AFOEM eBulletin - 28 March 2024
Some of you may have noticed a new name on some of our Faculty emails. We warmly welcome our Administrative Assistant, Niamh Hayes, who is providing much needed support to the Faculties.
The program for RACP Congress 2024, on 16 and 17 May, is nearly finalised. Congress is a great opportunity to hear from our orators and the latest clinical updates from a range of specialty societies and earn CPD hours.
Some of the sessions that you may find useful include:
- Ferguson-Glass Oration: the mental health of healthcare staff and what can be done to improve it
- Ramazzini Prize presentations: awarded annually for the best scientific paper related to occupational and environmental medicine
- Health and wellbeing in the healthcare sector: delivered by an esteemed panel of speakers including occupational physicians
- Artificial intelligence: shaping the healthcare landscape.
Registration for Congress may still be made via the RACP Congress website.
The 2024 AFOEM Annual Training Meeting (ATM) will immediately follow Congress on 18 to 19 May at the RACP premises on Level 27, 1 O'Connell St, Sydney. Worksite visits will be conducted on Monday, 20 May.
I would like to congratulate the very worthy recipients of the President’s Awards: Dr Sheila Uyirwoth for the trainee award; Dr Mathew Brandt, the award for Education, Training and Assessment, and Dr Teri Lillington for Policy and Advocacy.
The 12 members of the Working Group have completed their review of the AFOEM Curriculum. The initial draft was prepared by Dr Kalesh Seevnarain. The revised curriculum is being forwarded to Council for consideration and endorsement. A major recommendation is to replace Stage A with predetermined postgraduate training. In addition, important additions include increased emphasis on mental health and environmental issues. Those trainees currently under Stage A will continue under the current system.
Comments on the Education Governance Review Working Group may still be forwarded for consideration. AFOEM members are strongly encouraged to provide feedback so that specific Faculty requirements are considered and addressed.
Following on from the intention to ban the use of engineered stone in Australia, Dr Alexandra Muthu has had good media coverage advocating for the Aotearoa New Zealand government to also introduce a ban on the use of engineered stone, or implement rigorous controls of engineered stone importers and fabricators. She is also advocating for the establishment of an official registry of people with workplace silica dust exposure to allow for their long-term follow-up and support.
The Board has provided College Council with an update on significant investments in IT, and procurement of a customer relations management system as well as the creation of a position of a Chief Information Officer. The cost of the investments will come from accumulated savings.
Finally, don’t miss your chance to make a difference to the future of the RACP. Voting is currently underway for Board positions. It’s in the interest of all members to elect those who can best represent our collective interests. Information on voting was sent by email from CorpVote Voting Services to all members on 15 March. Please take a few minutes to cast your vote.
Dr Warren Harrex
AFOEM President
RACP Congress is shaping up to be an exciting event, with something for everyone. If you haven't seen the program, we encourage you to check it out, as more details have been recently added. If you are staying on after RACP Congress, here are some highlights of what to do in Sydney.
Don't forget to add a ticket to one of the social highlights of the program, the Gala Dinner when you register.
Ask an Expert
One of the features is the Ask an Expert sessions, where you can connect with other members to find out more about a range of topics such as a career as a doctor, study tips, how to get involved with advocacy and gain media coverage, and more. These one-to-one sessions will be available for all delegates during the breaks.
To submit an expression of interest to be one of our ‘experts’, please email racpcongress@racp.edu.au with the topic and some brief information on your experience with the topic.
The rapid fire clinical updates
In the rapid fire clinical updates, you can add to your knowledge by finding out more about the latest updates from a range of specialty societies.
Here are just some of the updates for you to enjoy:
- What is an obstetric physician, and considering obstetric medicine as a sub-specialty
- HIV clinical indicator testing: reducing the missed diagnosis
- Recognising Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: a clinical update
- An update on the diagnosis of gestational diabetes
- The changing face of multiple sclerosis epidemiology.
RACP Congress 2024: Shaping Healthcare is a forum for physicians to unite, collaborate, and drive the future of healthcare. Join us and take this opportunity to engage with the broader specialist community.
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. Some learning objectives include:
- Assess the task demands and environment of the work of an employee
- Describe the general principles of workplace assessment
- Apply a screening test to a work group
- Assess the degree of contamination and the health risks of a contaminated site.
More detail regarding site visits and the full program will be uploaded to the website closer to the event. Registrations are now open.
Register.
Save the Date: ANZSOM Western Australian Branch Annual Scientific Meeting
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.
Find out more
The 2024 RACP AFOEM Educational Development Grant worth up to $10,000 is just one of the grants offered in this round. This grant can go towards gaining new technical expertise, training at an institution, or providing further educational opportunities for a group in fields and competencies relevant to occupational and environmental medicine.
Other Educational Development Grants available include:
- Skilled Medical Scholarship for Advancement of Indigenous Health
- Aotearoa New Zealand Educational Development Grant
Visit the RACP Foundation webpage to see the eligibility criteria for each award and to access the online application form.
Applications for the RACP Foundation Research Awards for 2025 will open on Wednesday, 1 May 2024.
Upwards of 50 awards up to a total value of $2.5M are available across the different categories: Career Development Fellowships, Research Establishment Fellowships and Research Entry Scholarships.
Fellows and trainees across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand are eligible to apply for most awards.
Applications for Research Development Grants and Travel Grants will open Monday, 17 June 2024.
These include the following Faculty Awards:
- AFOEM Research Development Scholarship $30,000
- AFOEM Registrar Travel Fellowship $10,000
Please refer to the RACP Foundation webpage for information on specific eligibility requirements for each award.
Nominations for the Neil Hamilton Fairley Medal for 2025 are now open. Established in 1969, this medal is awarded by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) every five years to recognise an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of medicine.
This award is open to both RACP Fellows as well as individuals outside the RACP. The nominee must be nominated by a Fellow of RACP to be considered.
Details on the nomination process and selection criteria are available on the RACP website. Nominations close on Wednesday, 31 July 2024.
“Culturally safe supervision is important for building trust, developing supervisors’ cultural safety, retaining Indigenous healthcare professionals, mitigating cultural bias and stereotyping, acknowledging historical injustices, aligning with ethical and legal standards, and contributing to broader systemic change.” – Dr Kimberley Male, RACP Basic Trainee and Chair of the Culturally Safe Supervision Working Group.
Watch this 70-minute webinar recording to hear from the panel of experts: Wendy Edmondson, Dr Kimberley Male and Dr Louis Peachey on the Referendum's impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainees and learn how as supervisors you can provide culturally safe support. The webinar explores:
- How the referendum has and will continue to impact Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander trainees, colleagues, and patients
- How supervisors can be mindful of this impact when supervising Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander trainees
- Information for supervisors to find out more about and implement culturally safe supervision in their practice.
Watch the webinar
To support further learning about Culturally Safe Supervision, the panel of speakers has also provided some additional resources.
This webinar was delivered as part of the RACP’s Culturally Safe Supervision project, which has been funded by the Australian Government through the Flexible Approach to Training in Expanded Settings (FATES) program. This project will deliver a comprehensive suite of resources for supervisors. We encourage you stay up to date by checking the suite of resources regularly as we unveil more educational resources for supervisors. New resources are being developed over the next 12 months and will be added as they are made available.
Last November an NHS Hospital Trust in Nottingham sought permission from the UK High Court to withdraw life support from a seven-month-old girl called Indi Gregory. The devastated parents did not want to give up on her although they were advised there was no hope of treatment for her profound developmental disability. The family and the medical teams returned to court two more times, right up to the day that Indi was to be extubated.
Conflicts over care have always existed but their frequency has increased as medicinal advances present more options for intervention even in the sickest patients. Added to that, the online media environment allows advocacy campaigns to grow until they spill onto the streets outside hospitals and courtrooms. This heightened tension causes moral injury both to parents and healthcare staff looking after child patients. The Medical Mediation Foundation has developed a conflict management framework to help avoid or de-escalate such disputes and keep attention focused on the best interests of the patient. In this podcast we hear from the director of the foundation, as well as three staff from the Starship Hospital, Auckland who have undertaken this training.
Guests
- Ms Sarah Barclay (Director, the Medical Mediation Foundation)
- Dr Louise Webster MBChB RANZCP FRACP (Paediatric Consult Liaison Team, Starship Hospital)
- Dr Fiona Miles FRACP FFICANZCA (Paediatric Intensivist, Starship Hospital)
- Ms Fiona McIver (nurse specialist, Starship Hospital)
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.
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’
When you join the RACP Online Community (ROC), you can post questions and start discussions with other members. But did you know that the ROC also features a Member Directory and Special Interest Directory designed to help you find and connect with your colleagues?
The easy-to-use directories allow you to search by name, location, Division, Faculty, Chapter and/or specialty and are the perfect way to chat directly with other members and expand your network of contacts across the membership.
Log in to the ROC to connect with your peers.
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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):
Melinda Edwards
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