Read the highlights of key issues discussed at the RACP Board meeting on 30 October 2020.

Constitutional Reform – College Council Meeting

Constitutional reform was discussed at the College Council meeting of 29 October 2020, and Council members sought to be involved in the process.

The Council were advised that they will be engaged on the reform strategy which has a shorter timeframe and the governance model which has a longer timeframe. The governance model is intended to be discussed at the May 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM)

The Council will continue to be involved in conveying its views to the Board on Constitutional reform utilising an established relationship with the membership.

Equity and Diversity in the College

The Board was advised that there are a series of projects underway including, gender equity, workplace wellbeing, Fellows in focus, and NAIDOC Week. In addition, the College is collaborating on a larger project, focusing on women in leadership, which has international visibility.

Computer-based Testing Contingency and Crisis Management Plans

Directors were advised that the CBT project is on track, with risks being managed by expert project groups.

Crisis plans and a Situational Management Plan have been established providing key contacts, step-by-step processes to address adverse situations, pre-drafted communications, including potential triggers, escalation points, owners and tasks. Directors were pleased to see the crisis management plan and suggested a ‘dry run’ be undertaken.

Trainees have been actively involved in the project. Should a site become invalid, a candidate’s information will be saved up to the point of any outage. It was noted that when using any technology platform, there is risk of system failure. In addition, extensive testing has been done.

A limited number of trainees will sit the CBT exams in February and May 2021 and further trainees will sit the October 2021 exam. The decision to move all trainees to the CBT model will be based on the outcome of the test sites. The College has been extremely active to minimise risk and keep trainees informed of timelines.

Trainees’ Voice

The Chair welcomed Trainees' Committee member Dr Hash Abdeen to the meeting. Dr Abdeen reflected on trainees’ experiences. He clearly discussed the fact that there have been many necessary changes to education and assessment at the College in 2020 and 2021, noting the progression of training by the College has been commendable.

There has been a major change in culture since 2018. The consultation with the College Trainees' Committee (CTC) has been commendable, having trainees involved in the curriculum and decision making, recognising this is a challenge given the large numbers of trainees. The use of pulse surveys of training has engaged trainees well.

Trainees are now happy to progress with online exams, the concerns around COVID-19 and technical failures are understood, with robust contingencies well accounted for. The wellbeing of trainees and plans have been implemented well.

The Board recognised the importance of trainees, being a third of the membership, and expressed their thanks and appreciation for the work of the trainees and their support for the significant change that has occurred. It was relayed that communications have improved, noting the extensive risk and impact of any form of failure on the training pathway.