AFOEM eBulletin - 5 May 2023
We have just commemorated Anzac Day so firstly I will take the opportunity to acknowledge the service provided by the many uniformed and civilian health professionals who have supported our servicemen and women over many years. Military service as a non-combatant is very rewarding and is a wonderful platform for learning occupational medicine. It provides an opportunity to gain broad experience in maintaining the health and well-being of an at risk working population, and in the prevention of many illnesses and injuries that may arise from the hazards and risks faced by military service personnel.
Last month, Dr Peter Connaughton represented AFOEM at the 10th anniversary meeting of the International Occupational Medicine Society Collaborative (IOMSC). Peter gave a summary of the purpose and priorities of AFOEM and discussed the potential benefits to AFOEM of a successful and effective IOMSC. The IOMSC was formed in in 2013 with just 17 member societies. The IOMSC now consists of 50 member societies from 44 countries. These 50 member societies represent more than 30,000 occupational medicine healthcare professionals around the world. Dr Connaughton has very capably represented AFOEM at IOMSC since its formation. At this recent meeting, Dr Ivan D. Ivanov, Head of Occupational and Workplace Health, Division of Healthier Populations, World Health Organization announced the IOMSC was formally recognised as a new member of the Global Network of WHO Collaborating Centres for occupational health. In addition, the Charity Commission for England and Wales confirmed the IOMSC is now recognised as a charity. This will assist the IOMSC to achieve financial sustainability,
The Lead Fellow for environmental medicine, Dr Peter Honeyman, is seeking member input and comments for developing the scope and purpose of environmental medicine. His post is on the ROC so please take the opportunity to express your ideas.
Important reminder. The AFOEM Annual Members Meeting will be held online on Monday 22 May at 5.30 pm AEST. This will be an opportunity for members to get updates from the President and Chairs of the Faculty Education and the Policy and Advocacy Committees. In addition, the Presidents Awards will be announced.
Registrations are now open for the Annual Training Meeting on 28 to 30 July in Brisbane, as well as the ANZSOM annual scientific meeting in Canberra on 22 to 25 October.
Finally, Dr Farhan Shahzad has interviewed Dr Graeme Edwards who has done incredible work on raising the issue of silicosis in Australia. I encourage you to read the interview on the ROC.
Dr Warren Harrex
AFOEM President
The AFOEM Annual Training Meeting (ATM) will be held in Brisbane, Queensland from Friday, 28 to Sunday, 30 July 2023. More details regarding site visits and the full program will be uploaded to the website closer to the event. Register now.
Resources from the 2022 AFOEM ATM are available on the RACP website, with recordings available on Medflix.
The AFOEM Annual Members Meeting (AMM) will take place on Monday, 22 May 2023 from 5.30pm to 6.30pm AEST. Questions during the AMM are welcome and can be emailed to the Faculty Office in advance.
Register now to secure your place.
This series provides insight into the careers of retired and actively serving occupational physicians. The interview series has supported a collaboration amongst our peers in developing projects on compiling the history of occupational medicine. On this occasion, Dr Farhan Shahzad had the pleasure of meeting Dr Graeme Edwards. Read the interview on the ROC.
AFOEM examinations – open for applications
We are pleased to advise the 2023 Australasian Faculty of Occupational & Environmental Medicine (AFOEM) Exam Applications are open from Monday, 1 May to Friday, 12 May 2023 for all eligible trainees (who have met the training program requirements) for the September and November 2023 AFOEM exams.
Upcoming 2023 AFOEM exam dates are:
To apply, please visit the examinations webpage for each exam, download the application form and email it to faculty.examinations@racp.edu.au before 5pm on Friday, 12 May 2023.
AFOEM Stage A & B Written Examinations
Stage A & B Written Examinations will be delivered at examination centres throughout Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand in capital cities, selected at our discretion. Candidates will complete paper-based examinations.
AFOEM Stage B Practical Examination
The Stage B Practical Examination will be held in the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Outpatients Department, Level 3 (Entrance Level) Port Road, Adelaide SA 5000.
If you have questions about your eligibility to sit the examination, please contact the Advanced Training Education Officer at occenvmed@racp.edu.au.
For more information regarding the application process, please email faculty.examinations@racp.edu.au or visit the examinations webpage.
Applications for the RACP Foundation Research Awards for 2024 are now open. 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 Saturday, 1 July 2023.
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.
Feedback was recently provided on the National Silicosis Prevention Strategy 2023-2028 and accompanying National Action Plan consultation being coordinated by the Lung Foundation Australia. The College’s feedback was a joint collaborative submission from the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM), the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) and the Australian and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine (ANZSOM). This input contributes to the development of the first national plan to prevent and eliminate silicosis as an occupational disease in Australia.
Safe Work Australia conducted a national consultation on a proposed prohibition ban on the use of engineered stone. A joint submission by the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM), the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) and the Australian and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine (ANZSOM) noted support for the recommendations of the National Dust Diseases Taskforce, which included to proceed with a prohibition on the use of engineered stone if appropriate control measures have not been introduced by mid-2024. This specific issue was posed for public consultation following a Federal and jurisdiction WHS Minister meeting (February 2023) and consideration of regulatory and non-regulatory options for more effective management of the risks of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) at work.
We invite you to join us for the ANZSOM Annual Scientific Meeting in Canberra this October. A diverse program is already shaping up with expert presentations, workshops and the popular worksite visits. Abstract submissions are open. Early Bird rates will be available until the end of July. Sponsorship opportunities abound across the main program and social events.
For more information and to register, visit ANZSOM.
Musculoskeletal injuries from the occupational health professional perspective
ANZSOM WA Branch is pleased to invite you to their Mini-Conference on Sunday, 13 August 2023. The conference will be held at the Sebel Mandurah and will be offered in-person to all those in WA, as well as anyone who would like to travel from interstate. The conference will also be streamed to those from interstate or overseas.
Registrations are now open. For more information, visit the ANZSOM website.
ANZSOM is currently working with Austroads and the Australian Trucking Association to explore how we can support medical practices and practitioners involved in conducting fitness for duty assessments for commercial vehicle drivers.
We are seeking input to guide development of educational services and resources and invite you to complete a brief survey about the challenges and opportunities in this important area of practice.
The survey will take about five minutes to complete.
In May there are some great learning opportunities:
#itswhatyouknow – WA Branch Webinar
Spinal imaging and pain relief interventions
Presenter: Dr Matt Prentice, Musculoskeletal Radiologist
Date: Wednesday, 17 May 2023, 6pm (WA time)/8pm (AEST)
Sponsored by Perth Radiological Clinic
Occupational Medicine 101 Session
Health investigation of personnel drinking lead contaminated rainwater
Presenter: Dr Warren Harrex, Occupational and Environmental Physician, AFOEM President
Date: Thursday, 11 May 2023, 7pm (AEST)
Visit the ANZSOM website for more information and to register.
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Join ANZSOM.
Subscribe to ANZSOM news.
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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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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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.
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. Register for one of two webinars:
- Tuesday, 9 May 2023, 10am to 11am AEST
- Monday, 22 June 2023, 10am to 11am AEST
Places are limited. Register now
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.
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, UNSW)
- 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.
This guide supports you to meet the professional standards expected of all physicians across clinical and
non-clinical specialities, 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.
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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Did you know the ROC (RACP Online Community) 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.
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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:
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