The RACP President publishes a newsletter covering important news, announcements and developments from across the College, relevant to all RACP members.
2023
The President's Message –8 March
I want to begin this month with a special message to our 2,400 Fellows and 1,100 trainees in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The President's Message – 7 February
Welcome back to 2023, a significant year in the life of our College. This year, the RACP marks its 85th anniversary.
2022
The President's Message – 19 December
It’s that time when many of us reflect on the past 12 months and look ahead to what the next year may hold. This year, I can look back on the first six months of my RACP Presidency.
The President's Message – 25 November
Today, I want to talk with you about the importance of the first 2,000 days of life – and the degree to which they affect the following 30,000 days. Most of you know that I am a paediatrician, and so am deeply aware of the importance of the first 2,000 days for a child’s health and wellbeing.
The President's Message – 28 October
Today, I want to take you back 85 years – and if you will bear with me – the reason for doing so will be apparent shortly. In 1938 the world population was 4.3 billion. In medicine, Florey and Chan had attempted the first mass production of penicillin. Hans Asperger coined the term autism.
The President's Message – 27 September
We, as members of the RACP, are committed to serving the health of our people. This remains true from the earliest days of our Basic Training to the later years of our professional life.
The President's Message – 19 August
One of our core tasks as a College, is to train the physicians of tomorrow. Our 9,000 trainees across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand are a very important part of our membership. But for those in training, the College can be a challenging place to get to know and to build connections.
The President's Message – 22 July
I recently travelled to England and Ireland as part of my President’s role to build connections with medical colleges and colleagues. It was a short, but very busy trip. International connections in medicine are very important.
The President's Message – 24 June
I want to talk with you about burnout. Some of you may have seen the RACP’s commentary in Australian national media about burnout and that it is an urgent issue for the health system.
The President's Message – 27 May
I have been asked recently - what kind of President will I be? The same... but different. Our times, and our College, are changing, yet we stand true to our foundations.
The President's Message – 22 April
Sadly, this will be my last video message to you as President of the College. It has been an honour to serve and represent you and all members of the College over the past two years.
The President's Message – 29 March
I’m sure all of you have watched the conflict that's emerged in Ukraine over the last few weeks with a growing sense of disbelief and horror.
The President's Message – 25 February
Today, I need to talk to you about our recent exam problems. These most recent issues are very stressful for our trainees, DPEs, supervisors and staff, as well as their families. We, as a College, regret they have occurred and are individually contacting the affected trainees.
The President's Message – 1 February
For this, my first message of the year, I would like to wish you a happy and prosperous 2022 and thank you for your dedication to your work during the past year, because of this pandemic.
2021
The President's Message – 21 December
The end of 2021 is upon us, and in many senses, a lot of us may think it’s a year we’d rather forget. There’s been the relentless march of new virus variants, the struggle of coping with lockdowns and new waves of infection as the Northern Hemisphere winter sets in.
The President's Message – 26 November
Many of you have been living the pressures and effects of COVID firsthand on the medical frontlines.
The President's Message – 29 October
Earlier this week, our College achieved a major milestone – we successfully held a computer-based Divisional Written Exam for over 300 Basic Trainees across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Congratulations!
The President's Message – 1 October
We are living in times of change and with COVID-19, it's been unpredictable. Many factors are converging at the moment to disrupt usual patterns of life and work for all of us.
The President's Message – 3 September
COVID-19 has thrown us many challenges and your dedication to our core purpose has been truly outstanding.
The President's Message – 6 August
I emailed you last week about the Member Satisfaction Survey and if you haven’t already, I strongly encourage you to complete it.
The President's Message – 9 July
A lot has recently been happening in the College Policy & Advocacy space. We recently went through a rigorous process to appoint a new Executive General Manager for Policy & Advocacy (P&A).
The President's Message – 23 June
Time and time again, College members ask for three things; value for money from their fees, transparency in College processes, and advocacy as a responsible organisation. The College works hard to advocate in our work with governments, at state and national levels on pressing issues identified by you.
The President's Message – 14 May
I need to talk to you today about a very important issue that relates to our newest Fellows. The life of a physician is not easy. Yes, wonderfully rewarding and a great privilege, but it is not (and has never been), a gravy train.
The President's Message – 16 April
This is a serious topic; the current outcry about the treatment of women in Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand politics, and in public life has made international news over the past month.
The President's Message – 19 March
We’re currently embarking on one of the most critical times in recent medical history… the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The President's Message – 19 February
I’d like to start by acknowledging all of the Divisional Written Exam candidates who sat their exam on Monday. This includes candidates in Melbourne, Geelong and Auckland who went into lockdown, days, and even hours before their exam.
The President's Message – 29 January
I’d like to start by wishing you a happy new year and congratulating our members who were recognised in the 2021 Aotearoa New Zealand New Year Honours and Australia Day Honours lists.
2020
The President's Message – 23 December
We are nearly at the end of the year, and what a year it’s been. The pandemic has changed so much for all of us in both our personal and professional lives. It’s also had a profound effect on our College and the way we support you.
The President's Message – 2 December
This month marked a major milestone for our College. We’ve successfully delivered a new Adult Medicine Divisional Clinical Exam format in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
The President's Message – 30 October
Our College doesn’t exist in isolation. We’re an active member of the healthcare community in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
The President's Message – 2 October
A common question I hear is “where do my College fees go?” It’s both a fair and very important question that comes up time and time again in surveys.
The President's Message – 4 September
I wanted to share with you, information on our current, 41st Board of the College and what we do. As a Board, we’re responsible for monitoring and overseeing many aspects of our amazing organisation.