The Board held its first virtual Victorian Conversations with the Board event on 6 October 2021.

First and foremost, we would like to acknowledge that it has been a difficult 18 months, and this is particularly true for colleagues in Victoria. Many of you are on the medical frontlines, leading or working on cross-disciplinary teams to battle COVID-19 and care for patients or completing training in stressful environments. We recognise that there is added stress from lockdowns and restrictions, and we would like to thank those of you that made the time to participate in the Victorian Conversations with the Board event. We look forward to hosting more of these in the future.

Below is a highlight of discussions held during the evening.

Professor John Wilson AM
RACP President

Workforce planning

We heard members’ concerns over regional workforce issues and discussed the Board’s approach to regional workforce planning over the next 10 years.

The College Dean, Professor Andrew Coats AO, represents the College on the Medical Workforce Reform Advisory Committee (MWRAC). As some members will know, a major review of the workforce is currently being undertaken by the MWRAC and the College has been asked to provide feedback on this body of work. There has been no formal decision or outcome as yet, however, there is strong emphasis on promoting regional and remote training and more generalist training, with a 2-year prevocational training period that includes broad training experience.

The Board has also had significant interaction with the College Council, which has been tasked with overseeing the Regional and Rural Physician Working Group. The Group is tasked with developing a strategy for the College to advocate for change and guide our activities to better support equitable health outcomes for Australians and New Zealanders living in regional, rural, and remote areas.

Climate change

We heard that members would like the College to be louder on the topic of climate change. Most certainly, we would like to thank the membership for its continued support in this area. The College has continuously provided submissions on the topic of climate change, particularly in the lead up to COP26, and we are currently engaged in a large-scale research project that includes 9 other specialist medical colleges. This body of work is looking into the impacts of climate change on the health system, and from these research outcomes we will develop a specific campaign for action.

We heard that members would like to engage further with the College’s policy and advocacy efforts. We encourage both Fellows and trainees to be involved with this work where possible. The College Policy and Advocacy Council (CPAC) is currently undertaking an in-depth strategic review and we encourage members to submit their opinions by email to cpac@racp.edu.au

We're always happy to hear from anyone that is interested in climate change advocacy and encourage members to join the Policy Reference Group.

Trainee engagement

We heard from members that during these unprecedented times it is often difficult for the membership, especially trainees, to engage with the College. We're looking at ways to better communicate with both Fellows and trainees, particularly around important matters such as training and exams.

In addition to this, the College Education Committee (CEC) and College Trainees’ Committee (CTC) held a joint Safe Training Environments Summit on 5 November to discuss and agree on an approach to tackling bullying, harassment, and discrimination in our training environments. The CEC will discuss its approach to its broader strategy, reflecting on discussions at the summit and considering whether changes need to be made to the current strategy.

Flexible training and gender equity

Members raised the College’s Flexible Training Policy and how it can better support trainees and gender equity. As some members will be aware, in 2020 the Board approved the establishment of the Gender Equity in Medicine Working Group (GEMWG), which was tasked with identifying gender equity issues within the physician workforce and what actions the College can take to better support gender equity in medicine.

The GEMWG is preparing to present their report and recommendations to the Board and we anticipate that this will have some lasting impacts for many of our members, particularly for women’s career progression.