AFOEM eBulletin - 14 July 2023
The AFOEM Council meeting was held online on 16 June and members warmly welcomed the interim CEO, Louise McElvogue, who provided her initial reflections of the way ahead. We also welcomed discussions of workforce issues with the Dean, Dr Kudzai Kanhutu and expressed our concerns about the declining number of trainees considering a career in occupational and environmental medicine. The Dean confirmed that medical students and hospital doctors have little direct involvement with occupational and environmental physicians, so there is an absence of both role models and awareness of our specialty. Council members discussed the need for a targeted marketing campaign and improvements to the website.
AFOEM has been selected to participate in Wave 2 of the Advanced Training Curriculum Renewal. Despite the short notice, expressions of interest were received from some members and Dr Kalesh Seevnarain, the Chair of Faculty Training Committee, has been selected as the preferred contractor. The curricula and program requirement handbooks are being redeveloped with a focus on competency-based training, supported by programmatic assessment approaches. The short timeframe may create some issues for our Faculty but we will endeavour to meet the immediate AMC requirements as much as we can. An AFOEM Curriculum Review Group will be formed to consider recommendations from Kalesh Seevnarain.
The continued advocacy on accelerated silicosis has resulted in legislation finally being introduced into the Australian Parliament on 21 June 2023. This will provide the legislative framework for the establishment and ongoing management of the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry. This will capture and share data on the incidence of respiratory diseases thought to be caused or exacerbated by work. This will aid the detection of new and emerging threats to workers’ respiratory health, inform incidence trends, and assist in targeting and monitoring the effectiveness of interventions and prevention strategies. Practitioners will be required to notify the National Registry of every diagnosis of occupationally caused silicosis. Other occupational respiratory diseases may also be notified provided the patient gives consent.
It is my pleasure to congratulate Dr Jessica Johnson from WA for being the Deane Southgate Award winner for 2022. I look forward to formally presenting the award to her at a Convocation ceremony in the future.
It is with sadness that I have to report that Dr Johnn Olsen passed away on 29 May. He was well known to many members, having been an active AFOEM Fellow, especially in the education area. We extend our condolences to his wife, Erica.
Planning is being finalised for the Annual Training Meeting on 28 to 30 July in Brisbane, and registrations are open for the ANZSOM Annual Scientific Meeting in Canberra on 22 to 25 October.
Dr Farhan Shahzad and Associate Professor John Schneider are now providing webinars on aspects of occupational and environmental medicine which may be of use to some members. Members interested in receiving information about these webinars may register on their website,
Most of you will have received an email relating to the Member Satisfaction Survey. This survey addresses a number of areas and is regarded as one of the most valuable tools for assessing how satisfied you are with the services provided by the College. I encourage you to respond, as a high response rate will provide confidence in the validity of the survey.
Dr Warren Harrex
AFOEM President
This series provides insight into the careers of retired and actively serving occupational physicians. The interview series has supported a collaboration amongst our peers in developing projects on compiling the history of occupational medicine. On this occasion, Dr Farhan Shahzad had the pleasure of meeting Dr Philippa Harvey-Sutton. Read the full interview on the ROC.
We are seeking expressions of interest from Fellows and Advanced Trainees to form a Curriculum Review Group for OEM that will help review and revise a competency-based curriculum for Advanced Training.
Fellows who participate will be able to claim Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points in category two: reviewing performance. Closing date: Monday, 31 July 2023 at 9am AEST.
For more information, visit the website.
Don’t miss your chance to apply for Faculty funding under the following award categories:
Applications close Monday, 28 August 2023.
These include the following Faculty awards:
- AFOEM Education Development (Study) Grant ($10,000)
- AFOEM Registrar Travel Fellowship ($10,000)
- AFOEM Research Development Grant ($30,000)
Faculty Fellows and trainees across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand are also eligible to apply for most awards in the Research Entry Scholarships. Applications close Tuesday, 18 July 2023.
Please refer to the RACP Foundation website for information on specific eligibility requirements for each award.
Nominations will open shortly for the following College and Fellowship Awards. They acknowledge outstanding contributions and achievements made by Fellows and trainees in their respective fields.
Consider nominating a colleague, mentor, or trainee deserving of recognition.
- The John Sands Medal recognises a Fellow who makes a significant contribution to the welfare of the RACP and its members.
- The College Medal is aligned to the College motto hominum servire saluti. It is awarded to a Fellow who makes a significant contribution to medical specialist practice, healthcare and/or health of community through physician activities.
- RACP International Medal recognises a member who has provided outstanding service in developing countries.
- RACP Medal for Clinical Service in Rural and Remote Areas recognises a Fellow who has provided outstanding clinical service in rural and remote areas of Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand.
- RACP Mentor of the Year Award recognises a Fellow who has made an outstanding contribution to mentoring or provided a high level of support and guidance throughout training.
- RACP Trainee of the Year Award recognises a trainee who has made an outstanding contribution to the College, community and trainee activities.
- The Eric Susman Prize is awarded by the College to a Fellow for best contribution to the knowledge of internal medicine.
Full details are available on the RACP Foundation webpage.
The RACP Trainee Research Awards provide a valuable opportunity for trainees to present their research at an Australian regional or Aotearoa New Zealand event. The best presenters from each local event are invited to present their work alongside recognised researchers at an RACP event in 2024.
Trainees and New Fellows undertaking post-Fellowship training with the RACP are encouraged to apply.
Applications close Thursday, 31 August 2023. Please see the website for further details.
The AFOEM Annual Training Meeting (ATM) will be held in Brisbane, Queensland from Friday, 28 to Sunday, 30 July 2023. The full program and worksite visits can be found on the website.
Resources from the 2022 AFOEM ATM are available on the RACP website, with recordings available on Medflix.
The Aotearoa New Zealand office recently moved into The Jackson Stone Building, Level 10, 3 Hunter Street, Te Whanganui a-tara | Wellington.
The new space offers a large meeting room (the Aotearoa Room) and two smaller rooms (the Te Wai Pounamu and the Taranaki room). All members are welcome to visit and use the lounge area, as seen in the foreground of the photo above, and are invited to make contact if looking for a meeting space in Wellington. Email office@racp.org.nz for more information.
Registrations for the ANZSOM Annual Scientific Meeting are now open and we invite you to join us in Canberra this coming October.
With educational opportunities including a line-up of presentations from industry experts, and CPR training and worksite tours of some of Canberra’s key facilities, the 2023 ANZSOM ASM is an event you don’t want to miss!
Register by the end of July to take advantage of Early Bird discounts (for ANZSOM and AFOEM members).
For more information and to register, visit the ANZSOM website.
Musculoskeletal injuries from the occupational health professional perspective
ANZSOM WA Branch is pleased to invite you to their Mini-Conference on Sunday, 13 August 2023. The conference will be held at the Sebel Mandurah and will be offered in-person to all those in WA, as well as anyone who would like to travel from interstate. The conference will also be streamed to those from interstate or overseas.
Registrations are now open. For more information, visit the ANZSOM website.
Coming to you this month are some great learning opportunities:
Nurse Focus Webinar Series
Neurodiversity and the workplace
Presenters: Beverley Dales (Psychotherapist) and Daniella Collicelli (Clinical Counsellor)
Date: Wednesday, 19 July 2023, 7pm AEST
#itswhatyouknow – WA Branch Webina
Are you paying attention? A neuropsychological spotlight on ADHD at Work
Presenter: Dr Liz Vuletich, Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist
Date: Wednesday, 26 July 2023, 6pm AWST / 8pm AEST
Sponsored by Knight Health
Visit the ANZSOM website for more information and to register.
Not an ANZSOM member?
Join ANZSOM.
Subscribe to ANZSOM news.
Ep96: The ergonomics of AI
The allure of having devices and tasks assisted by artificial intelligence (AI) is that they will help overcome some of the natural limits of human cognition with regards to working memory and attention. And in helping with the mundane tasks, AI can buy clinicians back time to spend with the complex patients who really need it. But the way all this pans out will really depend on how seamlessly the machine learning devices fit in with the clinical workflow.
Which aspect of clinical decision-making do they support and how are the consequences of error mitigated? Only a small fraction of research projects make it all the way to implementation, and in this podcast we discuss the ergonomic factors that need to be solved to effectively use AI in clinical decision support.
Guests
- Associate Professor Clair Sullivan MBBS FRACP FACHI FAIDH CHIA (Director, Queensland Digital Health Centre; University of Queensland)
- Professor Enrico Coiera MBBS PhD FACMI, FACHI (Director, Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation; Macquarie University).
Please visit the Pomegranate Health web page for a transcript and supporting references. Login to MyCPD to record listening reading as a prefilled learning activity. Subscribe to new episode email alerts or search for ‘Pomegranate Health’ in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, or any podcasting app.
This engaging webinar will cover what the future of digital health entails, and where technology is leading the national health system.
Join members of the RACP’s Digital Health Advisory Group to find out what the College is doing to meet these exciting and evolving technological trends. Plus, listen as experts discuss digital competencies for the next generation of physicians, as well as the challenges of integrating digital health into the training curricula.
Date and time: Wednesday, 26 July 2023 from 5pm to 6.15pm (AEST)
Register to attend.
Trainees, to assist us in developing digital health training and educational resources and opportunities that suit trainees’ needs, we are asking for your input. You are invited to complete a short survey to help us to understand your current level of digital health experience and skills.
Findings from the survey will guide us in developing appropriate digital health resources and professional development opportunities, and identify areas where you may need further training, education and support.
Take the survey.
RACP Online Learning offers a wide array of dynamic online resources to support you in maintaining the highest professional standards in your field. Our comprehensive resources will enable you to upskill and develop across all of the professional practice domains, including in areas such as quality and safety, ethics, cultural safety, advocacy, communication and beyond. Unleash your full potential with our diverse range of educational resources.
Don’t forget to claim CPD for time spent on RACP Online Learning.
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RACP 2023 Member Satisfaction Survey (MSS) - now live
Your College. Your voice. We’re listening.
From Monday 10 July and by Wednesday 12 July, you should have received an email from surveys@slmr.com.au with the subject heading: Have your Say – RACP Satisfaction Survey 2023 containing the survey link. If you didn't receive this email, please contact us.
The survey is being conducted by EY Sweeney, an independent contractor. They will provide aggregated results back to us and any individual comments are not identified as coming from a specific member – your survey responses are anonymous.
The MSS survey findings were used to inform the 2022-2026 Strategy Plan and are the means to measure our success via several key measures.
Please complete the survey and have your say so we can understand your overall satisfaction with your College and identify areas for improvement. The survey closes on Monday, 7 August 2023.
More information about the survey is available on the RACP website.
By completing your ‘my work profile’ you will provide us with valuable insights which we can use to make evidence-based and informed advocacy decisions for improving workforce planning. All you need to do is log in to My RACP, click ‘update my work profile’ and answer a few questions about your work activities.
Complete ‘my work profile’.
Did you know that you can tag your ROC posts so other members can easily find them? Tagging increases the visibility of your posts and makes your content searchable. Adding a topic tag enables you, and your colleagues, to find information on a specific topic by simply searching for the tag that’s been used. It is helpful way to find information if you don't know where to start.
Completing your member profile is another good way to increase your visibility and engage with other members. It helps build your network by allowing other members to learn more about you, your work, and your interests. This can lead to new opportunities for networking and collaboration.
Visit ROC tips to find out more.
Your benefits platform has great savings this July. Save on groceries, shopping, whitegoods, health insurance, travel and more! Available online, 24/7. That's your Member Advantage! *Terms & Conditions apply.
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AFOEM contact details
AFOEM Faculty enquiries (including Council and committees):
LynFay Shapiro
AFOEM Executive Officer
Email: afoem@racp.edu.au
AFOEM Education and Training enquiries:
Education Officer
Phone: +61 2 8247 6268
Email: occenvmed@racp.edu.au
AFOEM Examination enquiries:
Examination Coordinator, Assessment Services
Email: faculty.examinations@racp.edu.au
AFOEM training site accreditation inquiries:
Site Accreditation Unit
Email: accreditation@racp.edu.au
AFOEM CPD enquiries:
Email: mycpd@racp.edu.au