Welcome to the March edition of Fellowship Facts.

Welcome to our new OTDs

(Pyae Win and Aye Han are two of our new OTDs working towards FRACGP.)

2011 has had a very exciting beginning with the Rural Doctors Network funding an additional 9 OTDs to NCGPTs Support Towards Fellowship Program. This now brings our current number of OTDs to 36.

Over the last few weeks  many of the new OTDs have been visited by Dr Kayte Evans, one of  our Medical Educators, and Sharyn Corben, Program Manager, to  complete Individual Learning Plans. Our two day visit  included South West Rocks, Nambucca Heads and Coffs Harbour. Visits will soon be made to Tweed Heads, Goonellabah and Kyogle to meet the other new OTDs.

We hope that these new doctors enjoy working with the team at NCGPT.

Examination Preparation Workshop Report

In February 2011 we conducted a very successful Examination Preparation Workshop. Dr Peter Silberberg and Dr Christine Ahern were able to provide insight into the RACGP examinations and enable the participants to experience mock examinations.

The workshop was held over one day with participants and presenters enjoying a relaxing evening meal together after a hectic day of activities. It was wonderful meeting the partners and children of the participants and I believe that some great new friendships were formed over the day and evening.

Thank you to those doctors who travelled a considerable distance to attend we hope that you found it worthwhile.

Workshops for Hospital IMGs

For the second year, NCGPT has had the privilege of conducting training workshops for hospital IMGs on behalf of North Coast Area Health Service. At the end of February 2011 a team of Medical Educators presented  Consultation and Communication Skills workshops at Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour Hospitals. The participants provided positive feedback on all aspects of the workshop and expressed an interest in attending future workshops that expanded on aspects of the day's presentations such as "Breaking Bad News" and " Motivational Counselling".

Public Hearing for OTDs Inquiry

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing will hold a public hearing on Thursday 31 March to discuss the registration processes and support available for Overseas Trained Doctors (OTDs) seeking full Australian registration.

The Committee will speak with Dr Ian Cameron, CEO of the NSW Rural Doctors Network, and a panel of OTDs regarding their experiences with the Occupational English Test - a requirement for those seeking registration as a medical practitioner. A number of specialist medical colleges will also provide a further insight into their assessment processes.

The program is outlined below:
9.30am NSW Department of Health
10.15am NSW Rural Doctors Network
11.15am Doctor’s Forum into the Occupational English Test
12.15pm Committee of Presidents of Medical Colleges
1.30pm Specialist Colleges Forum
The hearing will be webcast live on 31 March at   http://webcast.aph.gov.au/livebroadcasting/

 

Research Project

Research Project on IMGs

International Medical Graduates are encouraged to participate in a Monash University research project on IMG adjustment to Australian healthcare teams. The project draws on the experience of IMGs to inform and improve hospital supports available upon their arrival in Australia.

Participation simply involves completing one anonymous, 20-30 minute online survey.
At the end of this survey you will be invited to enter an optional raffle for your chance to win an 8G iPod Touch!
For more information on the survey please email Linda Habeeb from Monash University at Linda.Habeeb@monash.edu
 

Active Health Website

The NSW Department of Health has launched a new site www.activeandhealthy.nsw.gov.au
Information on the website includes:

• Finding an exercise program in your local area
• A new community resource ‘Staying Active and On Your Feet’ which has :
      - Simple strength and balance exercises that can be done at home
      - A health and lifestyle checklist
      - A home safety checklist
      - What to do if you have a fall
• Links to websites on fall prevention and falls best-practice guidelines and research
 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health

RACGP releases position statement: Identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Australian general practice

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is committed to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and communities. Consistent with findings in Australia and overseas, the College recognises that general practices play a key role in improving life expectancy and health for Indigenous people.

To assist in addressing these issues, the RACGP has created a position statement, ‘Identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Australian general practice’, which summarises processes to identify, record and report the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status of patients of health services.

A standard national identification question will be used to identify patients of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin, in line with Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) guidelines, the Council of Australian Government (COAG) National Indigenous Reform Agreement (also known as the ‘Closing the Gap’ initiative), and consistent with other national data collections.

The RACGP believes providing support in terms of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health across the multi-faceted spectrum of general practice helps make a difference to health outcomes in communities.

The College is also an active supporter of the Close the Gap initiative, which aims to close the significant disparity in life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians by the year 2030.

To view the ‘Identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in Australian general practice’ guide, visit  www.racgp.org.au/aboriginalhealth/identificationpositionpaper.pdf.

New Reports

Australian Social Trends March 2011

Australian Bureau of Statistics
Released quarterly, Australian Social Trends presents analysis and commentary on a wide range of social issues. The March edition includes the following articles: Health outside Major Cities; Health services: Use and patient experience; Life expectancy trends — Australia; Year 12 attainment; and Education and Indigenous wellbeing.
See: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features1Mar%202011

Cardiovascular Disease: Australian facts 2011

Australian Institute for Health and Welfare
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a very common and serious disease in Australia with about 3.5 million people reporting having the condition in 2007-08. Despite significant advances in the treatment of CVD and for some of its risk factors, it remains the cause of more deaths than any other disease - about 50 000 in 2008 - and the most expensive, costing about $5.9 billion in 2004-05.

Not all sectors of Australian society are affected equally by CVD with people in lower socioeconomic groups, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those living in the remote areas of Australia are often more likely to be hospitalised with, or to die from CVD than other members of the population.
See: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=10737418510&libID=10737418510
 

Is this normal? Assessing mental health in young people

McGorry P, Goldstone S. (2011). Australian Family Physician, 40 (3), 94-97
This article aimed at general practitioners discusses the key factors for assessing mental health issues in young people. Diagnosable mental health disorders affect 1 in 4 young people each year and 75% do not access treatment. The authors provide guidance for general practitioners on assessing mental health disorders in young people including: ”when to worry and what the early stages of mental illness look like; and provides guidance and tips for effective treatment.” [Abstract précis by PHC RIS]
See: http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/201103/41499

Mental Health Reform Update

The Hon Mark Butler MP, 18 March 2011
The Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, provides an update on what the Australian Government is doing to advance reforms in mental health.
See: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/mr-yr11-mb-mb031.htm 

Workshops and Conferences

Family Planning Workshops & Conference

What: Family Planning NSW Annual Conference
‘Choose to be Challenged!’
When: 20 August 2011
Where: University of Technology Sydney’s conference venue, NSW
Info: www.fpnsw.org.au 

Highlights of the FPNSW conference will involve Jenny Brockie from the SBS program ‘Insight’ facilitating a panel discussion on female sexual dysfunction.
 

Rural & Remote Mental Health Symposium

What: Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association
3rd Rural & Remote Mental Health Symposium
When: 14 - 16 November 2011
Where: Mercure Hotel, Ballarat, VIC
Info: www.anzmh.asn.au

The conference will discuss and examine the impacts and outcomes of social, financial and environmental issues on mental health patients and their service providers in rural and remote communities in Australia.
GPs can also submit Abstracts to present at the Symposium until 27 June 2011. 

Skin Cancer Management course: 30 Extended PDP points

This course will be facilitated by Fellows of the Australasian College of Dermatologists and focus on developing practical skills in dermoscopy through case study-based sessions. (Maximum of 10 participants per facilitator.) Skin cancer diagnosis and management will be explored through real-life cases studies using all the information you rely on in practice.

The one-day workshop is on Saturday 18 June 2011 in Sydney. You will also need to complete about four hours of pre- and post-workshop study. For registration and other information, please email admin@dermcoll.asn.au

Australian Prescriber

Australian Prescriber is a free magazine published every two months for health professionals. Australian Prescriber has been funded by the Department of Health and published since 1975 as an educational resource, and is read by many readers in Australia and overseas. Our last readership survey found that Overseas Trained Doctors are not often aware of Australian Prescriber and we would like to address that finding. The same survey found that over 90% of readers surveyed said Australian Prescriber influences their prescribing.

Australian Prescriber would be a useful resource for  Overseas Trained Doctors who may like to read it as a way of gaining knowledge about prescribing in Australia. Readers can obtain the hard copy free of charge by subscribing to our mailing list, or they can read it online at www.australianprescriber.com. 

 A subscription to email alerts is also available, which sends an email to the subscriber with the list of contents each time an issue of Australian Prescriber is published.