AFRM eBulletin – 16 May 2023
Speakers will include members of the working group who will discuss the document and an opportunity for questions and answers. If you haven’t already received the email invitation, you can also
register via this link.
You will also see in this eBulletin a request from AROC to complete a survey. In conjunction with AFRM, AROC is undertaking an audit of members to get a snapshot of rehabilitation service delivery across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand including what models of delivering rehabilitation services we are using, what new models of care are being implemented, what groups of patients we are seeing, has COVID impacted on service delivery. This data is important. It can help decisions regarding what future outcome data sets need to be developed and set directions for future research. It can help inform the Binational Rehabilitation Strategy document. It can help inform our future training program needs. We need as many members as possible to complete the survey. Please read the message from AROC later in this eBulletin and consider completing the survey. Even better, complete it now so that you don’t forget to do it later.
Now for things to watch out for in the near future.
In upcoming eBulletins and on the ROC, there will be an EOI for members of the Binational Rehabilitation Strategy working group. After the curriculum review, this will be our largest body of work for the next couple of years. As you know it is a joint project between AFRM, RMSANZ and AROC. This document will be used as the basis to solidly plant rehabilitation into the health and disability policy landscape at all levels of government and have an impact on future funding and rehabilitation service provision in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Even if you are not interested in committing to being a working group member, there will be many opportunities for members to offer input, data or review documents. So keep a lookout for that EOI soon.
The revised AFRM curriculum has now been approved. In the coming weeks and months, it will commence its implementation phase. There will be opportunities to learn more about what remains the same and what the new changes are and the timelines for those changes. I strongly encourage all members – both trainees and supervisors – to take the opportunities that will be offered to understand the changes to ensure a smooth transition.
And finally, a reminder that registrations for the RSMANZ ASM being held in Hobart from 10 to 13 September are now open.
Please go and complete the
AROC survey. I just did it and it only took a few minutes.
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 May 2023 edition.
Note: The password on the RACP log in page has been updated, so please check the website.
Applications for the RACP Foundation Research Awards for 2024 are open now.
These include the following Faculty Awards:
- AFRM Research Entry Scholarship $45,000
- AFRM Research Development Fellowship $10,000
- AFRM Bruce Ford Travelling Fellowship $10,000
In all, upwards of 50 awards with a total value of $2.5M are available across the different categories: Career Development Fellowships, Research Establishment Fellowships and Research Entry Scholarships.
Applications for Research Development Grants and Travel Grants open Saturday, 1 July 2023.
Fellows and trainees across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand are eligible to apply for most awards. Please refer to the RACP Foundation website for information on specific eligibility requirements for each award.
The Australasian Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFRM) is excited to announce that the Bariatric Rehabilitation Position Statement will be launched on Tuesday, 23 May 2023 from 5pm to 7pm AEST via a free ZOOM webinar.
Following extensive consultation and drawing on the expertise of relevant stakeholders, AFRM developed the Bariatric Rehabilitation Position Statement to outline recommendations and define appropriate practice for the rehabilitation of patients with bariatric needs.
Members of the Bariatric Rehabilitation Working Group who developed the Position Statement, are putting together a launch program that will discuss the needs of bariatric patients when rehabilitation is required.
Register here
Date: Sunday, 10 to Wednesday, 13 September 2023
Location: Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
More information can be found on the ROC.
The NSW Lecture Series & Bi National Training Program lectures will proceed as scheduled between February and November 2023. Trainees can join via videoconference.
Please register for the lectures. Visit RACP events for more information.
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.
Find out more
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 on Monday, 22 June 2023 from 10am to 11am AEST to hear 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 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 month 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.
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, 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, Faculties and Chapters. 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.
Complete ‘my work profile’
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.
Conferences and Events
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
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