AFOEM eBulletin - 19 July 2024
It has been a busy time recently. College Council met on 6 June and a paper was presented on the physician of the future. This comprehensive review reflects considerable efforts by the Working Group. AFOEM suggested the importance of employment as a treatment modality be included in training, and some knowledge of workplace biopsychosocial issues.
AFOEM Council met on 12 June and spent quite some time discussing the Curriculum Review. Council agreed with the recommendation to remove Stage A. It was also considered an opportune time to revisit entry and prerequisite training. In addition, Council considered it was timely for AFOEM to not continue to be categorised as ‘Advanced Training’ as this causes confusion with hospital-based training following completion of Basic Physician Training. Recommendations on this issue and entry and prerequisite training have been passed back to the Education Committee to discuss with the Curriculum Working Group.
The Board has endorsed a recommendation from the Education Governance Working Group to streamline the training and committees in response to AMC concerns. In my view, these concerns primarily apply to Divisional training programs, however the recommended changes will affect Faculty training programs. This may lead to changes transferring responsibility for Faculty training to the College Education Committee instead of Faculty Councils. In response to concerns from the Faculty Presidents, the Board has agreed implementation will need to be monitored closely and carefully.
There are several EOIs that have been released recently. An EOI for a chair of Health Benefits of Good Work® at Expressions of Interest (racp.edu.au).
There is also a need for a trainee representative on the Faculty Education Committee. This role assumes even greater importance with the proposed changes to the Curriculum and entry prerequisites. The EOI link is: Trainee Representative, Faculty Education Committee (FEC)
There is an EOI for the AFOEM NSW/ACT Training Program Director. I would like to thank Dr Peter Yu for his efforts in this role and for coordinating the recent excellent training program following Congress 2024. The link is: AFOEM Training Program Director NSW/ACT.
The Kevin Sleigh Memorial Lecture will be held in the RACP Melbourne office and online on Monday, 26 August. Dr Ryan Hoy will be presenting on ‘Asthma and the Firefighter: Beyond the Pre-employment Medical’. Register here.
Finally, a reminder about upcoming ANZSOM meetings:
The ANZSOM Annual Scientific Meeting will be held in Perth (WA) from 20 to 23 October. Early bird registration is open until Friday, 9 August.
ANZSOM (NZ) will be holding a conference in Christchurch from 12 to 14 September. Details will be provided on their website shortly.
Dr Warren Harrex
AFOEM President
AFOEM has been a loud voice for advocacy on workplace silicosis, associated with engineered stone, which has led to introduction of significant actions to eliminate this preventable disease. Most recently, a ban on engineered stone across Australia came into effect from 1st July 2024. To support physicians and other medical practitioners, we've updated our silicosis webpage to include important information about the reforms that are still needed.
Through the RACP Foundation, the College offers financial support to Fellows and trainees pursuing careers in medical research. Over 50 different fellowships, scholarships and grants are available annually, totalling over $2.5 million in funding.
In 2025, the following Faculty awards are available:
- AFOEM Registrar Travel Fellowship – ($10,000) provides support to an AFOEM registrar to undertake overseas study in an aspect of occupational and environmental medicine.
- AFOEM Research Development Grant – ($30,000) available to fund smaller research projects to support and encourage research in the field of occupational and environmental medicine.
Applications for Research Development Grants and Travel Grants close Wednesday, 31 July 2024. Faculty Fellows and trainees across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand are eligible to apply for most awards.
Please refer to the RACP Foundation webpage for information on specific eligibility requirements for each award.
The RACP Trainee Research Awards (TRAs) 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 will be invited to present their work alongside recognised researchers.
Applications open on Monday, 1 July to Saturday, 31 August 2024.
Please visit the webpage for further details and eligibility criteria.
Neil Hamilton Fairley Medal
The Neil Hamilton Fairley Medal is one of the RACP’s most prestigious awards, acknowledging an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of medicine.
The Award honours the internationally renowned work of esteemed Australian physician, Brigadier Sir Neil Hamilton Fairley KBE CStJ FRACP FRCP FRCPE FRS. Sir Neil Hamilton Fairley is remembered as a visionary whose knowledge and persistence led to numerous vital contributions in medicine.
Nominations close Wednesday, 31 July 2024.
Eric Susman Prize
The Eric Susman Prize is a prestigious award for the best contribution to the knowledge of any branch of internal medicine. The Eric Susman Medal is presented at the RACP Convocation Ceremony.
Nominations close Saturday, 31 August 2024.
More details are available on the RACP Foundation webpage or email foundation@racp.edu.au for more information.
This free hybrid event will take place on Friday, 26 July 2024. Members and non-members are invited to attend and support our 2023 award recipients as they present their research in the Council Room at 145 Macquarie Street, Sydney.
Registrations open soon. More information to follow.
Join us for the Kevin Sleigh Memorial Lecture – Asthma and the firefighter: Beyond the pre-employment medical – on Monday, 26 August 2024 in-person at our RACP Melbourne office or online.
The Kevin Sleigh Memorial Lecture was established in 2019 as a tribute to Kevin and his contribution to occupational medicine. The lecture and the Kevin Sleigh Medal provide an opportunity to reflect on his legacy and recognise these attributes in others.
Hosted by the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM), in conjunction with ANZSOM and WorkSafe Victoria, the Lecture will be presented by Dr Ryan Hoy MBBS, FRACP, MOccEnvHlth.
Date: Monday, 26 August 2024
Time: Arrival from 5.30pm, light meal served at 6pm, presentation starts 6.30pm inhouse and online
Location: RACP Melbourne office, Level 2, 417 St Kilda Road, Melbourne or online
Register now
ANZSOM, in conjunction with AFOEM as Scientific Program Partner, is pleased to invite you to the ANZSOM Annual Scientific Meeting on Sunday, 20 to Wednesday, 23 October 2024 in Perth, Western Australia.
The theme for ANZSOM’s ASM is ‘Innovate, Integrate, Inspire: Navigating the future of occupational medicine’ and will highlight cutting-edge innovations, foster collaboration across various sectors, and inspire fresh approaches that will shape the future of our profession.
Early bird registrations will be open until Friday, 9 August, with AFOEM Fellows and trainees eligible for discounted rates. Register and view the program.
Not an ANZSOM member?
Click here to join ANZSOM
Click here to subscribe to ANZSOM news
Do you have a project idea aimed at supporting non-GP specialist medical trainees and workforce in regional, rural, and remote Australia? Apply for a Commonwealth funded Flexible Approach to Training in Expanded Settings (FATES) program grant.
FATES offers an innovative funding pool to encourage projects that support:
- flexible specialist training
- training support
- accreditation practices
Applications for FATES Round 4 funding open Monday, 22 July to Wednesday, 31 July 2024.
Please refer to the STP page of the RACP website for details on how to apply, key dates and what are the priority areas the Department is looking to support.
If you have questions or need clarification around the eligibility of a planned project, please email stp@racp.edu.au.
Just a reminder that from 1 July 2024, Services Australia will only accept details of the proposed PBS prescription (and PDF form where appropriate) when seeking PBS authority approval via the post.
Once processed, the assessment outcome will be sent to you via the post. If approved, you will need to endorse the original PBS authority prescription with the PBS Approval Number and PBS item code.
It’s important to note that all original prescriptions Services Australia receives via the post that are written on or after 1 July 2024 will be immediately returned to you. Services Australia will retain a copy of the prescription for processing.
Services Australia has a broad range of educational resources on the Health Professional Education Resources website. This includes simulations, podcast and an infographic on the Online PBS Authorities system. If you require any further information, please do not hesitate contact: Authorities.comms.change@servicesaustralia.gov.au
The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care is excited to announce the launch of the National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP) website. You can visit the website here: National Lung Cancer Screening Program.
The NLCSP website offers valuable information for participants, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders, including:
- Importance and eligibility: Learn why lung screening is crucial, who qualifies for the program, and how the screening process works.
- Implementation details: Get updates on the program's rollout and the ongoing efforts to ensure it is equitable, accessible, and culturally safe from July 2025.
- Healthcare providers' role: Understand the vital role healthcare providers play and the support available to ensure the program's success.
- Advisory bodies and contacts: Find information about the program's advisory bodies, clinical and jurisdictional contacts, and how to reach the Department.
The website will be regularly updated with the latest information on the program’s design and implementation, including opportunities for stakeholder consultation and collaboration.
Please share this information with your networks and contacts. For any questions or to suggest additional information for the website, please email lungcancerscreening@health.gov.au.
Australia is a big and sparsely populated continent. Twenty-eight percent of Australians live in areas classified regional, rural or remote and their access to health services is much more limited. It’s estimated that between 2009 and 2011 there were 19,000 excess deaths in regional and remote areas as compared to the major cities. No doubt, socioeconomic disadvantage is a factor in that mortality gap, but inequitable access to healthcare is also a major driver. In this podcast we focus specifically on the shortage in health practitioners in the regions.
Even in regional centres, the density of physicians by population count is two thirds what it is in the major cities. By the time you get to large rural towns it’s just over a third that baseline. In this podcast we discuss opportunities to lift recruitment and retention. This means improving the experience for trainees and the esteem for rural medicine in the eyes of the profession at large.
Guests
Adjunct Professor Graeme Maguire PhD FRACP MHM MPHTM (President Adult Medicine Division, RACP and Director of Medical Education, WA Country Health Service).
Dr Sarah Straw FRACP (WACHS Kimberley Regional Physician Team; Northern Hospital, Melbourne; Rural, Regional and Remote Working Group, RACP).
Associate Professor Matthew McGrail PhD (Head Regional Training Hub Research, University of Queensland).
Please visit the Pomegranate Health web-page for a transcript and supporting references. Login to MyCPD to record listening and 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.
https://www.racp.edu.au/pomegranate/view/ep109-cultivating-a-rural-workforce
The RACP podcast, Pomegranate Health, has published over 100 episodes since starting out eight years ago.
To provide more frequent and focused content we’re seeking contributions from our speciality societies, committees and affiliated professional organisations.
To hear what this would sound like, listen to the episodes tagged [IMJ On-Air]
These episodes feature authors published in the Internal Medicine Journal being interviewed by the relevant section editor.
They have covered themes as varied as asthma management, hospital-acquired complications, causes of readmission and the JEV outbreak.
You already spend considerable time preparing lectures and webinars for your colleagues.
Audio podcasts provide an easy way to reach thousands more around the world.
Each episode gets downloaded around 6500 times over the first 12 months from publication, with 21 per cent of listeners located outside of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
All you need to do is to organise one or more presenters and an interviewer familiar with the material. The podcast producer will coordinate an online recording lasting about one hour and then edit it down before publication. The intention would be to ‘brand’ regular episodes from your specialty society or organisation in the same way that we’ve done with [IMJ On-Air].
Please send any questions or ideas to podcast@racp.edu.au
As doctors, your career is all about improving the health of others — but sometimes this can come at the cost of looking after your own. While you may be less likely to suffer from lifestyle-related illnesses, reports have shown that you are more vulnerable to mental health and wellbeing issues compared to the general population.
The RACP’s previous work on the Health of Doctors identified that one reason you may struggle with self-care is due to your natural tendency to prioritise others before yourself. This risk can lead to negative impacts on your own health, which can in turn affect patient care and their families.
To raise awareness about the importance of prioritising your health and wellbeing while supporting your professional journey, the College’s Member Health and Wellbeing Committee developed the RACP Member Wellbeing Framework. The Framework sets out overarching domains of wellbeing, provides links to relevant resources for each domain and includes a link to an evidence-based self-assessment tool, plus so much more.
Read the Framework or find out more
By completing your ‘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 your ‘work profile’
Mentor Match is designed to support your professional development needs. It’s an innovative, online tool that facilitates the establishment of mentoring relationships. It is user-driven, allowing registered Mentees to search among registered Mentors using specified criteria to find individuals whose experience and expertise match areas in which they wish to be mentored. Likewise, registered Mentors can search for and identify potential Mentees. Mentor Match is a benefit of membership and is available only to members via the RACP Online Community (ROC).
Log in to the ROC and find out more
Save on all your favourite lifestyle and service brands from leading retailers across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand – with RACP Benefits. Our lifestyle benefits portal offers you exclusive discounts and genuine savings on items in a range of popular categories. To celebrate the launch of RACP Benefits, we have some great offers for you to explore.
So log in today and take advantage of your RACP Benefits
The RACP is seeking your feedback on gaps and opportunities for improvement in the College Learning Series (CLS). We also need your help to identify exemplar lectures. Tell us which CLS lecture/s you liked and why. Your feedback will help future presenters deliver high quality, engaging lectures that meet your needs and expectations.
Did you know that you can now update your address details online? Simply log in to MyRACP and go to 'Edit my details'.
Visit the RACP website to view more Expressions of Interest
AFOEM contact details
AFOEM Faculty enquiries (including Council and committees):
AFOEM Executive Officer
Jane Konjevic
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
Aotearoa NZ AFOEM office:
Email: AoNZ_AFRM@racp.org.nz