Pot-pourri eBulletin - 5 May 2023
A message from your President
In my last President’s post I promised an update from the last PCHD Council meeting, which was held via Zoom on 1 March. I have summarised a number of the agenda items below:
Further to this last point, I am currently in conversation with Dr Jacqueline Small, RACP President, regarding how we, as a Division and a College, can address this problem. I will update you as conversations continue, but for the moment these are some of my thoughts regarding key matters to be addressed:
- Understanding the complexity of assessing and supporting children with a thorough multi-disciplinary approach, including various specialists and allied health staff. Collaboration with mental health specialists for children and adolescents should also be considered.
- A discussion around ongoing and adequate government funding for services.
- Workforce shortages and the need for sufficient and suitable specialist training.
- A focus on supporting children in rural and regional areas to access services.
As stated above, these are my own ideas on what is a complex issue. I would be very interested to hear the thoughts of members. Please feel free to contact me via email or on the ROC.
I continue to be involved in consultations undertaken by the office of Dr Sophie Scamps MP as she develops her Independent Bill to Parliament seeking restrictions on junk food advertising to children. This has a direct connection to the Kids Covid Catch Up campaign referenced above, in particular the last of six specific asks: Restrict marketing of unhealthy diets to children and young people through regulation. I look forward to continuing this collaboration and sharing resources with you as they become available.
I had started my April President’s post with the news of Dr David Levitt’s retirement from Queensland Children’s Hospital. I follow up this time with mention of David passing away peacefully on 27 April 2023 surrounded by his family and loved ones.
It is a huge personal loss to me since he had been a co-Director of Paediatric Education (DPE) for the past eight years, a mentor, a coach, and most importantly, a very close friend. David was not only a great paediatrician, he was also a caring father and husband, and a very strong advocate for children’s rights. I will miss the many accreditation visits, the College meetings, and the many hours spent with him on recruitment, education, and supporting trainees and junior doctors. Vale David, we will miss you always.
Best wishes,
Professor Nitin Kapur
PCHD President
Expressions of Interest (EOIs)
Please keep an eye on the EOIs page on the College website for vacant positions on PCHD Committees.
All Expressions of Interest
RACP Foundation grants and prizes
RACP Foundation Research Awards
Applications for the RACP Foundation Research Awards for 2024 are now open. More than 50 awards are available across these categories:
Applications for research development grants and travel grants will open Saturday, 1 July 2023.
As we advised in December, the RACP Board regrettably had to make the decision to postpone the RACP Congress that was to be held this week in Brisbane.
This was due to the late announcement of the Australian NRL Magic Round in Brisbane for the same weekend. That conflicting event negatively impacted travel and accommodation costs and availability for proposed speakers and delegates.
We will shortly be announcing a series of local member events to be held this year across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. These will give you the opportunity to get together in person, enjoy a dynamic member debate and celebrate our College’s 85th anniversary.
Please look out for your local invitation over coming weeks. In the meantime, we are planning for delivery of our Congress event for 2024.
Wherever you are in your career, we’re your CPD Home
Whether you are a New Fellow, established within your career, or beginning to wind down for retirement, the RACP’s CPD Home can support you to meet your specialist regulatory requirements.
The MyCPD team is at hand to provide you with tailored guidance throughout the annual CPD cycle. Plus, your RACP membership means you can access the RACP Online Learning platform for a selection of tools and resources relevant to you throughout your career.
You have never stopped learning, we’re here to make sure that continues. My RACP. MyCPD Home.
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Complete the 2023 New Fellow Survey to share your experience
If you were admitted to Fellowship of a RACP Training Program between 2 October 2020 and 31 March 2022, this is your chance to share your experience through this survey.
You can provide feedback on how your RACP training program has prepared you for unsupervised professional practice and share your experience of the transition from trainee to specialist physician. This helps us provide tailored support for members and make evidence-informed improvements to our programs.
Don’t miss out on sharing your thoughts. The survey closes on Tuesday, 16 May 2023. Thank you to Fellows who have already participated in the 2023 New Fellow Survey. If you haven’t done so already, please complete the anonymous survey.
Respondents will be offered a chance to win one of three $200 Prezzee gift cards. Visit the website to read the terms & conditions. For more information about the survey, including confidentiality and how the data will be reported, please visit the New Fellow Survey page on the RACP website.
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Survey: NDIS and the emergency department
One of the aims of this study is to understand the perspectives and communication practices of clinicians working in the emergency department when attending to a person with a mental health presentation. Further information can be found here.
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Do you have questions about the Specialist Training Program (STP)?
Join us for a webinar designed to provide the latest general information on STP and how to apply for funding, plus more.
The Specialist Training Program (STP) aims to grow the specialist workforce in these areas long-term:
- Regional, rural and remote areas
- The private health sector
- Non-hospital settings like aged care, community health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical services.
Funding through this program supports accredited training settings to establish and expand Specialist Training positions.
For those wishing to expand their knowledge of the program this webinar should not be missed.
Places are limited. Register now
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.
Articles in this edition include:
- Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand consensus guideline for paediatric newly diagnosed immune thrombocytopaenia
- Impact of probiotic administration on the incidence of necrotising enterocolitis
- Time to first dose of antibiotics in febrile neonates
- Early onset of otitis media is a strong predictor of subsequent disease in urban Aboriginal infants
- Patterns of parental online health information-seeking behaviour
- Clinical characteristics of hospitalised children with acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis in the Top End of Australia.
Read the journal
Pomegranate Health podcast: Ep93. The rise and fall of mpox
Ep93: The rise and fall of mpox
The first time most of us heard of monkeypox (mpox) was in May 2022. The smallpox-like infection appeared to spring from nowhere and made its way through Europe and then the Americas, largely within the gay and bisexual community. But the first documented human case of mpox actually occurred in 1970 in Central Africa, and it’s been endemic ever since.
Last year’s mpox outbreak eclipsed prior case numbers in just a few months due to a newly evolved strain. The count of confirmed cases totalled over 86,000 all around the world and it’s a testament to well-coordinated community health in the developed world that the outbreak was reigned in within a few months of the index case in Europe.
But alongside this success story, there’s also a cautionary tale about global health strategy. Due to mpox not being taken seriously in endemic countries, an incubator was created for this new strain to emerge.
In this podcast episode we also discuss the stigma associated with sexually transmitted infections and the pros and cons of applying this label.
Guests
- Dr Vincent Cornelisse FRACGP FAChSHM PhD (Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney; Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales)
- Dr Massimo Giola FRACP FAChSHM PhD (Te Whatu Ora, Tauranga, Rotorua)
Please visit the Pomegranate Health web page for a transcript and supporting references. Login to MyCPD to record time spent listening and reading supporting materials. Subscribe to new episode email alerts or search for ‘Pomegranate Health’ in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, or any podcasting app.
New guide for Fellows: Supporting professionalism in practice
This guide supports you to meet the professional standards expected of all physicians across clinical and non-clinical specialties, Divisions, Chapters, and Faculties. Use it to structure performance discussions, to develop personal development plans (PDPs), and as a framework to support colleagues and enhance your own professionalism.
The guide can also assist you in meeting your MyCPD Category 2: Reviewing Performance and Category 3: Measuring Outcomes requirements.
Access the guide and start reflecting today
Have you completed your ‘my work profile’?
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.
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How to log in to the ROC - for first-time users
Did you know that the RACP Online Community (ROC) has a mobile app that allows you to connect and discuss on the go? The app can be used to initiate discussions, find other members, read the latest posts, and share your expertise. Simply type ‘RACP-ROC’ into Apple store or Google Play, then download the app, and connect with your colleagues today.
Log into the ROC
Shower Mum with the choicest gifts this May
Celebrate Mother's Day this May with a range of special gifts and discounts. Save on Ultimate eGift cards, whitegoods from The Good Guys Commercial, and flower arrangements from the Petals Florist Network, plus more.
Available online, 24/7. That's your Member Advantage. *Terms and conditions apply.
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Queensland
Paediatricians: North West Private Hospital, Brisbane | Closing date: 14 July 2023
New South Wales
Private practice: General Paediatrician, Port Macquarie | Closing: Tuesday, 1 August 2023
View all career opportunities on the RACP website.
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