The President's Message – 8 March 2024
Hello and Kia ora everyone. I’m Dr Jacqueline Small, President of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. I would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the traditional owners and custodians of the lands I’m joining you from. I extend my respect to all Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Māori people. Together we restate our shared commitment to advancing Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori health and education as core business of the RACP.
Today, Friday, 8 March, is International Women’s Day with this year’s theme being Inspire Inclusion. The organisers ask us to imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive, where difference is valued and celebrated. That equally describes the medical profession that I believe we should be building and the College that I aspire to.
As of 27 February this year, 41 per cent or 9,008 Fellows identified as female, and 58 per cent or 5,254 trainees identified as female. This is a powerful illustration of the importance of initiatives such as our Gender Equity in Medicine initiative.
Our Gender Equity in Medicine Committee is progressing the College’s multi-year Gender Equity in Medicine Action Plan. College data reports show that there has been a significant shift in College body member representation over the past 10 years. We are now very close to gender equity on our committees in 2024.
We have updated and implemented gender identifiers College-wide to enable the College to improve its reporting on member insights, and promote inclusivity and respect for our members.
We are working with other medical colleges to further gender equity in the health sector. We are a partner organisation of the Advancing Women in Healthcare Leadership project, a large-scale research and impact project. It is supported by two NHMRC Partnership Project Grants and has contributions from 21 partner organisations.
So we can better support the needs of all of our trainees, we have a more flexible approach to our training. The College is also advocating to Government about demonstrating shared value of the contributions trainees make to our health system and supporting flexible training.
We ran an inter-college webinar or flexible training in healthcare on Wednesday, 6 March with over 500 registered to the event. The changes to our Flexible Training Policy have been in place since January 2023 and we continue to actively reach out to trainees to improve our policies and to support gender equity in training.
The theme of Women in Medical Leadership continues at this year’s RACP Congress. Excitement is already building for Congress at Sydney’s International Convention Centre to be held on Thursday, 16 and Friday, 17 May. Congress this year marks a return to a two-day in-person meeting for our flagship event following the disruptions caused by the pandemic.
I will be taking part in an international panel of distinguished women medical leaders – including Dr Sarah Clarke, President of the Royal College of Physicians, London, Dr Camilla Kingdon, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, London, and our President-elect Professor Jennifer Martin.
I am very excited to be welcoming at least five international presidents of colleges of physicians or academies of medicines to Congress. Come and meet with them and build your own international professional relationships. Together, we will explore the opportunities and challenges that accompany women in leadership roles within the healthcare landscape.
As well as this Women in Medical Leadership discussion, this year, our specialty societies are bringing us clinical updates covering a range of topics in TED-style presentations. With sessions on health and wellbeing in the healthcare sector, how Artificial Intelligence is shaping the healthcare landscape, and Practical climate action for clinicians, there is something for everyone. Our final plenary will also be a highlight as we hear from a panel of trainees and New Fellows as they discuss where we are heading and how the physician of the future will shape healthcare.
Attendee numbers are growing more quickly than in previous years and if you haven’t bought a ticket yet, I’d encourage you to do so. You’ll find more information on the RACP Congress website.
Finally, our College maintains close links with our 51 affiliated specialty societies which bring together physicians, research and clinical scientists actively involved in the study of a particular specialty. Next month I’ll be leading our second annual Specialty Society Forum, bringing together many specialty presidents, drawing on their expertise for guidance on matters relevant to their specialty and continuing to build the close relationship between our organisations. We will continue to discuss key issues across our professions such as workforce and training.
I am really looking forward to a panel discussion about clinical academic pathways, building on the innovate theme of our College. Special thanks to Ann McCormack, President of the Endocrinology Society of Australia, Claire Barrett, President of the Australian Rheumatology Association, and Stephen Nicholls, President of the Cardiac Society Australia and New Zealand, who will take part in the panel. I also thank the following panellists, Steve Wesselingh, CEO NHMRC and infectious diseases physician, Lauren Troy, respiratory physician and Co-Director, RPA Institute of Academic Medicine and also Inam Haq, rheumatologist and RACP Executive General Manager, Education, Learning and Assessment.
There are clear benefits to patients and to clinicians from enabling better participation in clinical research. You are welcome to share your opinions and thoughts ahead of this forum.
Thank you for watching.
Dr Jacqueline Small
RACP President
To contact Jacqueline, please email president@racp.edu.au
You are invited to an insightful panel discussion with refreshments and canapes on today, Friday, 8 March, from 5.30pm to 7.30pm AEDT as we celebrate International Women's Day at our Sydney office. There's still time to register and we will delve into topics connecting us as women, those who identify as women, and allies.
Register now
We also encourage you to hear from some of our esteemed colleagues on what International Women's Day means to them in these brief videos.
The NSW Women of the Year Awards celebrate the incredible women and girls improving the lives of people in NSW. One of these awards is the Premier’s NSW Woman of Excellence, which we are proud to say RACP Fellow, Professor Clara Chow AM was a finalist for. We congratulate Professor Chow AM for this incredible achievement.
Professor Clara Chow AM is Academic Director of the Westmead Applied Research Centre at the University of Sydney. She is a cardiologist and Clinical Lead of Community Based Cardiac Services at Westmead Hospital and is also a member of the Western Sydney Local Health District Governing Board.
RACP Congress is shaping up to be an exciting event, with something for everyone. If you haven't seen the program, we encourage you to check it out, as more details have been recently added. If you are staying on after RACP Congress, here are some highlights of what to do in Sydney.
Don't forget to add a ticket to one of the social highlights of the program, the Gala Dinner when you register.
Ask an Expert
One of the features is the Ask an Expert sessions, where you can connect with other members to find out more about a range of topics such as a career as a doctor, study tips, how to get involved with advocacy and gain media coverage, and more. These one-to-one sessions will be available for all delegates during the breaks.
To submit an expression of interest to be one of our ‘experts’, please email racpcongress@racp.edu.au with the topic and some brief information on your experience with the topic.
The rapid fire clinical updates
In the rapid fire clinical updates, you can add to your knowledge by finding out more about the latest updates from a range of specialty societies.
Here are just some of the updates for you to enjoy:
- What is an obstetric physician, and considering obstetric medicine as a sub-specialty
- HIV clinical indicator testing: reducing the missed diagnosis
- Recognising Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: a clinical update
- An update on the diagnosis of gestational diabetes
- The changing face of multiple sclerosis epidemiology.
Register now
Congratulations to the recipients of this year’s College Awards. These awards acknowledge the outstanding contributions and achievements of our Fellows and trainees. The presentations will be made at the Convocation Ceremony in May 2024.
- The John Sands Medal: Professor Michael Shanahan
- The College Medal: Professor Pamela McCombe
- RACP International Medal: Dr Ingrid Bucens
- RACP Medal for Clinical Service in Remote and Rural Areas: Dr Jim Croker
- RACP Mentor of the Year: Dr Emily Horsley
- RACP Trainee of the Year: Dr Duncan Campbell
- The Eric Susman Prize: Professor Gary Lee
The February 2024 Divisional Written Examination (DWE) was held on Monday, 12 February 2024 in a paper-based format. There were 1,073 candidates who sat the exam in 19 locations across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
We want to thank our Directors of Physician/Paediatric Education (DPEs) and RACP supervisors for their ongoing support and guidance to trainees in the lead up to the exam. We also thank our RACP team members who have been involved in the examination process for their hard work and support.
Exam results will be released on Thursday, 14 March 2024. If you have any questions about the exam or the upcoming results release, please email memberservices@racp.edu.au.
Based on helpful feedback from trainees, recent changes have been made regarding the Advanced Training Research Project (ATRP), designed to provide more flexibility and address marking outcome delays.
Read more about the policies that have been updated, and how Fellows can join our ATRP review pool.
Find out more
The Australian Department of Health and Aged Care has conducted two consultations as part of developing new legislation to improve the care of older persons. In September 2023, the RACP made a submission and in February 2024 subsequently prepared this second submission to the draft Exposure Bill.
This RACP submission draws attention to the need to specifically refer to ‘health care’ for older people (as opposed to just ‘care’), as well as the right to timely access to appropriate health care and has recommended recognition of the importance of functional ability.
Read the submission
This submission calls on the Australian Government's response to the Royal Commission’s Final Report to revisit the breadth of health-related challenges faced by individuals with disabilities, their families, and caregivers. This is needed to create a more comprehensive and integrated approach to providing healthcare, in line with the holistic attention that the Royal Commission’s recommendations have provided across other sectors such as education, employment and housing.
Read the submission
In early February, the RACP provided advice on modelling the health impacts of climate change to the Australian Federal Treasury. The advice outlines the importance of including climate health impacts in modelling to provide a fuller picture of the economic impacts of climate change. We also put forward that modelling must prioritise cultural safety and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, knowledge and leadership.
Further, we state that modelling must include consideration of costs as well as cost savings related to health co-benefits of climate action. Our suggested focus areas include the costs of heat and bushfires on population health and the costs of climate change on healthcare systems. We also shared the advice with the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care as understanding the economic impacts stemming from climate change and health will be useful as the recently released Australian National Health and Climate Strategy is implemented. The RACP will continue advocating for the Strategy to be fully-funded, including through our Healthy Climate Future campaign.
Thank you to our members for your valuable input to these RACP submissions.
Read the advice
Attention supervisors, in this webinar recording, you can hear from the panel, Wendy Edmondson, Dr Kimberley Male and Dr Louis Peachey. They discuss the Referendum's ongoing impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainees and share how you, as supervisors, can provide culturally safe support.
Read more
Listen now
Last November, an NHS Hospital Trust in Nottingham sought permission from the UK High Court to withdraw life support from a seven-month old girl called Indi Gregory. The devastated parents did not want to give up on her although they were advised there was no hope of treatment for her profound developmental disability. The family and the medical teams returned to court two more times, right up to the day that Indi was to be extubated.
Conflicts over healthcare have always existed, but their frequency has increased as medicinal advances present more options for intervention even in the sickest patients. Added to that, the online media environment allows advocacy campaigns to grow until they spill onto the streets outside hospitals and courtrooms. This heightened tension causes moral injury both to parents and healthcare staff looking after child patients.
The Medical Mediation Foundation has developed a conflict management framework to help avoid or de-escalate such disputes and keep attention focused on the best interests of the patient. In this podcast, we hear from the director of the foundation, as well as three staff from the Starship Hospital, Auckland who have undertaken this training.
Guests
- Sarah Barclay, Director, the Medical Mediation Foundation
- Dr Louise Webster MBChB RANZCP FRACP, Paediatric Consult Liaison Team, Starship Hospital
- Dr Fiona Miles FRACP FFICANZCA, Paediatric Intensivist, Starship Hospital
- Fiona McIver, nurse specialist, Starship Hospital
Please visit the Pomegranate Health webpage for a transcript and supporting references. Log in to MyCPD to record listening and reading as a prefilled learning activity. Subscribe to new episode email alerts or search for ‘Pomegranate Health’ in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox or any podcasting app.
Support for Rural Specialists in Australia (SRSA) helps rural specialists stay skilled and engaged so they can provide the best care to their communities. Eligible applicants are invited to apply for a grant of up to $12,000 to complete CPD activities like conferences, workshops, clinical attachments, and peer review. The application deadline is Monday, 15 April 2024. Visit the SRSA website for more information and to submit an application.
Eligibility
To apply for an SRSA grant, you must work rurally as either:
- a (non-GP) specialist
- an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander specialist trainee
- a specialist international medical graduate under assessment.
The SRSA Program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care and managed by the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges.
Expressions of interest
More opportunities
Save on all your favourite lifestyle and service brands from leading retailers across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand with RACP Benefits. Our new lifestyle benefits portal offers you exclusive discounts and genuine savings on items in a range of popular categories. To celebrate the launch of RACP Benefits, we have some great offers for you to explore. So log in today and take advantage of your RACP Benefits.
As healthcare workers who dedicate our lives to helping others, it’s important to take the time to care for ourselves. We would like to remind everyone that it's okay to not be ok. If you need someone to talk to, you can reach out to the RACP Support Program. It's a free, 24/7 and completely confidential support service that is delivered externally through Converge International.
Whether you have something worrying on your mind, are finding getting out of bed to be a struggle, or just feel like talking to someone for helpful, judgement-free advice, this free support service may be just what you need.
Find out more
Stay informed
Read other RACP eBulletins and access current news on the RACP Online Community (the ROC):
Join the conversation in the ROC