The Board held its first virtual Conversations with the Board event for 2021 on Thursday 11 February, and its first (though definitely not its last) in Tasmania.

Tasmania is a unique location in Australia, with a distinctive trainee and physician experience available to those who venture down. Many physicians have noted that although they initially made the “temporary” move to Tasmania as part of their training, they now call this unique place home.

We thank the members who joined the Board for an open and constructive discussion. Below are some highlights from the discussions held.

Professor John Wilson AM
RACP President

We heard about members’ concerns regarding the future and surplus of General Medicine physicians in Tasmania and the impact this may have on other specialties. General medicine is important to our health care system and is the cornerstone of inpatient public hospital care. General medicine is a major provider of the physician workforce in urban, regional, and remote settings and with our ageing population, it is likely to become more so important.

College data show that New Fellows in General and Acute Care Medicine have been steadily increasing and it is anticipated that the future of General Medicine will be driven by demand.

We acknowledge the declining workforce of occupational and environmental physicians (OEPs) in Tasmania. OEPs provide important services to Tasmanians, including the assessment of impairment and fitness to perform particular work duties, assessment of treatment needs and supports to return to work following injury, and advice for employers on illness and injury prevention. We have previously called on the Tasmanian government to work collaboratively with the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and other key stakeholders to develop a strategy for maintaining a local OEP workforce in Tasmania.

We discussed strategies for mentoring and supporting trainees in Tasmania, acknowledging again that Tasmania is different to many other parts of Australia. The College’s Training Support Unit provides individualised case management for both trainees and supervisors. We are also exploring the delivery of a network that provides trainees with a mentor and whilst this concept is still being considered, we look forward to seeing this develop to support trainees across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

We acknowledge the unique challenges faced by members in rural and regional areas, particularly in Tasmania. We are in the process of establishing the Regional and Rural Physician Strategy Working Group, which will be tasked with developing a strategy that the College can use to advocate for change and guide College activities to support equitable health outcomes for Australians and New Zealanders living in regional, rural or remote locations. The Working Group will report to the College Council and work will commence once the Group is finalised.