Pot-pourri eBulletin - 14 April 2023
A message from your President
Friends and close colleagues of Dr David Levitt recently celebrated his retirement from clinical practice.
David’s career in general paediatrics spanned almost 30 years, with the most recent ten years spent as the inaugural Director of General Paediatrics and Dermatology at Queensland Children’s Hospital. Over his career, David was a recognised leader in paediatrics, having been a member, and Chair, of countless local and national paediatric committees. He has been devoted to the education of medical students and paediatric trainees, with his legendary tutelage recognised nationally in 2021 as the RACP Mentor of the Year. However, more than anything, he is a humble and compassionate doctor who provided outstanding care to thousands of children and their families, including many years as the sole paediatrician at the Mater Refugee Clinic. Thank you, David, for your extraordinary contribution.
President of the RACP and fellow paediatrician, Dr Jacqueline Small, recently participated in an ABC radio interview discussing paediatrician shortages across the country. She spoke of how paediatricians are inundated with complex cases and are increasingly unable to keep up with the demand, as well as the College’s continued push for a National Chief Paediatrician and a national strategy for children’s health and wellbeing.
Listen to the interview
The College hosted a forum with our affiliated specialty societies on Friday, 17 March 2023. Thirty-seven societies sent representatives and all Division, Faculty and Chapter presidents were invited to attend. A very valuable networking session capped off a day filled with engaging sessions targeted towards building better relationships between the College and these societies. Those paediatric-specific societies that attended expressed their enthusiasm for this opportunity and look forward to the further opportunity to meet with our PCHD Council face-to-face in Sydney in August.
Referencing our PCHD Council, we held our first meeting for 2023 on 1 March. I will provide a summary of those discussions in my next President’s post. If you want to learn more about the Council and its current members, follow this link.
On 21 March 2023, along with Dr Cheryl Johnson, RACP Auckland Region Network Training Director, I co-facilitated the induction of 26 new Directors of Physician or Paediatric Education (DPEs) across Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. This is the sixth year that I have been involved in the facilitation of these inductions, and as always, I am very glad to see such dedication and enthusiasm from my colleagues toward supporting our paediatric trainees. For those who are already DPEs, I am pleased to see that the College is launching virtual DPE drop-in clinics to provide support and advice to all those undertaking this important activity; the College’s training support team will be contacting you soon.
A quick update on my activities as a new member of the International Pediatric Association Standing Committee (IPASC) which I serve on in an individual capacity. I will be attending a two-day discussion forum of the IPASC in Athens on 5 and 6 May 2023, where we will be looking at the Association’s vision and values, past strengths and accomplishments, and future strategic goals. It will be a whirlwind trip with a great deal packed into those two days, and I look forward to giving you an update on my return.
I would like to close this post by congratulating those PCHD candidates who recently passed the Paediatric Divisional Written Examinations (DWEs) held on 13 February and 7 March 2023, especially those in Auckland whose exam was delayed due to cyclonic weather conditions. There was an 89.8 per cent pass rate for Australian candidates, and those cyclone-affected Auckland candidates achieved a 100 per cent pass rate. Fantastic results from all 205 successful PCHD candidates, but especially from those in Auckland who prove, once again, the resilience of our Kiwi colleagues. Well done to all!
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
Editor-in-Chief sought for the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
Expressions of interest (EOI) are sought for the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health (JPCH).
The JPCH aspires to be a leading peer reviewed scientific journal (impact factor = 1.929) representing the disciplines of paediatrics and child health for paediatricians in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Editor-in-Chief of the JPCH is appointed by the RACP Board for an initial three-year term with the option to renew for a further term and reports to the RACP Board through the College Journals Committee (PDF).
Read more for a position description and to apply
RACP Foundation grants and prizes
2023 RACP Educational Development (Study) Grants
Applications for the 2023 RACP Educational Development (Study) Grants opened 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
Applications for 2023 funding round one close on Tuesday, 2 May 2023. Visit the RACP Foundation webpage to see the eligibility criteria for each award and to access the online application form.
Opening soon: RACP Foundation Research Awards
Applications for the RACP Foundation Research Awards for 2024 will open on Monday, 1 May 2023.
More than 50 awards, with a total value of approximately $2.5m, are available across these categories:
Applications for research development grants and travel grants will open Saturday, 1 July 2023.
Your Fellowship means you belong to the RACP MyCPD Home
There are many benefits of being a part of the RACP CPD Home, including access to the MyCPD platform, interactive handbooks and templates, and a wide range of quality resources on the RACP Online Learning platform. We are dedicated to supporting you throughout your career to meet your CPD requirements, and our CPD team are on hand to provide you with expert and tailored support.
Looking to meet your peer review requirements and connect with colleagues? Log onto the RACP Online Community (ROC) and explore the Mentor Match program where you will find space dedicated to fulfilling the CPD Category 2: Reviewing Performance.
You have never stopped learning. We’re here to make sure that continues. My RACP. MyCPD Home.
View the short video
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:
- Child protection contact among children of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
- Effect of persuasive messaging about COVID-19 vaccines for children
- Neonatal retrievals from a regional centre
- Misdiagnosis of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children
- Living with obesity is related to peer problems in children
- The effect of regional massage performed before blood collection on pain and vital signs in newborns.
Read the journal
CPD simplified
The new CPD simplified online learning resource provides Fellows with an overview of the RACP’s continuing professional development (CPD) program; MyCPD.
Learn how to easily plan, complete, and record activities to meet the annual CPD requirements. Access engaging case studies and examples which will help you identify CPD opportunities in your daily practice. Head to Medflix to watch episode 3 of the Decoding CPD video series where Dr Catherine D’Souza, a Palliative Care Specialist at South Canterbury Hospice in Aotearoa New Zealand, discusses how she effectively completes category 2 CPD activities including peer review, weekly complex case meetings, and monthly consultant meetings.
Access CPD simplified
Don’t forget to claim CPD for time spent on RACP Online Learning.
How to log in to the ROC - for first-time users
Did you know that the RACP Online Community (ROC) is a private, secure place where you can post messages and engage in discussions with other members? It’s also where you can take advantage of our Member and Special Interest directories and participate in our Mentor Match program.
The ROC is exclusive to RACP members and Overseas Trained Physicians (OTPs) and is the perfect way to keep up-to-date with what’s happening in your community and the College as a whole.
To access the ROC, simply download the app from the App Store or Google Play, or log in via MyRACP.
Watch this short video to see how easy it is to log in to the ROC and be part of the conversation.
Log into the ROC
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’
Celebrate this April with Member Advantage
Celebrate April, with a range of new offers and discounts on retail, whitegoods, automotive, and travel. You can also save on movie tickets when you purchase discounted eGift cards on your benefits platform.
Available online, 24/7. That's your Member Advantage. *Terms and conditions apply.
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New South Wales
Private practice: General Paediatrician, Port Macquarie | Closing: Tuesday, 1 August 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'.