback and reflections on how they relate to and interact with the College, the services they value and use, College communications, as well as ideas about what can be changed or improved.

The engagement surveys were an opportunity to hear what's important for our members and guide our collective work to ensure that the College remains connected, contemporary, and reflective of their needs.

Findings from the 2024 RANZCP membership engagement surveys are now available in two separate, easy-to-read reports. Here is a short summary of some of the findings from each:

Membership Engagement Survey Report 2024 - Fellows and Affiliates

• Overall Satisfaction: Fellow and Affiliate members expressed a mix of satisfaction and neutrality regarding their College membership. 5.8% were very satisfied, 32% were satisfied, 34.6% were neutral, 21.2% were dissatisfied, and 6.1% were very dissatisfied.

• Perceptions of the College: positive views included the College's role in building a strong professional community, improving mental health outcomes, and acting as a voice for psychiatry in the media. Neutral to negative views were noted on the College's understanding of psychiatrists' priorities, advocacy effectiveness, meeting the diverse needs of its members, and membership value for money.
• Fellows and Affiliates valued these member benefits the most: the College’s CPD program, membership of Peer Review Groups, the RANZCP journals, Online modules and podcasts via Learnit, free member webinars, and membership of Faculties, Sections and Networks. 

Membership Engagement Survey Report 2024 - Trainees

• Overall Satisfaction: trainees expressed that they were satisfied to neutral with the Fellowship program. 3.5% were very satisfied, 39% were satisfied, 27.9% were neutral, 22.3% were dissatisfied, and 7.1% were very dissatisfied.
• Perceptions of the College: positive views included the reflection from both groups that the College has built a strong professional community and works to improve mental health outcomes. Neutral to negative views were received regarding the College meeting the needs of its diverse membership, understanding of how decisions are made, and membership value for money.  
• Trainee members valued these member benefits the most: the RANZCP journals, access to Learnit, free member webinars, discounted rates to College conferences and events, and access to other international journals.

Looking towards the future, members suggested many of the following key areas for what the College should focus on improving:

• Fellows and Affiliates: stronger advocacy for the profession (service delivery, pay, wellbeing, workload), listening, being responsive and more inclusive and representative of different member groups, advocacy for the community (education, care needs and public standing of psychiatry), increased educational content, and a focus on improvements to the training program.
• Trainees: reforms to the training program and assessments, expanded materials or resources for exam preparation, a focus on the welfare of trainees in workplaces/workforce sustainability, workforce advocacy, improvements in communications approaches, methods and content.

We thank everyone who took the time to respond to this survey.

The College Board, Membership Engagement Committee, and Bi-national Committee for Trainees have reviewed the results of these surveys this year and have identified priority areas and themes to shape the next steps for 2025 and beyond.  

Please contact memberhelp@ranzcp.org if you have any questions or feedback.