Pot-pourri eBulletin - 13 September 2024
Each year, the PCHD Council hosts a discussion forum with a number of our RACP-affiliated paediatric specialty societies and paediatric Advanced Training Committees. This year’s event was held at the RACP’s 1 O’Connell Street, Sydney office on Friday, 16 August and saw attendance (mostly in-person) by 10 PCHD Council members, eight Specialty Society Chairs/Presidents (or delegates) and three Advanced Training Committee Chairs. It was fantastic to be able to spend a full day together, sharing our various challenges and priorities and seeking ways that we can work together and strengthen our relationships.
Attendees were provided with updates by College subject matter experts on the following topics:
- Curriculum Renewal project
- Training Management Platform
- College workforce activities
- Policy & Advocacy priorities and campaigns
- Advanced Training site accreditation
We’re currently working through the minutes and outcomes from the event and a more detailed summary will be provided in a future edition of this newsletter.
In August, I also had the opportunity to represent the Asia-Pacific Region at the International Pediatric Association’s (IPA) annual planning meeting in Casablanca, Morocco. I met with health care leaders from all regions including Latin America, Africa, Europe and North America to discuss common priority areas including workforce shortage, access to vaccines and the role of artificial intelligence in health care.
In recent news, it was very disappointing to see the Northern Territory government’s decision to reduce the age of criminal responsibility from 12 years to 10 years. We have previously advocated on ABC Radio and other media forums to canvas against what seems such a backward step. Aligning with this important topic, Anne Hollonds, National Children’s Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission, has advised of the tabling in Federal Parliament of the report: “Help way earlier! How Australia can transform child justice to improve safety and wellbeing”. This report presents opportunities to reform the child justice and related systems across Australia, and to improve the wellbeing of children at risk of, or in contact with, the justice system. It is based on extensive consultations and submissions, and the voices of more than 150 children and young people. For those able to attend, Commissioner Hollonds will be speaking to this report at the National Press Club of Australia on 2 October 2024 (ticketed event – see their website for details).
Lastly, it is my sad duty to advise of the death in July of Emeritus Professor Arthur Clark AM (1928 – 2024). Recognised by Monash Health as Foundation Professor Paediatrics and a highly influential figure in developing world-class children’s services, he is remembered as a good-humoured man, slow to anger, and described by one colleague as “ahead of his time in putting the child at the centre of care”.
Professor Clark served the College long and well, holding roles such as Censor-in-Chief/Chair of the Board of Censors 1980 – 1984, and finally RACP President 1988 – 1990. His involvement in such a high-level training role means that there will be many College members whose lives and careers have been shaped by Professor Clark’s passion and commitment. We are grateful to him for this legacy and extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Anyone visiting the College’s 145 Macquarie Street Sydney offices can visit Professor Clark’s portrait displayed in the stairwell on level 1, outside the Council Room.
Professor Nitin Kapur
PCHD President
Several positions are available on PCHD committees, including a Chair position for the PCHD Research Committee. Please consider applying for suitable positions and/or encouraging your colleagues. If you have any questions about any of the PCHD committee positions, please contact Paed@racp.edu.au.
All Expressions of Interest
AMC Accreditation Committees EOIs
The Australian Medical Council (AMC) is currently seeking Expressions of Interest for the following positions on AMC committees:
- Health Consumer members (two positions available), Specialist Education Accreditation Committee
- Health Consumer member, Progress Monitoring Sub Committee
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander member, Recognition of Medical Specialties Sub Committee
Find out more or email the AMC at accreditation@amc.org.au if you have any queries regarding the positions.
Register to attend the Rue Wright Memorial Award webinar
Presentations for the Rue Wright Memorial Award 2024 will be held virtually on Tuesday, 22 October 2024 from 6pm to 8pm AEDT. Submissions closed on 10 September; this call is for those who wish to attend as virtual audience members.
The Rue Wright Memorial Award is presented to the Fellow and the trainee who best demonstrates excellence of hypothesis, scientific merit and relevance to community child health in an oral presentation.
Register now
Call for Nominations – College Medals and Awards
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.
- RACP International Medal recognises a member who has provided outstanding service in developing countries.
- RACP 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.
- RACP 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.
- RACP Trainee of the Year Award recognises a trainee who has made an outstanding contribution to College, community and trainee activities.
Nominations must be received in full by Monday, 30 September 2024.
Full details are available on the RACP Foundation webpage or contact the RACP Foundation.
Opening soon: RACP Indigenous Health Scholarships
The RACP Indigenous Health Scholarship 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. The Scholarships provide a funded pathway through Basic, Advanced, Faculty or Chapter training in Australia and/or Aotearoa New Zealand.
Several scholarships are available for 2025:
- College Indigenous Australian and Māori Health Scholarship
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Scholarship
Applications open 1 October 2024. Further details on these scholarships are available on the RACP Foundation website.
Don’t miss the Northern Territory Annual Scientific Meeting (NT ASM) 2024
This year’s program features relevant clinical updates across paediatrics and child health such as, FASD services and challenges, developmental and behavioural medicine, RSV and rheumatic heart disease. Hear from Dr Bo Remenyi, paediatric cardiologist, who will share experiences and insights into reducing rheumatic heart disease within the Northern Territory.
Walk away feeling inspired and prepared after 1½ days of comprehensive learning covering clinical updates, practical workshops and more. Other highlights include:
- Adult Medicine: Haematology, immunology/rheumatology, endocrinology, general medicine, geriatric medicine, gastroenterology, respiratory medicine, renal medicine, cardiology, and neurology
- Practical workshops (participation in the workshops will be calculated as CPD Category 2)
- NT Trainee Research Awards
- The sunset dinner cruise “Wisdom around the campfire” featuring an inspirational panel discussion with Professor Bart Currie and other respected members of our Northern Territory health community.
More than just educational - connect with your colleagues in a vibrant, yet relaxed environment.
Register now
The RACP Your Workforce, Your Say Survey
Your voice is important to shaping the current and future workforce.
The RACP Your Workforce, Your Say Survey is now open and is your chance to make a real impact on the future of our workforce strategy. We encourage trainees and Fellows currently working in Australia to participate. This is your opportunity to share your valuable insights, influence key decisions, and guide advocacy for issues that matter most to you.
By sharing your ideas with us, you will help drive systematic change, support meaningful workforce initiatives, and ensure that the issues you care about are at the forefront of our advocacy efforts. Your participation will directly impact the creation of a comprehensive advocacy plan, tailored to the needs and perspectives of your profession.
Please complete the RACP Your Workforce, Your Say Survey by Sunday, 15 September 2024 at 11.59pm AEST. The survey is confidential and should take 15-20 minutes. If you have any questions, please contact the RACP Policy and Advocacy team.
Have your say
Webinar on flexible and part time training
All trainees are invited to an informative webinar on Wednesday, 25 September 2024, hosted by the RACP NSW/ACT Trainees' Committee. This webinar will cover topics related to flexible and part-time training, featuring three speakers who will each present for 20 minutes, followed by a Q&A session.
The event aims to offer advice from experienced trainees on flexible training and job-sharing. These integral and often stressful aspects of a trainee's life will be addressed through discussions on available options, balancing work priorities, and setting reasonable expectations. Attendees will be better equipped for success and feel less alone in their journey.
Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and support for your training journey.
Register here
New Toolkit: Medicines Advice Initiative Australia (MAIA): Medicines and the Kidney
The Medicines Advice Initiative Australia (MAIA) consortium, in collaboration with the Council of Australian Therapeutic Advisory Groups (CATAG), has released a new toolkit titled "Medicines and the Kidney," aimed at improving medicine use and patient care in Australia. This resource provides essential tools and guidance for healthcare professionals to address dosage adjustments in patients with reduced kidney function.
The toolkit includes:
- Practice Tool: Offers resources for Medicines and Therapeutics Advisory Committees to support local stewardship on medicine dosage adjustments and effective patient education during discharge.
- Teaching Tool: A clinical scenario for educators to demonstrate safe dosage adjustments for those with reduced kidney function and educate patients about their condition.
Key points for health services:
- Anticipate dosage adjustments for patients with reduced kidney function when prescribing.
- Educate patients and carers on the diagnosis and potential need for medicine adjustments.
- Ensure accurate discharge summaries for patients whose kidney function has declined during hospitalisation.
- Medicines and Therapeutics Advisory Committees, supported by CATAG, should implement local protocols for kidney function estimation, medicine dosage adjustments, and communication standards during transitions of care.
If you would like further information about the toolkit, please don’t hesitate to contact CATAG Project Officer, Mrs Jennifer Nolan at catag.qum1@outlook.com.
Apply Now for SRSA Grants to Support Rural Specialists' Professional Development
Support for Rural Specialists in Australia (SRSA) helps rural specialists stay skilled and engaged so they can provide the best care to their communities. Eligible applicants are invited to apply for a grant of up to $12,000 to complete CPD activities like conferences, workshops, clinical attachments, and peer review.
The application deadline is 15 October 2024. Visit the SRSA website for more information and to submit an application.
Eligibility:
To apply for an SRSA grant, you must work rurally (Modified Monash Model categories 2-7) as either:
- A (non-GP) specialist
- An Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander specialist trainee
- A specialist international medical graduate under assessment
If you received a grant in our previous funding round (Funding Round 8), you are not eligible to apply in this round. If you were unsuccessful in the past, we encourage you to apply again.
SRSA is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care and managed by the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges.
Consultation open: draft revised PCH Advanced Training curricula
A further 12 draft RACP curricula with a Paediatric & Child Health focus are open for consultation as part of our Curricula Renewal project.
Key documents by specialty are available for member and public review and consideration, with most open until Wednesday, 2 October 2024 (check specialty web page for details).
Feedback can be as simple as agreeing or disagreeing with changes outlined by the dedicated Curriculum Review Groups (CRGs) via a 15-minute online survey or providing more detailed feedback by email or phone.
Trainee views – from both current Advanced Trainees and those in Basic Training – are especially sought.
We encourage all Directors of Paediatric Education and Fellows in supervisory roles to ask their trainees to pass any feedback onto the Curriculum team.
The Specialty Curriculum Review Groups (CRGs) are taking onboard a range of feedback. Every input is vital to this process, so please take some time to have your say.
For more information, visit the Curricula Renewal pages on the RACP website.
Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
The Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health publishes original research articles of scientific excellence in paediatrics and child health. The latest edition is now live and available to view online.
Some topics include:
- Cases from a tertiary child protection unit
- Early mitomycin prevents scar tissue formation after caustics
- Scurvy and vitamin C deficiency
Read the journal
Dr Karan Singh loves his job as a registrar in nuclear medicine but he thinks there isn’t enough exposure to the specialty during medical school and basic training. In this podcast we spend a day in his department at Prince of Wales Hospital Sydney and get a taste of the many different referrals that come his way; a bone scan for a young man experiencing leg spasms after recovering from a car crash; myocardial perfusion imaging for an elderly gentleman with coronary artery disease; staging for prostate and breast cancer; and radiation therapy for a toxic multinodular goiter. The “reality audio” format gives a good sense of the daily tasks and responsibilities involved in this career pathway.
Credits:
- Dr Karan Singh
- Staff and patients at Prince of Wales Nuclear Medicine and PET Department
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/ep115-one-day-as-a-nuclear-medicine-registrar
You’ve told us that you need your College to be more responsive and supportive. We’ve listened to your feedback and we’re establishing a new Member Support Centre to help you navigate your College, improve enquiry response and resolution times and better support your needs. Thank you for your feedback – it helps us improve.
Did you know that you can update your address details online? Simply Login to MyRACP and go to “Edit my details”.
RACP Benefits: Your lifestyle benefits program
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.
Pomegranate Health podcast: Your contributions welcome
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
View all career opportunities on the RACP website.
To submit an article for publishing in Pot-pourri, please email paed@racp.edu.au. The article should be no more than 350 words. If you would like to submit an image with your article, it would be assumed that you have received appropriate permission to use the photo and it needs to be of high resolution, above 300 dpi. Please note that articles may need to be edited by the RACP Communications Team.