Pot-pourri eBulletin - 10 March 2023
A message from your President
As discussed in my last President’s Post, the 30th International Pediatric Association (IPA) Congress and 60th PEDICON 2023 was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India in late February 2023. It was my very great privilege to attend as the President of the RACP’s Paediatrics & Child Health Division (PCHD), and such a pleasure to do so in the company of many other enthusiastic paediatricians and allied healthcare providers – 7,000 delegates in all!
Numbered among the delegates was a strong Australian contingent including RACP President Dr Jacqueline Small, Dr Margie Danchin, Dr Kevin Forsyth, Dr Divyesh Patel, and many others.
I had the opportunity to talk about common bonds and goals with international paediatric leaders, including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health President Dr Camilla Kingdon, and the American Academy of Pediatrics President Dr Sandy Chung. Dr Chung gave an excellent presentation seeking changes within healthcare to prevent burnout and extolling the immense power of peer support and the need for flexible work options. Meanwhile, engaging presentations ensured that the Australian delegates left their mark on the Congress program, including a presentation from Dr Kevin Forsyth on the role of IT and AI in medical education.
It also gives me immense pleasure to announce that following an extensive voting process, I have been elected to the International Pediatric Association Standing Committee as a representative of the Asia Pacific Pediatric Association and the RACP. This position will help the RACP develop direct collaborations with agencies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the International Society of Social Paediatrics and Child Health (ISSOP). This will also help strengthen our ties with international paediatric colleges, help us to pursue shared goals and interests, and get involved with paediatric priorities on a global scale. I am looking forward to sharing this adventure with you all.
I would like to wish the best of luck to all the candidates who sat the Divisional Written Exam (DWE) last month. The results which be released on 16 March 2023. I look forward to hearing many practice long cases and short cases in the lead up to the clinical exam later this year.
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
2023 RACP Educational Development (Study) Grants
Applications for the 2023 RACP Educational Development (Study) Grants open on Monday, 27 March 2023. RACP Paediatric Small Study Grants encourage PCHD Fellows and Advanced Trainees to undertake clinical paediatric research (if they have not previously received a competitive research grant).
Other educational development grants available include:
- Skilled Medical Scholarship for Advancement of Indigenous Health
- Eric Burnard Fellowship
- Richard Kemp Memorial Fellowship
- Aotearoa New Zealand Educational Development Grant
Visit the RACP Foundation webpage to see the eligibility criteria for each award and to access the online application form.
Member Health and Wellbeing Strategic Plan 2023 – 2026
We are pleased to release our new Member Health and Wellbeing Strategic Plan 2023-2026 which was developed by the Member Health and Wellbeing Committee (MHWC).
The MHWC developed the Plan using the following principles:
- The wellbeing of members is essential in all stages of their careers and lives.
- The individual, our College, and practice environments have a collective responsibility for member wellbeing.
- Wellbeing must be embedded into all College activities and culture, and modelled by leadership.
- Our College will advocate for and enable evidence-based practices to promote wellbeing.
We encourage you to read the Plan and look forward to rolling out the initiatives in the plan to better support you.
Read the Strategic Plan
2022 MyCPD record submission deadline: 31 March
This is a friendly reminder to log in to MyCPD and complete your 2022 MyCPD submission by Friday, 31 March 2023. Please record a minimum of 100 CPD credits for last calendar year (1 January to 31 December 2022) or contact the CPD Team to discuss a CPD exemption for 2022.
Remember, your MyCPD record is open for 2023. It is recommended you record activities as you go.
Further details about the MyCPD framework are available in the following handbooks, including changes to CPD requirements for 2023, and the transition from CPD credits to CPD hours:
2022 MyCPD Framework 2023 MyCPD Framework
We’re your CPD Home
As of 1 January 2023, all Australian medical practitioners need to select a CPD home.
There are plenty of benefits to completing your CPD through us. You can use our MyCPD platform to record your CPD activities, access helpful resources which are relevant to your scope of practice, take advantage of peer review opportunities on the RACP Online Community (ROC), and contact our CPD Team for tailored support.
My RACP. MyCPD Home.
Find out more
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:
- Probiotic supplementation in neonates and long-term gut colonisation: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials
- Psychosocial assessment tools for children and young people aged 5 to 18 years: A rapid review of the literature
- Australian guidelines for the management of children with achondroplasia
- Inborn errors of metabolism refuse to stay-at-home: Experiences of a state-wide biochemical genetics service during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Falls of newborn infants in a New Zealand hospital: A case series.
Read the journal
Participate in a trial based on eLearning for cerebral palsy diagnosis
Paediatric physicians in Australia are invited to participate in a randomised controlled trial of eLearning for physician early diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Participation in this study will involve a series of online surveys and an online examination over six months.
Published international clinical practice guidelines for the early diagnosis of cerebral palsy show that change in clinical decision-making practice is necessary for Australian physicians. Online training has been identified as a priority, and this study aims to use different interactive eLearning types to test early diagnosis.
Participate by filling out this survey. For further information please contact Ms Lynda McNamara, PhD Student, Sydney Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School at lmcn0957@uni.sydney.edu.au.
Read more and participate
Pomegranate Health podcast – Ep.92: Data-driven practice improvement
Ep92: Data-driven practice improvement
Medical and administrative records are normally collected to help the management of patients or institutions, but it can be time consuming to extract metrics useful for practice improvement.
However, these analytics can also give an overview of case load and performance, and draw attention to cases that stood out from the trend. This could help clinicians reflect and improve, and even act as a shortcut to meeting the new CPD requirements.
Guests
- Professor Tim Shaw (University of Sydney; Research Director, Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre)
- Dr David Rankin (Director Clinical Governance and Informatics, Cabrini Health)
Please visit the Pomegranate Health web page for a transcript and supporting references. Login to MyCPD to record prefilled learning activity. Subscribe to new episode email alerts or search for ‘Pomegranate Health’ in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, or any podcasting app.
Hear how Fellows are integrating CPD into their daily practice
The Decoding CPD video series on Medflix highlights how Fellows are integrating valuable Category 2: Reviewing Performance and Category 3: Measuring Outcomes CPD activities into their everyday practice.
Watch this episode to hear Paediatrician Dr Janaka Tennakoon share the Category 2 and 3 activities he participates in and the impacts these have made on his practice.
We also have a range of other useful Category 2 and 3 resources available to help you with your CPD. Don’t forget to claim CPD for time spent on RACP Online Learning.
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.
Complete ‘my work profile’
The ROC Member Directories – connect with your colleagues today
When you join the RACP Online Community (ROC), you can post questions and start discussions with other members. But did you know that the ROC also features a Member Directory and Special Interest Directory designed to help you find and connect with your colleagues?
The easy-to-use directories allow you to search by name, location, Division, Faculty, Chapter and/or specialty and are the perfect way to chat directly with other members and expand your network of contacts across the membership.
Log in to the ROC to connect with your peers.
Support for Rural Specialists in Australia – grants available
Support for Rural Specialists in Australia (SRSA) helps rural specialists like you stay skilled, supported and engaged so you can provide the best care to your community.
Apply online for a grant of up to $10,000 to do CPD activities like conferences, workshops, clinical attachments and peer review. The application deadline is 31 March 2023.
To be eligible you must work rurally and be part of a (non-GP) specialist medical College as:
- a Fellow
- an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander trainee
- an International Medical Graduate under assessment.
Find out more and apply now
Member Advantage– March into savings
During the month of March, your Member Advantage brings you discounts on groceries, retail, travel and more. You could literally save money every day!
Available online, 24/7. That's your Member Advantage. *Terms and conditions apply.
Australian member access Aotearoa New Zealand member access
Other news and events
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New South Wales
Private practice: General Paediatrician, Port Macquarie | Closing: Tuesday, 1 August 2023
Aotearoa New Zealand
Director: Liggins Institute, Auckland | Closing: Sunday, 9 April 2023
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.
Update your details with the College
Did you know that you can update your address details online? Simply log into MyRACP and go to 'Edit my details'.