A message from your President

The Delta variant of COVID-19 has been a game changer and each of our countries is at a critical stage in managing the pandemic. Here in Australia, most of the country is in lockdown, with case numbers surging. Worryingly, cases are spreading into rural areas, many of which have Indigenous communities. Fortunately, deaths are being restricted to a handful a day, but hospitalisations are increasing and this is putting great strain on the health system. This is not just through the increased case load, but also contributed to by cases among healthcare workers and the large number of staff who are contacts and who need to be furloughed and isolate, putting a greater load on remaining staff. In Aotearoa New Zealand, the whole country went into lockdown this week due to identifying one case of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in Auckland, which has grown to 11 cases over the past 24 hours. While these numbers seem small in comparison to the 681 cases NSW identified in the past 24 hours, there is concern that the Auckland numbers can spread very quickly.

As a result of this surge in cases, the new mantra has become ‘living with COVID’ and the main focus has turned from preventive measures to increasing the vaccination rates. We are yet to fully appreciate what that really means, but one thing that is certain is that we will need to move away from the ‘zero case’ mindset which has dominated the response in our two countries so far and has served us so well to this point. ‘Living with COVID’ also means ‘working with COVID’ and this is where occupational and environmental physicians will continue to play an important role in workplaces as we move into this new phase of the pandemic. This includes coordinating the vaccine rollout in those industries which want to vaccinate their employees on site and also grappling with difficult issues, such as for which types of workers vaccination should be made mandatory and the place of rapid antigen testing in workplaces. For the former issue of workplace vaccination rollout, we have been liaising with the Australian Government and we have been providing input to the College’s COVID-19 Expert Reference Group to develop better guidance on the issue of mandatory vaccination. The pandemic and its workplace repercussions have a long way to play out yet.

The annual Kevin Sleigh Memorial Lecture was held virtually in Melbourne on 9 August with Professor Allen Cheng as speaker. Allen is an infectious disease physician who has just completed his 12-month term as Deputy Chief Health Officer here in Victoria and is also the co-Chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI). His talk was a fascinating insight into the twists and turns of working within government during the COVID-19 response and vaccination rollout. Kevin’s wife, Val, and their two adult children were in attendance and it was a very fitting way to remember Kevin’s major contribution to occupational and environmental medicine on so many levels, including senior roles with both AFOEM and ANZSOM.  

I want to update you on the next International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) Congress, which was originally meant to be held in Melbourne in March of this year, but was then deferred to February 2022, still with the plan to hold it in Melbourne.  Unfortunately, COVID-19 has made it impossible to hold face-to-face and it will now be held digitally from 6 to 10 February 2022. The Congress program will be held over two phases of the day, based around time zones for Melbourne and Rome. The main Congress theme will be ‘Sharing solutions in occupational health through and beyond the pandemic’ and so will cover the burden of infections, mental health and other health issues, as well as a focus on how workplaces can be better prepared for future pandemics. The opening keynote address will be given by Professor Sir Michael Marmot, who will speak on health inequalities and how these have become greater during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other keynotes will cover mental health and return to work, the resurgence of silicosis, the 24-hour work cycle, worker health and safety in a changing climate and the impact of globalisation on worker health. A highlight of the ICOH Congress will be the Policy Forum, which will focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and preparedness. For further information, please visit the ICOH website. Abstract submission is due to close on 31 August. This will be a great opportunity for our Fellows and trainees to showcase their work to an international audience and interact with colleagues from around the world.

The AFOEM Policy and Advocacy Committee (FPAC) was held recently and progressed current major projects, such as ‘It Pays to Care’, Health Benefits of Good Work and silicosis. A new initiative for FPAC is a focus on how to improve worker health in the healthcare sector. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown great strain on the healthcare sector and has demonstrated the major gaps in health and safety frameworks and capability. This has been contributed to by the greatly reduced input of occupational and environmental physicians over the past decade or so and the downgrading and devolving of occupational health services. The recent review of the Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI) standard by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care highlighted the inadequate focus on worker health. The original HAI standard focused almost entirely on preventing infections in patients and while that is very important, preventing infections in healthcare is just as important. I was a member of the review group with other OHS colleagues and the new HAI standard has a very strong focus on preventing infection in workers. FPAC plans to use developments such as this as a springboard to highlight the myriad of health issues facing healthcare workers and the need for a stronger occupational and environmental medicine presence in the healthcare sector.

The next HBGW Webinar will be on the topic of ‘Gendered and sexual harassment in the workplace’. This will be held on Monday, 30 August from 1.30pm to 2.30pm (AEST) – registration details are included in this eBulletin. This is a very topical subject with great speakers, including the College President-elect Dr Jacki Small, and not to be missed.  

Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that about two thirds of AFOEM members open the monthly email containing the eBulletin and President’s Post and of those about 90 per cent click through to view the whole eBulletin. This shows to me that this monthly update is serving a useful purpose and is a useful communication tool. This is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic when we have very limited opportunities to interact with our colleagues face-to-face. Please let us know at afoem@racp.edu.au if you have any interesting occupational and environmental medicine news which you would like to share with your colleagues and we will include it in future eBulletins. 

Malcolm

Professor Malcolm Sim AM
AFOEM President

RACP Member Satisfaction Survey – closing date extended

Your College, your voice. We’re listening

There’s still time to share your thoughts about the College via our Member Satisfaction Survey (MSS).  

Please complete the survey and have your say so we can understand your overall satisfaction with the College and identify areas for improvement. The survey closing date has been extended by two weeks and will now close on Monday, 30 August 2021. The survey should take no longer than 15 minutes. This is your chance to tell us how we’re doing and have your say. 

The survey is being conducted by EY Sweeney, an independent contractor. They will provide aggregated results back to us and any individual comments are not identified as coming from a specific member – your survey responses are anonymous.  

How you can access the survey 

On Tuesday, 27 July, you should have received an email containing the survey link from surveys@au.ey.com. You should have also received a reminder email from them on Friday, 13 August with a link to complete the survey. If you didn’t receive these emails, contact us. Further information about the survey is available on the RACP website.  

Find out more

Upcoming Supervisor Professional Development Program session – Learning Environment and Culture Work

We invite you to a supervisor training workshop, Supervisor Professional Development Program (SPDP) 2: Learning Environment and Culture – specifically for non-clinical members.

The session will be three hours and will cover the following topics:

• Establish an environment for learning
• Use effective tools for teaching and assessment
• Model professional behaviour
• Set goals and plan for learning.

Date: Thursday, 14 October 2021
Time: 5pm to 8pm (AEDT)
Location: Zoom (virtual)
Facilitator: Dr David Goddard
Registration: Register online before Thursday, 7 October 2021 (places are limited)

*Please note you will receive an email after registration containing your specific Zoom link to access the workshop.

As a reminder, you can claim CPD credits. If you are currently enrolled in the College’s MyCPD program, you can claim credits for this workshop under Category 2, at a rate of three credits per hour.

For more information about the SPDP, visit the College website or contact the Supervisor Learning Support unit at supervisor@racp.edu.au. 

Register now for the upcoming Health Benefits of Good Work webinar

Topic: Gendered and sexual violence in the workplace 
Date: Monday, 30 August 2021 
Time: 1.30pm to 2.30pm AEST

Chair 

• Keith Govias, Principal Consultant, Gallagher/HBGW Signatory Steering Group Chair

Speakers 

• Dr Jacqueline Small, RACP President-elect
• Sophie Ismail, ACTU Legal and Industrial Officer – Gender Equity
• Dr Karen Williams MPH FRANZCP, Consultant Psychiatrist, Doctors Against Violence Towards Women

Session description 

Hear our experts talk to the factors and issues arising in workplaces that can create a culture of violence, aggression and anti-social behaviour. Recent reviews by the Sexual Discrimination Commissioner have shown that sexual harassment impacts almost two in five women (39 per cent) and one in four men (26 per cent). Additionally, customer service facing roles (i.e. healthcare, retail) have recently seen significant spikes in workplace aggression and anti-social behaviour. The COVID-19 pandemic has also given more focus to workers that suffer from abuse in personal relationships as restrictions deliver more jobs into work-from-home environments.

Whilst reviewing recent high profile workplace safety incidents involving gendered and sexual violence in the workplace; our panel of experts will help you to understand the legal obligations of employers to protect workers from harassment, aggression and violence in the workplace.

Additionally, we will also cover how to prevent this risk and offer best practice response strategies to protect and support vulnerable workers. Review of the current state of knowledge about COVID-19 transmission in the workplace as employers plan or maintain/review their COVIDSafe return-to-work (RTW) plans.

Register online now to attend this webinar.

If you have any questions about this webinar, please email HBGW@racp.edu.au. 

New RACP video series highlights physicians in remote Australian communities

Practising rural and remote medicine offers opportunities, career progression and a lifestyle simply not available in Australia’s big cities. You can watch a fascinating new series of short videos In our Own Words, about the critical role our Fellows and trainees fulfil in providing healthcare to small towns, the regions and remote Australia, via the Specialist Training Program (STP). 

The STP is a funding initiative of the Australian Government Department of Health. There are around 900 STP-funded training positions across Australia, managed by 13 medical colleges. The RACP currently manages around 380 positions. 

With funding from the Commonwealth Department of Health, we’re increasing awareness and understanding of the Program. Our members tell their own stories, what it has meant to them and the communities they serve.  

We will be releasing these to you weekly over the coming months. The videos will be available on the RACP website, where we have created a new mini-site information about the program.

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History of Occupational Medicine Project

Registrations for the Witness Seminar, and the rest of the ANZSOM Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) 2021, have been suspended as organisers take stock of the COVID-19 pandemic and its likely impact.  

We are still progressing with preparation for this exciting, once in a generation, exploration of our profession’s history, but in the meantime are working on the archive itself. This will take the form of an online timeline.

We have a skeleton for the timeline located on ANZSOM's website, developed largely by historian Associate Professor Cate Storey. There is some fascinating information on it. We would love to have comments on other milestones you think are important in our history and materials which document them.  

I am pleased to say ideas and materials are starting to roll in – mostly from former Presidents so far.  Professor Malcolm Sim has offered up some of the papers belonging to his father-in-law Dr Jim Milne, a founding father many of you will remember. Dr Ian Gardner has gone through his files and pulled out records of interest he suspects may not have been filed at AFOEM. Associate Professor Peter Connaughton contacted us to say he thought we should give more emphasis to the relationship between ANZSOM and AFOEM.  Dr Robin Chase and Dr Warren Harrex considered that the Health Benefits of Good Work warranted a place on the timeline, and that led to a discussion about the work on Compensable Injuries and Health Outcomes.

So what do you have in those boxes in the garage that would add to our archive? Does anyone have photos of the tremendous ceremony when ACOM was inaugurated? What about records and photos of the Occupational Health and Safety Council, formed when WHS professionals failed to get a seat on the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission. Speaking of which, this is a shout out to you, Dr Richie Gun – what do you have from chairing the Interim National Occupational Health and Safety Commission that you would like to see safely held in an archive?

Materials should be sent to library@racp.edu.au.

For further information refer to our page on the ANZSOM website or contact one of the occupational physicians on our History of Medicine Project Committee: 

• Farhan Shahzad (farhanshahzadmd@gmail.com)
• Dwight Dowda (dkdowda@bigpond.net.au)
• Maggie Goldie (maggiegoldie7@gmail.com) 
• Niki Ellis (niki@nikiellis.com.au).

AFOEM President’s Awards

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 close Sunday, 10 October 2021. Visit the website for more details and to nominate.

AFOEM Essay Prize

The AFOEM Essay Prize is awarded for demonstrated excellence through essay, research project or assignment on occupational or environmental health. It is open to medical students or interns in their first year after graduation. Visit the website for more information and to apply.

Applications close Sunday, 31 October 2021. 

Neil Hamilton Fairley Medal

Nominations for the Neil Hamilton Fairley Medal for 2022 are now open. This medal is awarded by the RACP every five years to recognise an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of medicine. The medal was last awarded to Professor Roger Reddel in 2017.

This award is open to RACP Fellows as well as individuals outside the College. However the nominee must be nominated by an RACP Fellow to be considered.

Details on the application process and selection criteria are available on the website. Nominations close on Tuesday, 31 August 2021.

Your chance to be recognised and rewarded

Applications close Tuesday, 31 August 2021 at 5pm (AEST).

Are you a trainee or a first year Fellow who would like to be recognised for your research? This is your last chance to submit your abstract for the 2021 RACP Trainee Research Awards.

This prestigious event is held annually and open to all Divisions, Faculties and Chapters. A winner from Adult Medicine and a winner from Paediatrics & Child Health will be selected from each Australian state/territory and from Aotearoa New Zealand.

The best presenters from each Australian state/territory and from Aotearoa New Zealand are invited to be part of the 'Research and Innovation stream' at RACP Congress 2022, with complimentary registration and travel. Abstracts are also published in the Congress supplement of the Internal Medicine Journal or the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.

For information about application, eligibility, selection criteria and process, the abstract submission guideline, the prize details and a list of past winners please view the webpage. Submit your application by 5pm (AEST) Tuesday, 31 August 2021.

Apply now

College Medals and Awards

Nominations are now open for the following College and Fellowship Awards. They acknowledge outstanding contributions and achievements made by Fellows and trainees in their respective fields.

We encourage you to nominate for the following medals:

• 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.
• The International Medal recognises a member who has provided outstanding service in developing countries.
• The 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.
• The 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.
• The Trainee of the Year Award recognises a trainee who has made an outstanding contribution to College, community and trainee activities.
• The Eric Susman Prize is awarded by the College to a Fellow for best contribution to the knowledge of internal medicine.

Full details are available on the RACP Foundation webpage.

Research projects and research supervision: online courses for trainees and supervisors

Each trainee is responsible for completing their own research project. Trainees can learn about conducting a research project by enrolling in our Research Projects online course. It’s designed to support trainees through a detailed walk-through of the research process.

A trainee’s experience can be greatly enhanced by a supportive and informed supervisor. The Research Supervision online course helps supervisors who want an update on research project requirements and the research process in general.

RACP Online Learning Resources are free for members and count towards Continuing Professional Development requirements.

Expressions of Interest: AFOEM Faculty Assessment Committee vacant positions

The AFOEM Faculty Assessment Committee (FAC) is seeking expressions of interest from AFOEM Fellows to join the AFOEM FAC as:

• AFOEM Fellow (commencing July 2021)
• Chair of the Committee (commencing December 2021)
• Contributors to the 2022 Stage B Written Examinations

The AFOEM FAC key responsibilities include:

• overseeing the coordination of the AFOEM Written and Practical Examinations
• engaging in continuous quality improvement of all assessments
• participation in the annual working parties that write examination questions for all the AFOEM Written and Practical Examinations.

Interested AFOEM Fellows should complete and submit the Expression of Interest form with a copy of their CV to Dr Andrew Lingwood, Chair of the AFOEM Faculty Assessment Committee by email to faculty.examinations@racp.edu.au.

Physician Training Survey results are now available

The results of the 2020 Physician Training Survey are now available to RACP members through an interactive reporting dashboard. You can access the dashboard through your MyRACP login.

View the Physician Training Survey 2020 Summary Report for an overview of the key findings for all physician trainees and educators and how they compare to those from 2018.

The survey results indicate that most trainee and educator respondents were satisfied with their overall training experience in 2020 and would recommend their workplace training setting to others. However, it is evident that last year, service provision took priority over education compared to previous years and educational opportunities were reduced. Ongoing issues regarding workload, wellbeing and workplace culture were highlighted once again, with increased rates of burnout, bullying, harassment and discrimination. While some of the concerning findings may be temporary impacts of COVID-19, the results highlight ongoing systemic issues that need to be addressed.

Through the Physician Training Survey, the RACP:

• supports individuals by providing confidential support to respondents who raised wellbeing concerns through the RACP support program
• drives improvements in training settings by providing feedback and identifying settings with results that indicate potential concerns and asking the training setting’s executives to respond to the feedback
• informs systemic change by using results in the development of strategic approaches to improve physician training and the culture of medicine.

We thank all trainees and educators who took part in this important activity.

About the Physician Training Survey

Eligible RACP trainees and their educators were asked to reflect on their training experiences during Term 3 in Australia and Quarter 4 in Aotearoa New Zealand. 21 per cent (n=1675) of trainees and 17 per cent (n=907) of educators responded to the survey. The survey explored topics aligned to the Training Provider Standards. We also sought feedback on the impacts of COVID-19 on training. 

The survey is independently administered by research company ENGINE, ensuring we receive anonymous survey data only. Data is not reported where there are less than five participant responses.

Further details about the Physician Training Survey are provided on the RACP website.

RACP Long COVID Webinars brought to you by the RACP COVID-19 Expert Reference Group

For some people, COVID-19 can cause symptoms that last weeks or months after infection, which is referred to as post-COVID-19 syndrome or ‘long COVID’. The RACP will be convening a set of webinars to inform members across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, on understanding the impact of long COVID and how to manage both the short and long-term practicalities in daily life.

Understanding and managing long COVID

Thursday, 2 September 2021, 5pm to 6.30pm (AEST) / 7pm to 8.30pm (NZST)

This webinar will help participants understand the impact of long COVID and how to manage matters in the early phase. Attendees will have a better understanding of how to investigate and diagnose long COVID, and how to manage patients in the sub-acute phase of their disease.

Register now

RACP calls for the urgent release of the National Obesity Strategy

The RACP President, the Presidents of the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine and the Paediatrics & Child Health Division and the Chairs of all Regional Committees have asked the Australian Minister for Health and Aged Care, The Hon Greg Hunt for the release of the Preventive National Obesity Strategy for an urgent final review and action.

The letter to Minister Hunt stresses the College's concern that the much-delayed strategy is at risk of becoming obsolete and ineffective if not acted on in a timely manner. The letter also notes that work on the Obesity Strategy's treatment aspects should proceed as the second phase of this critical undertaking. 

Similar letters have been issued to all Australian health ministers and Shadow Health Minister Mark Butler. The letter is part of the College's ongoing efforts to tackle the challenge of obesity in a timely and resolute manner.

Read letter to Minister Hunt

New End-of-life law modules for doctors and other clinicians

End of Life Law for Clinicians (ELLC) has launched 10 new and updated online training modules for medical practitioners, nurses, allied and other health professionals and medical students. The training can be accessed for free at the ELLC online training portal. Some of the topics covered include: 

• the role of law in end-of-life care 
• capacity and consent to medical treatment 
• withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining medical treatment 
• Advance Care Planning and Advance Care Directives 
• substitute decision-making for medical treatment 
• legal protection for administering pain and symptom relief  
• children and end-of-life decision-making 
• futile or non-beneficial treatment 
• emergency treatment for adults 
• managing conflict.

The modules include clinical case studies, vignettes of clinicians sharing their end-of-life experiences, legal cases and interactive learning. For further information please visit the ELLC online training portal or email endoflifelaw@qut.edu.au.  

New online course: Specialist Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

This new online course has been designed to help physicians and trainees better understand the RACP’s Medical Specialist Access Framework and take steps to apply its principles in their daily practice, with the aim of addressing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s inequitable access to specialist healthcare by connecting stakeholders involved in delivering specialist medical care. The course focuses on steps that individual practitioners can take, highlighting successful case studies of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accessing specialist care.

Launch of second Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan in Australia

On 9 August 2021, we acknowledged International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. The theme of the Day was ‘Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract’. In Australia, a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is a form of social contract, which provides a structure for Australian organisations to support the national reconciliation movement, formalises efforts to achieving reconciliation and is endorsed by Reconciliation Australia.

We are pleased to launch our second Reflect RAP: July 2021 to July 2022, which is a strategic initiative of the RACP Indigenous Strategic Framework Priority 4 focused on fostering a culturally safe and competent College. The development of our RAP has an important role in supporting our Indigenous Strategic Framework’s commitment in Australia to:

• reducing health inequities between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• increasing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander physicians
• creating a culturally safe College for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Our RAP focuses on relationships, respect, opportunities and governance. We encourage all members based in Australia to read and learn more about our latest Reflect RAP and look into how they can contribute to RAPs in their own workplaces.

Read Reflect RAP

New Gwandalan e-learning for health professionals providing palliative care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Given the cultural sensitivities surrounding death, it is important that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural beliefs and practices are acknowledged and accommodated during the palliative and end-of-life care journey. The Gwandalan National Palliative Care Project aims to improve the quality of palliative care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. New free education for health professionals who provide palliative and end-of-life care to Indigenous Australians is now available.  

COVID-19 Vaccines: AstraZeneca letters of exemption for over 60s

To support you in your important role of providing clear and consistent advice to patients on health conditions where an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine is appropriate, we have provided the grounds for exemption below.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group (ATAGI) advises persons aged 60 and over are eligible for the Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine if they have one of the following conditions:

• past history of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST)
• past history of Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT)
• past history of idiopathic splanchnic (mesenteric, portal, splenic) vein thrombosis
• antiphospholipid syndrome with thrombosis and
• contraindications to COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca. This means:
  • anaphylaxis to a previous dose or to an ingredient of the vaccine
  • thrombosis with thrombocytopenia occurring after the first dose of AstraZeneca or
  • other serious adverse event attributed to the first dose of AstraZeneca.

Persons aged 60 years and older must provide a letter from their general practitioner or specialist doctor stating that they have a history of the above conditions to receive an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

A joint statement is available, ATAGI and the Thrombosis and Haemostasis society of Australia and New Zealand (THANZ) on Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) and the use of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca which advises that the following groups of people can receive the AstraZeneca vaccine as their risk of TTS is not likely to be increased:

• people with a past history of venous thromboembolism in typical sites, such as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism
• people with a predisposition to form blood clots, such as those with Factor V Leiden, or other non-immune thrombophilic disorders
• people with a family history of clots or clotting conditions
• people currently receiving anticoagulant medications
• people with a history of ischaemic heart disease or cerebrovascular accident
• people with a current or past history of thrombocytopenia.

Please check the Department of Health advice in your jurisdiction for any potential additional eligibilities for the Pfizer Comirnaty vaccine for over 60s, as we are aware that some jurisdictions have additional details, for example Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory and South Australia. We are aware there are plans to align all jurisdiction advice and remove variations, however we do not have confirmation of the timeframe for this, so we encourage you to regularly check your local jurisdiction advice in addition to the Commonwealth advice for potential amendments. We will aim to share further advice when information comes to hand.

Reminder: Complete the Medical Training Survey

The Medical Board of Australia’s Medical Training Survey (MTS) will be running for another month. Eligible participants are all doctors in training, including RACP trainees in Australia.

A survey link is provided after you renew your registration. If you miss it, you’ll find it in your Ahpra confirmation of registration email. We encourage you to complete this important survey and have your say on medical training in Australia.

About the Medical Training Survey

The MTS is a national survey of all doctors in training in Australia. Results provide a snapshot of the quality and experience of medical training in Australia. The survey is independently administered by research company EY Sweeney. The MTS is anonymous and your answers will be handled in line with the privacy policies of the Medical Board of Australia, Ahpra and EY Sweeney. Only de-identified survey data will be provided to Ahpra and the Medical Board of Australia.

Further details can be found by visiting the MTS website. If you have questions regarding the MTS, please email MTS@ahpra.gov.au.

Contribute to a new Quality and Safety Spaced Learning course

Interested Fellows and trainees are invited to submit expressions of interest to join a working group to develop a new Quality and Safety Spaced Learning course. The Quality and Safety Spaced Learning course will be delivered via Qstream and will comprise of six case study questions. Participants will receive case studies directly to their inbox and can complete them at a time that suits them over a four-week period. The working group will assist in the development and drafting of case study questions.

Find out more and apply by Friday, 27 August 2021

Expressions of Interest  

• The AFOEM Faculty Assessment Committee seeks a Committee Chair
• Represent NSW and ACT trainees on the NSW and ACT Trainees' Committee
• The Faculty Assessment Committee seeks expressions of interest from AFOEM Fellows to coordinate the 2022 Stage B Written Examination
• The College Trainees' Committee seeks an AFOEM Trainee Representative 
• Join the RACP Membership Diversity Advisory Group
• Contribute to the regulation of therapeutic goods in Australia

Check the Expressions of Interest page at any time, to find out if there are any opportunities that are of benefit to you. 

Conferences and events

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians publishes notices of events and courses as a service to members. Such publication does not constitute endorsement or mandating of any such events or courses. 

• Workplace Mental Health Symposium – Monday, 13 to Wednesday, 15 September 2021, JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort and Spa, Surfers Paradise, Queensland.
• ANZMH Association All-Access Virtual Pass – multiple dates and events, online. 

Go to the events list at any time to see what events are coming up.

Career opportunities

For career opportunities, view all positions vacant on the RACP website.