AFOEM eBulletin - 26 April 2024
As we commemorate Anzac Day this week, it's important to recognise the immense sacrifices made by countless young Australians and New Zealanders over the decades. Military service is undeniably one of the most perilous professions, impacting not only physical health but also mental well-being. The ongoing Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide underscores this stark reality. Additionally, we need to express our gratitude to the dedicated uniformed and civilian health professionals who tirelessly work to safeguard the health and well-being of our servicemen and women. There remains a considerable vast and deeply fulfilling challenge in occupational medicine, providing support to our service personnel, and our members have much to contribute to this sector.
Workplace mental health has recently come into the spotlight due to incidents involving violent acts by individuals with pre-existing mental health conditions. First responders, including security guards, police, and paramedics have been placed at risk when intervening when responding to horrific events. The theme of the RACP Congress 2024 keynote address, to be delivered by Professor Neil Greenberg, an occupational psychiatrist, will focus on mental health in the workplace. Registration for Congress on 16 and 17 May can still be made via the RACP Congress website.
The AFOEM Annual Members Meeting is proposed to take place during Congress on Friday, 17 May at 0800. In addition to the President’s report, Dr Armand Casolin PSM will provide an update on Policy and Advocacy, and Dr Tony Brown will provide a report on Education and Training.
Recently, many of you would have received the notification that the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry will begin on 22 May 2024. The National Registry will capture and share data on the incidence of occupational respiratory diseases, causative exposures, and respiratory health data. Starting from that date, it will be mandatory in Australia for all prescribed medical practitioners (including occupational and environmental physicians) to notify diagnoses of silicosis to the National Registry. However, there has been a lack of information from the Department of Health and Ageing regarding how reporting will be implemented and how the Registry will be accessed.
AFOEM Council will be discussing the draft Curriculum Review later next month. Although this curriculum has been developed over a very short period, implementation remains a critical issue to address before endorsement. For example, the removal of Stage A will necessitate a revision of entry requirements. Additionally, questions have arisen about why AFOEM (and AFPHM) continue to be classified as advanced training programs. Perhaps the required foundation knowledge for our specialty should be incorporated into a basic occupational and environmental medicine physician training program, with a separate advanced training program. This is indeed the appropriate time to implement these changes, ensuring that the updated curriculum and training program are resilient and forward-looking for at least the next decade.
Dr Rob McDonald has been chosen as the AFOEM representative on the Mentally Healthy Workplace Alliance (MHWA). This role is crucial in promoting mental wellbeing in workplaces, and we commend Dr McDonald’s commitment to this cause.
An Expression of Interest (EOI) will be released shortly for the position of Chair of the Health Benefits of Good Work® Executive Group. This follows the recent resignation of Mary Wyatt from the role. We would welcome interest from members with an interest in this role.
We extend our warm congratulations to Mr Steffan Faurby, who has been appointed as our interim CEO, with effect from 15 April 2024. His leadership will be vital to the College’s success.
Looking ahead, I eagerly anticipate connecting with many of our members at the upcoming Congress and the 2024 Annual Training Meeting. These events provide valuable opportunities for learning, networking, and collaboration.
Dr Warren Harrex
AFOEM President
RACP Congress is being held at Sydney’s International Convention Centre on Thursday, 16 and Friday, 17 May. The program covers diverse topics that will impact the future of our profession. This is a great opportunity to hear from local and international subject matter experts across different specialities, earn your CPD hours and network with your colleagues.
Some key sessions across the two days include:
- Ferguson-Glass Oration delivered by Professor Neil Greenberg
- Ramazzini Prize presentations
- Focusing on our health and wellbeing panel discussion
- Practical climate action for physicians
Howard Williams Medal Oration
Presented this year by Professor Alistair Gunn, Professor of Paediatrics and Physiology at the University of Auckland. Professor Gunn will be presenting on The development of therapeutic hypothermia; from bench to cotside.
Artificial Intelligence: shaping the healthcare landscape
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is impacting medical and healthcare systems globally. Join Professor Enrico Coiera as he presents a roadmap for AI in healthcare within Australia. His presentation will be followed by a discussion with panel members who share their experiences of using AI in their profession.
This is shaping up to be an insightful two days and we hope to see you there.
Register now
We are pleased to announce the AFOEM Annual Training Meeting (ATM) will be held in Sydney from Saturday, 18 to Monday, 20 May 2024. The ATM will be held at the RACP office at Level 27, 1 O’Connell Street, Sydney.
Site visits will take place on Monday, 20 May.
The three-day ATM provides trainees with invaluable experience and knowledge, along with the chance to learn, share, and network together. It is an integral part of the AFOEM training program.
A variety of worksite visits are offered as practical learning opportunities. The worksite visits provide trainees with the opportunity to hone their skills in Return to Work and Risk Assessment, as required by AFOEM.
More detail regarding site visits and the full program will be uploaded to the website closer to the event. Registrations are now open.
Register.
The Australian and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine (ANZSOM) Western Australian Branch is hosting the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) on 20 to 23 October 2024, in Perth. The theme for this year's event is: 'Innovate, Integrate, Inspire | Navigating the Future of Occupational Medicine'.
The 2024 ASM is shaping up to be an enriching educational conference that promises valuable insights, networking opportunities, and practical strategies. The conference committee is working tirelessly to create a diverse program featuring presentations, workshops, site visits, and panel discussions led by industry experts.
So, mark your calendar and start planning your attendance, as we highlight cutting-edge innovations, foster collaboration across various sectors, and inspire fresh approaches that will shape the future of our profession.
Sponsorship opportunities are available. Find out more
All approved specialists* who prescribe stimulant medicines for Western Australian residents are required to apply for approval to prescribe stimulant medicines and comply to the criteria and conditions for prescribing stimulants outlined in the code. Approved specialists are no longer required to have a practice address in WA. A patient may only be under treatment with stimulants by one approved Stimulant Prescriber at a time. Before commencing treatment with stimulants, a Stimulant Prescriber must notify the Department of Health. This includes when a patient transfers to a new Stimulant Prescriber, even if they are already in treatment with stimulants.
A new notification is required if any of the following stimulant treatment details change:
- patient name
- authorised stimulant prescriber
- nominated co-prescriber (including change of co-prescriber place of practice).
It is the responsibility of the Stimulant Prescriber to give notice to a co-prescriber that they have been nominated to assist in prescribing stimulants for a patient.
- Prescription is written on or after 13 December 2023
- Patient has a Western Australian residential address on the prescription
- Prescription is written by an approved specialist*:
*Approved specialists include:
- psychiatrist
- child and adolescent psychiatrist
- paediatrician
- neurologist
- paediatric neurologist
- rehabilitation physician
- paediatric rehabilitation physician
- respiratory and sleep physician
- thoracic medicine physician
Find out more
Women & Leadership Australia has announced new scholarships to enable more women to access world-class leadership and workplace skill development programs. By combining cutting-edge leadership theory with practical application, and a flexible part-time delivery, Women & Leadership Australia offers an unparalleled learning experience designed to fit into your busy schedule.
With partial scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, there are four programs to suit women innon-leadership roles all the way up to senior executives. Applications close on Friday,14 June2024 unless allocated prior.
Find out more
Today’s guests are the hosts of This Medical Life, a podcast that delves into the archives of medical history. Dr Travis Brown describes the period after World War I when the Spanish Flu was killing tens of millions around the world. In the USA whiskey was thought to be a powerful prophylactic but distribution was not an easy thing. Later in the episode (22min) is the equally unlikely tale of how the pomegranate made its way from ancient myth onto this podcast by way of Henry VIII.
Guests
- Dr Travis Brown MBBS, FRCPA (ClinPath Pathology)
- Steve Davis MBA FAMI CPM (Talked About Marketing)
Please visit the Pomegranate Health web page for a transcript and supporting references. Log in 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.
Listen to the podcast
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
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’
Did you know that the ROC is a secure online forum and series of communities exclusively for RACP Fellows and trainees?
The ROC is your space – a private community where you can connect with your colleagues, share useful resources, and discuss topics of interest in a healthy and respectful manner.
Some of the other features of the ROC include:
Mentor Match – an innovative tool to help you connect with other members, based on your mentoring preferences and professional goals.
Member Directory – an online directory that enables you to find your colleagues, connect with them, and chat directly.
Special Interest Directory – a searchable database of members' special interests, speaker presentations, published papers and books.
Plus, so much more.
So make sure you log in to the ROC today to see what’s happening and be part of the conversation.
Log in to the ROC, review our FAQ's page or email community@racp.edu.au for more details.
Save on all your favourite lifestyle and service brands from leading retailers across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand – with RACP Benefits. Our new 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.
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
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