AFRM eBulletin – 10 March 2023
After the settling in period from the holiday break and commencement of the new clinical year, AFRM work for 2023 is now in full swing. Our key committees have commenced their 2023 work. We have had our first exams for 2023. Our three-year workplan has been approved by the Board so resources can now be allocated to work on our projects, including development of the Binational Rehabilitation Strategy in collaboration with RMSANZ and continuing the work of the curriculum renewal project. Two very big pieces of work indeed.
Today’s President message is a brief update, but in future messages during the year I will provide more details on the progress of our major works and how you can be involved.
The Binational AFRM teaching program recommenced in February. A number of regions have begun teaching/CPD events including a trainee teaching event in Queensland on March 10 and the Aotearoa NZ AFRM Symposium on March 11. It is great to see face-to-face meetings return where we can not only learn in presentations, but also get to know each other and discuss issues during tea breaks.
I also note that abstract submissions are now open for the RMSANZ ASM which is being held in Hobart from 10 to 13 September. Registrations will open on 16 May. The theme looking at diversity and leadership is one of particular interest to me, so I am very much looking forward to attending. While thinking about RMSANZ, I might mention for any new AFRM members to please consider joining RMSANZ.
Thank you to all those members who have taken the time to provide feedback to the draft of the revised rehabilitation medicine curriculum. Comments are much appreciated and will assist with drawing together the final version of the revised curriculum.
It is RACP Board Director election time and the ballot is now open. The Board has oversight of the whole College and this is your chance to have a say in who is on that Board. Voting closes on 4 April and all members should have recently received an email (from CorpVote Voting) with online voting information.
Finally, I remind all Fellows that CPD time is fast approaching. If you haven’t completed your MyCPD documentation for 2022, please do it as soon as possible as the closing date to avoid a late fee is 31 March.
Dr Jennifer Mann
AFRM President
Rehab in Review is a surveillance journal of the literature most important to the practice of physical medicine and rehabilitation. The editors of this publication generously provide this publication to the Faculty and all its members at no cost. View the Rehab in Review January 2023 edition
Note: The AFRM log in details have been updated, so please check the website.
The 2023 RACP AFRM 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 appropriate institution, or participation and presenting a paper at a conference or scientific meeting in fields and competencies relevant to rehabilitation.
Other Educational Development Grants available include:
- Skilled Medical Scholarship for Advancement of Indigenous Health
- Aotearoa New Zealand Educational Development Grant
Applications for Round 1 of 2023 open Monday, 27 March 2023.
Find out more.
An eLearning course, managed by the University of Melbourne, is available on neurological rehabilitation. It provides an outline of neurological rehabilitation and covers the basic principles of management of disabilities resulting from a neurological condition.
Find out more.
The Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand (RMSANZ) 6th Annual Scientific Meeting will be held in Tasmania from 10 to 13 September 2023. The theme for this year’s conference is Diversity and Leadership.
Log in to the ROC to find out more.
The NSW Lecture Series & Bi National Training Program (BNTP) will proceed as scheduled between February and November 2023. Trainees can join via videoconference. Register for the lectures. Visit RACP events to find out more.
This is a friendly reminder to log in to MyCPD and complete your 2022 MyCPD submission by Friday, 31 March 2023. Please record a minimum of 100 CPD credits for last calendar year (1 January to 31 December 2022) or contact the CPD Team to discuss a CPD exemption for 2022.
Remember, your MyCPD record is open for 2023. It is recommended you record activities as you go.
Further details about the MyCPD framework are available in the following handbooks, including changes to CPD requirements for 2023, and the transition from CPD credits to CPD hours:
2022 MyCPD Framework / 2023 MyCPD Framework
As of 1 January 2023, all Australian medical practitioners need to select a CPD home.
There are plenty of benefits to completing your CPD through us. You can use our MyCPD platform to record your CPD activities, access helpful resources which are relevant to your scope of practice, take advantage of peer review opportunities on the RACP Online Community (ROC), and contact our CPD Team for tailored support.
My RACP. MyCPD Home.
Find out more.
We are pleased to release our new Member Health and Wellbeing Strategic Plan 2023-2026 which was developed by the Member Health and Wellbeing Committee (MHWC).
The MHWC developed the Plan using the following principles:
- The wellbeing of members is essential in all stages of their careers and lives.
- The individual, our College, and practice environments have a collective responsibility for member wellbeing.
- Wellbeing must be embedded into all College activities and culture, and modelled by leadership.
- Our College will advocate for and enable evidence-based practices to promote wellbeing.
We encourage you to read the Plan and look forward to rolling out the initiatives in the plan to better support you.
Ep92: Data-driven practice improvement
Medical and administrative records are normally collected to help the management of patients or institutions, but it can be time consuming to extract metrics useful for practice improvement.
However, these analytics can also give an overview of case load and performance, and draw attention to cases that stood out from the trend. This could help clinicians reflect and improve, and even act as a shortcut to meeting the new CPD requirements.
Guests
- Professor Tim Shaw (University of Sydney; Research Director, Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre)
- Dr David Rankin (Director Clinical Governance and Informatics, Cabrini Health)
Please visit the Pomegranate Health web page for a transcript and supporting references. Login to MyCPD to record 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 ‘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’.
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.
- Rehabilitation Consultant, Dubbo Private Hospital, NSW
- Senior Staff Specialist or Staff Specialist – Rehabilitation, Brighton Health Campus, QLD
- Leave Cover Rehabilitation Registrar, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria
- Rehabilitation Physician, Cairns, QLD
- Physician: General/Perioperative/Rehabilitation, Neurospine Institute, Perth, WA
View all positions vacant.
Conferences and Events
- Aotearoa NZ AFRM Symposium 2023, Saturday, 11 March 2023, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, RACP Office, Wellington
- 2023 Upper Limb Amputee Management Course, Monday, 27 March 2023, Online
- 2023 Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand 6th Annual Scientific Meeting, Sunday, 10 September to Wednesday, 13 September 2023, Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart
- NeuroRehabilitation Sunshine Coast Anatomy and Ultrasound Workshop - Friday, 5 to Saturday, 6 May 2023, 16 Innovation Parkway, Birtinya, QLD
Go to the events list at any time to see what events are coming up.
Rehabilitation Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand (RMSANZ)
RMSANZ is the professional body for rehabilitation physicians and trainees in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
AFRM contact details
Member enquiries
Phone: (AUS) 1300 69 7227
Phone: (AoNZ) 0508 69 7227
Email: memberservices@racp.edu.au
AFRM Faculty enquiries (including Council and Committees)
Email: afrm@racp.edu.au
AFRM Aotearoa NZ Committee
Marion Salter
Executive Officer, DFAC’s AoNZ
Phone: +64 4 460 8142
Email: nz_afrm@racp.org.nz
AFRM education and training enquiries
Education Officer
Phone: +61 8247 6233
Email: rehab@racp.edu.au
AFRM oral examination enquiries
Ella Campbell
Examination Coordinator
Phone: +61 2 9256 9659
Email: faculty.examinations@racp.edu.au
AFRM training site accreditation enquiries
Sophia Komarkowski
Education Officer
Phone: 1300 MYRACP (1300 697 227)
Email: accreditation@racp.edu.au