The Board held its first Conversations with the Board event for members based in South Australia on 29 June 2021.

We first introduced these events in 2018 to better connect with Fellows and trainees by facilitating informal two-way discussions.

We thank the SA members who joined the Board for an honest discussion. Below are some highlights from the discussions held.

Dr Jacqueline Small
RACP President-elect

Training

We heard about members’ concerns regarding inappropriate questions being asked during the training position recruitment process.

The College is committed to better understanding the trainee experience in this area. Following each annual recruitment period, the College now conducts a pulse survey with trainees to gauge their experience. Although participation in this survey is not compulsory, it helps us better understand the trainee experience and develop resources to assist all parties that are involved.

We encourage all eligible trainees to complete this survey as it is rolled out and remind all members that if you have any concerns to contact the Member Services team or your local regional office.

Regional and Rural Physician Strategy

We discussed challenges for regional and rural training opportunities and specialist service delivery. College Council has developed a program of work to address training and workforce issues in regional and rural areas, via the Regional and Rural Physician Working Group. The objective of this initiative is to improve service delivery and healthcare outcomes for people living in regional, rural and remote communities in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Governance

Members will be aware that the College developed a one-year strategy for 2021. In the background, we continue to plan and analyse key issues for the College as we work to develop a robust three-to-five-year strategic plan, to commence in 2022. There will be opportunities throughout the planning process for members to provide feedback on College priorities and inform strategy.

One current challenge is renewal of the College’s older legacy IT systems. The College is developing a process to transition these to more contemporary platforms, with the Board recently approving the terms of reference for a College body to oversee this. This committee, comprising two members and two staff, will work together to map a process for these legacy systems, investigate where the risks are, and how to transition out in the most cost-effective way.

Policy and Advocacy

We discussed our efforts to engage extensively with members to plan our longer-term policy and advocacy agenda and to determine where to focus our efforts; in particular to identify areas in which members would like us to concentrate our advocacy and where we may have the most impact. Recently, we have tried to re-focus our work into some core areas, such as climate change and health, and refugee health. We are particularly proud of our advocacy and collaboration with other peak medical organisations in regard to the Murugappan family of Biloela.

We thank members who have participated in the consultation process and encourage more members to get involved and provide feedback as opportunities arise. We would like to hear from all members about different approaches that we as a College can take to increase engagement in this area and encourage you to contact policy@racp.edu.au to submit suggestions.

Divisional Clinical Exams

We acknowledged the impact of COVID-19 on trainees, Directors of Physician Education (DPEs), and examiners, particularly as examinations are disrupted at short notice due to evolving conditions and restrictions. We know this can cause stress for all involved, and member wellbeing is an important issue for the College. We continuously monitor the COVID-19 situation and consult with health services regarding impacts on the delivery of College examinations and other program requirements, and strive to ensure our response to the pandemic runs as smoothly as possible.