AFOEM eBulletin - 29 September 2023
I had the pleasure of meeting some of our members in Wellington and Hobart in recent weeks. There are similar issues with engaging with governments and key decision makers on the contributions that occupational and environmental physicians can make to addressing workers' compensation costs, health staff burnout and staff turnover. These are issues common in many jurisdictions and have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Generally, governments acknowledge that public health physicians have a crucial role in prevention and policy development for improving the health of the entire community. On the other hand, the role of occupational and environmental physicians in prevention and policy development is not widely appreciated as being essential to the health and safety of the workforce.
An opportunity to improve the awareness of our specialty has arisen with a review being undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics into the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO). ANZSCO is a skill-based classification used to describe all occupations in the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand labour markets. Governments, industry, and education providers use ANZSCO to inform and shape educational pathways, skilled migration programs, and workforce strategies. The review is intended to reflect a modern labour market and better meet stakeholder needs. Currently, occupational and environmental physicians are classified in the category of ‘other medical specialists’. AFOEM Council has developed and submitted for consideration a list of 12 statements that describe our specialty.
At the Council meeting on 4 September, David Jamieson, Manager, Marketing and Communications, provided a proposal to address the marketing of our specialty to potential clients and trainees. This includes a rewrite of the web pages focusing on these two key audiences and providing FAQs. In addition, David is planning to develop short promotional videos by interviewing some members at the ANZSOM meeting in Canberra in October. Registrations are still open for the ANZSOM Annual Scientific Meeting in Canberra from 22 to 25 October. The program and visits look fantastic and virtual attendance is available for those who cannot attend in person.
At our recent Council and FPAC meetings, members appreciated the valuable discussions held with Dr Jenny Martin, the Chair of the College Policy and Advocacy Committee, and with Louse McElvogue, the interim CEO. These discussions certainly improved our understanding of issues currently being addressed within the RACP.
With respect to the legislation on occupational respiratory diseases, the Senate referred the provisions of the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry Bill 2023 and the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2023 to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for review. The RACP and several other organisations made submissions to the Committee, generally supporting the legislation. These submissions and their recommendations were acknowledged and summarised but the Bills are being passed without change. This is disappointing as the RACP had advocated for amendments to the legislation to make the occupational respiratory disease registry more effective for the benefit of workers.
The Kevin Sleigh Memorial Lecture was held as a hybrid event on 28 August and attracted 95 attendees. Professor Karen Walker-Bone provided a thoughtful presentation on musculoskeletal pain and psychosocial issues. The presentation was informative and well-structured, and the use of published studies helped to make the presentation both relatable and engaging. Overall, it was a great session that left the audience with a better understanding of musculoskeletal pain and its relationship to psychosocial issues. This is likely to change our approach to patients with shoulder and upper limb pain.
I look forward to seeing other great presentations at the ANZSOM meeting in Canberra.
Dr Warren Harrex
AFOEM President
This series provides insight into the careers of retired and actively serving occupational physicians. The interview series supports a collaboration amongst our peers to develop projects for 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.
If you know someone deserving of recognition for their outstanding contributions and achievements, now is the time to nominate them for these prestigious College awards:
- The John Sands Medal recognises a Fellow who makes a significant contribution to the welfare of 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.
- International Medal recognises a member who has provided outstanding service in developing countries.
- 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.
- 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.
- Trainee of the Year Award recognises a trainee who has made an outstanding contribution to the College, community and trainee activities.
Nominations must be received in full by Saturday, 30 September 2023. Full details are available on the RACP Foundation webpage.
The AFOEM Essay Prize is open to medical students or interns in their first year after graduation. The prize is awarded for demonstrated excellence through essay, research project or assignment on occupational or environmental health.
Applications close Tuesday, 31 October 2023. Visit the webpage for further details.
Nominate a colleague to recognise their outstanding contributions to the Faculty in one of the following areas:
- Education, training and assessment
- Policy and advocacy
- Trainee commitment
Nominations open Sunday, 1 October 2023. See the website for more details and to nominate.
AFOEM is proud to offer the Indigenous Australian and Māori Health Scholarship for Occupational and Environmental Medicine as part of the RACP Indigenous Health Scholarship Program for 2024.
The program aims to support those medical graduates and current trainees of the RACP who identify as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Māori on their chosen career path to becoming a physician.
Several scholarships are available for 2024 including:
- College Indigenous Australian and Māori Health Scholarship
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Scholarship
Applications open Sunday, 1 October 2023. Visit the RACP Foundation website for more information.
We’re now just weeks away from the ANZSOM Annual Scientific Meeting in Canberra, and thanks to our well-established partnership, we have a program that will appeal widely to Fellows and trainees.
AFOEM members also get membership rates for registration.
Can't make it to Canberra?
Don't worry, ASM2023 is a hybrid event, giving delegates the choice of attending in person or virtually from anywhere in the world.
Virtual registration is $450 for AFOEM members and includes:
- Full access to all three days of the technical program - sessions will be broadcast live via our online conference portal where you'll be able to chat to fellow virtual delegates and join in the discussion.
- On-demand access to recordings and learning material - technical sessions will be recorded, and ANZSOM members will have access for six months after the conference.
For more information and to register, visit the ANZSOM website.
Not an ANZSOM member?
Join ANZSOM.
Subscribe to ANZSOM news.
The RACP podcast, Pomegranate Health, has just published its 100th episode since starting out eight years ago.
To continue to provide you with frequent and focused podcast content, we’re seeking contributions from our speciality societies, committees, and affiliated professional organisations.
Please send any questions, thoughts, or ideas of topics to podcast@racp.edu.au, including expressions of interest to present or to be interviewed on the podcast.
Calling all New Fellows! Join us online on Tuesday, 10 October 2023 as we dive into your journey into Fellowship. This is a great opportunity to learn about the changes to your membership, to understand your AHPRA requirements, and to have your questions answered by experts.
Register for this free event
It can be difficult to balance work pressures, interactions with colleagues and personal relationships. To help, we partnered with Converge International. Through the program, you can access confidential counselling, coaching and support for work and personal issues.
The RACP Support Program is a free 24/7, fully confidential and independent help line for Fellows and trainees. All RACP members receive four free sessions per year.
Make an appointment or speak directly with a Converge consultant on 1300 687 327 (Australia) or 0800 666 367 (Aotearoa New Zealand). Any information you give to Converge is completely confidential between you and your consultant.
Find out more
To commemorate our 85-year anniversary, the College invites its members to submit their stories to our 85-year anniversary publication. A total of 85 submissions will be curated into this keepsake publication to showcase the diverse journeys of our members and their personal connection with our College. All submissions will also be published in the College Roll.
Share your story or find out more
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’
Mentor Match is the latest addition to an expanding line-up of services 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
Spring is here and brings with it more amazing offers and savings from your benefits program. You can save on travel, automotive, groceries and more. Log in and save with your Member Advantage. Available online, 24/7. That's your Member Advantage.
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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:
Adella Song and Kathryn Glanze
Education Officers
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