Welcome to the latest issue.

CEO Update

Welcome to the latest edition of your North Coast Post!

We’re halfway through the year already and our training program is in full swing with the Synthesis and Life Stages Workshops being held for GPT1 and GPT2 registrars a couple of weeks ago and many of our registrars recently sitting the ACRRM and RACGP clinical exams. This time of year is an intense time of study for our registrars and we hope that all of your preparations are paying off.

Over the past month there has been a lot of talk about the changes to GP training that were announced with the Federal Budget in May.  While there have not been any further announcements regarding the proposed changes to GP training, myself and our NCGPT Chair, Dr Christopher Jambour recently met with our local Federal Member for Page, Kevin Hogan. We pressed home the value of the regionalised GP training program and, of course, the value that NCGPT has brought to the local communities of our region.  We spoke with Kevin about how our annual intake of registrars has grown from 8 in 2003 to 47 this year and how we have 130 registrars working around the region today.  We also spoke about the importance of maintaining quality in the education program and the importance of maintaining local supports for training practices and supervisors Although the future remains uncertain we have been encouraged by all of the support and positive comments we have received from registrars, supervisors, practice managers and others.  Your support means a lot to us, so thank you.  When any further news about the changes becomes available, please be assured we will keep you informed.

In the meantime, it’s business as usual at NCGPT and we are excited to soon be launching our online learning platform which will complement our face to face education program and which we hope will make learning even more convenient and accessible for everyone on our programs.

Recently we bid farewell to David Chessor from his role as RLO after two and a half years in the role. David has done a superb job as one of our RLO’s and without doubt he will be missed, though on the upside, we’re very pleased that David will continue in the role of Registrar Medical Educator. We are also very happy to announce, that joining the wonderful Lois Oliver and Clare Collins as our third RLO, is Ashlea Broomfield who is currently based in Grafton. Welcome Ashlea and thank you for stepping into this important role, you’re part of a great team and we know you will do a fabulous job.

We are also thrilled that one of our own –Dr Nina Robertson, a former RLO and now NCGPT board member - has been nominated to represent registrars nationally on the RACGP council as the Registrar Representative on Council. With significant changes to GP training under discussion it is increasingly important to ensure registrars are adequately represented. As I have come to know Nina over the years I can assure you that she would be a very strong advocate for registrars and GP training.  If given the opportunity, Nina would make an excellent representative and we wish her luck in being elected. Voting is open now and I would encourage all registrars to have their say in who will represent their interests at this time. See the article about Nina’s candidacy further down in the newsletter.

NAIDOC Week is around the corner and once again this year NCGPT will be offering staff time to attend the NAIDOC Week march in Ballina. NAIDOC Week celebrates the rich cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and gives us all the chance to recognise the contributions that Indigenous Australians make to our country and our society. If you can find time out from your study and your practices, I would encourage you all to attend a local event.

I hope you are all managing to stay warm and well this winter.  

John Langill, CEO

RLO Update

As we head towards the end of the first terms of 2014 it’s been a huge first 6 months for most of our registrars.

Congratulations to all those who successfully passed the recent RACGP clinical exams. A lot of hard work paid off. We hope you can relax and put into practice everything that has been learnt as you head towards completing your training. However we do want to take this opportunity to thank all our amazing medical educators and supervisors who have gone above and beyond their duty in supporting the registrars through the exams this year. Both academically and personally we would like to publically thank you for all your hard work.

For all our GPT1’s it’s also been a busy time with 2 workshops  in addition to getting used to working in general practice for the first time. It was great to have John Langill come down to the most recent Life Stages Workshop in Yamba and personally talk to us about the massive changes to General Practice training that are about to take place. For those just beginning this news has been a bit daunting, especially if you are training part time and will not be finished by 2016. It is still unclear how it will pan out but if you do have concerns about how you may personally be affected please do not hesitate to contact either one of us or staff at NCGPT.

With the upcoming practice change time coming up we have been working on a guide about how to handover safely from one practice to another. We hope this will assist you with those tricky issues such as follow up and patients awaiting results. Watch your inboxes!

Finally with all the changes coming up it is more important than ever to have the right people leading the profession. Currently all GP registrars who are RACGP members are able to vote for the new RACGP president and GP Registrar Representative on Council. Please take time to vote, as whoever takes on these roles will have a large influence on how GP training will look in the future. 

As ever, please do not hesitate to contact us with any registrar queries you may have.

The RLO team

It's time to vote for your RACGP rep!

Elections are now underway for the 56th RACGP Council including a ballot to determine the new RACGP Registrar Representative.

We are delighted to announce that NCGPT’s prior RLO, Dr Nina Robertson is running for the position, along with Dr Paul Tescher from Melbourne. You can click on Nina’s and Paul’s names above to read their candidate statements.

Nina’s statement outlines her views on current issues affecting GP training, including: co-payments; the implications of the Federal Budget announcements; employment terms and conditions; exams; and advocacy around the Close the Gap campaign and Overseas Trained Doctors. At a time of change for GP training it is critical to ensure a strong voice for rural and regional registrars. Nina did a superb job as RLO for NCPGT and we are confident that she would excel as registrar representative on the RACGP Council.

The Registrar Representative on Council represents the interests of registrars and provides advice to Council on matters relating to registrars and general practice training so you have a vested interested to make sure you are well represented!

You must be an eligible RACGP Member to vote for the successful candidate. All RACGP members should have received voting details via email on Monday 16 June. This email would have included a unique, random password and contained a link to a secure external voting website. Where members do not have an email address registered with the RACGP, voting details were posted.

If you did not receive this information and believe are eligible to vote, please contact Helen Gaskin, RACGP Executive Assistant, Office of the President and CEO, via email  helen.gaskin@racgp.org.au or phone 03 8699 0321.

Further information is available here

Good luck Nina!!

Practice Manager of the Year

All of us at NCGPT know that the Practice Manager's role is a tough gig. Practice Managers keep the boat afloat and take care of the business side of things allowing the doctors to concentrate on patient care. They liaise with teams of support staff, allied health professionals, clinicians, specialists and patients. They need to be super organised, IT savvy and have the energy of a teenager! 

To be at the top of the game in this field is quite an achievement. Which is why we take the celebration of our Practice Managers very seriously. Each year we present our Practice Manager of the Year Award to an outstanding Practice Manager; someone highly committed to their role supporting their practice and our registrars in training.

This years Practice Manager's Workshop was held at the Ramada Hotel in Ballina where we were delighted to present our Practice Manager of the Year Award to Marilyn Bailey from Bullinah Aboriginal Health Service in Ballina. 

“She is a very sympathetic and understanding person to all her employees – doctors, registrars, medical students, nurses and admin staff" says colleague Megan Savins. "Marilyn has increased doctor numbers and availability, has more specialists booked to provide services to her clients as well as providing a service with a dietician and speech therapist to join her registered nurse to go to schools and see the Aboriginal children and to ensure there is a continual service to Cabbage Tree Island for medical care to the clients down there”.

“I have seen Marilyn organise funerals for her patients on behalf of the family, deal with other matters not medically required, offer food vouchers to the needy – she is just a lovely caring person who goes above and beyond her duty” says Megan Savins.

“Marilyn has done an absolutely fantastic job in a culturally diverse practice which requires extraordinary skills, in particular people skills and organisational skills” says GP Registrar, Frank Schultheiss. 

Congratulations Marilyn! 

Queen's honours for GP Supervisor

NCGPT Supervisor, Dr Michael Pelmore was recognised with an OAM as part of the Queen's Birthday honours for his services to medicine after 38 years in practice.  

On top of his usual general practice duties, Michael is also a bit of a rock icon. Mostly with young children. He has recorded two Dolphin Award-winning albums with songs centered around the themes of healthy lifestyles and medical issues such as measles and mumps.  

And of course, you're not a rock star without a busy touring schedule and Michael has played many a live gig at local Mullumbimby schools. Though, he admits performing to an audience of school children was a little daunting at first, "It was a steep learning curve dealing with primary schoolers, believe me. But the material was well received and a lot of fun." "It doesn't bother me what genre of music I play, I just love entertaining others and spreading a little joy."

Congratulations Michael! 

Tell GPET what you really think!

The 2014 Registrar Satisfaction Survey closes on Monday 30th June.

This is your opportunity to let GPET know what you think of the AGPT program. It is also the best indicator we have at NCGPT as to how we are performing in the eyes of our registrars. We take the results of this survey very seriously – thank you to everyone who has already filled it out. We would be grateful if those who are yet to fill it out could spend a few minutes doing so.

Each registrar should have received an email from GPET with a unique link to the survey. If you cannot find your email with your unique link, please contact Amanda on amandas@ncgpt.org.au or p. 02 6681 5711.

The survey is conducted by the Australian Council of Education and Research (ACER) and is anonymous. The survey report will be published on the GPET website later in the year.

View the video to find out more about the survey.

Find out more here:

http://www.gpet.com.au/GP-registrars/Registrar-Satisfaction-Survey/Registrar-Satisfaction-Survey

Registrations now open for ANAESTHESIA 2014

North Coast GP Training is pleased to present ANAESTHESIA 2014, to be held at Opal Cove Resort, Coffs Harbour, NSW on 18th – 19th October 2014.

This two day conference was created to provide very practical information and applied learning to contemporary issues facing GP anaesthetists.

This year we are thrilled to be able to present “The Accidental Intensivist” delivered by keynote speaker, Dr Michael Corkeron. In addition to plenary sessions and problem based learning discussions we are also happy to present a series of workshops at the Coffs Harbour Hospital Simulation Centre which will provide highly valuable and practical hands-on learning.

Delegates will have the opportunity to choose two out of three workshops each offering a hands-on learning experience working with clinicians from various disciplines to create the most realistic scenarios. The day of workshops will be held at the state-of-the-art Interprofessional Simulation Centre (iSimCentre) at Coffs Harbour Hospital and will include: an ultrasound workshop, employing the latest in ultrasound technology and equipment; an immersive simulation workshop; and a difficult airways simulation workshop.

Open to all anaesthetists, this conference will be of special relevance to GP anaesthetists, GP anaesthesia trainees, their supervisors and associates working in provincial practice.

The Anaesthesia 2014 conference will be a great opportunity to update your knowledge and skills, and to network with colleagues from across Australia. 40 Category 1 RACGP CPD points are available for the weekend workshop.

There are limited places for the workshops so please book early. Early bird prices are available until 31st July 2014.

To register for ANAESTHESIA 2014, to view the program or for further information please visit http://wired.ivvy.com/event/CDEAYZ/  or contact Amanda Shoebridge, ph. 02 66815711 or e: amandas@ncgpt.org.au

National Reconciliation Action Week

The NCGPT crew celebrated Reconciliation Action Week in style this year, holding a BBQ with our mates at Bullinah Aboriginal Health Service. 

We moved the cars out and shifted some long tables into our garage while our budding chefs, Chris and Neil, cooked up a storm for 30 hungry people. 

We had such a great turn out, with a dozen staff from Bullinah coming along including GP Supervisors Dan & Kayte, GP Registrar Carlos, CEO Mark Moore, Practice Manager Marilyn Bailey and a number of Aboriginal Health Workers, Administration and Bullinah Board Representatives. We also had about 17 of our own staff there too.

The Reconciliation Australia website lists a whole host of ideas for things to do to celebrate Reconciliation Action Week. There are links to Mark Olive's recipes for food with an Australian twist, links to inspiring TED talks and films - even a link to a reconciliation action dance to learn. Though despite Amanda's best efforts to get people interested in that one, most people are leaning toward another BBQ next year. In fact, we're hoping it will become an annual tradition.  

Happy Reconciliation Action Week everyone! 

GPRIP New Administrative Arrangements

New Administrative Arrangement

From 1 July 2014, registrars’ GPRIP incentive will be managed by Department of Human Services under the GPRIP GP component.  GPRIP eligibility is based on Medicare billing records. This is consistent with other GPRIP participants. Other elements of the program remain unchanged.

More information about the GP component is available from
http://www.ruralhealthaustralia.gov.au/internet/rha/publishing.nsf/Content/GP_Component_Guidelines. This website will be updated in the near future to include information about new administrative arrangements.

The Department of Human Services will contact all registrars with information about the new administrative arrangements.

For further information or questions/comments, please contact GPET at gpripadministrator@gpet.com.au or 02 6263 6707.

Interested in doing an Academic Post in 2015?

The 2015 Academic Post Application form is now available on the GPET website. 

The Education Research & Development Unit have developed an Academic Post Information Sheet and Expression of Interest form to assist potential academic registrars with gaining information about the 2015 academic post. Please see the link below.

http://www.gpet.com.au/GP-registrars/Training-Posts/Academic-Training/Academic-Posts

In addition to the General Academic Post positions, two Specialist Academic Posts are also being offered for 2015. A specialist academic post is where there is a defined research project to be completed and some objectives of the term are predetermined. You need to be quick to submit your expressions of interest for these posts - Expressions of Interest close on Monday 30 June 2014 COB. 

The two types of specialised academic posts are the Australian Family Physician Publications Fellow and the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association Academic Post.

Australian Indigenous Doctors' Association Academic Post

The Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) has partnered with General Practice Education and Training (GPET), Coast City Country General Practice Training (CCCGPT), Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service (Winnunga) and the Australian National University (ANU) to deliver an Academic General Practice Training Post to be based at the AIDA Secretariat in Canberra. 

The AIDA Academic Post is an identified training term. It is the first of its kind, providing a unique professional development opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander registrars to develop their skills in the areas of primary care, policy development and academia.

Follow this link for further information about the Specialised Academic Posts: http://www.gpet.com.au/GP-registrars/Training-Posts/Academic-Training/Specialised-Academic-Posts

If you are interested in undertaking an academic post with NCGPT please contact Thea, our Director of Research at theav@ncgpt.org.au

Do you want to represent registrars on the GPRA Board of Directors? ... Here's your chance!

An opportunity exists for eligible individuals to join General Practice Registrars Australia (GPRA) Board. GPRA is the peak, national representative organisation for GP registrars in the Australian General Practice Training Program (AGPT).

There are two (2) Registrar Director positions currently available on the GPRA Board. Election of the new Directors will occur via electronic preferential vote. The elected Directors will be announced at the GPRA Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held September 2014 in Brisbane.

Who can nominate?

Any current voting member of GPRA who is a GP registrar or has completed the AGPT Program since 15 September 2012.

If you are nominating and do not have your member number, please email GPRA at admin@gpra.org.au or call GPRA on 03 9629 8878.

Nomination documents must be received by 4:00 pm (AEST) Monday 7 July 2014 by any of the following means:

Email:     rachael.powers@gpra.org.au
Fax:        (03) 9629 8896 or
Post:      GPRA, Suite 1, Level 4, 517 Flinders Lane Melbourne VIC 3001

NAIDOC Week - 6th - 13th July 2014

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920′s which sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of Indigenous Australians.

NAIDOC Week is held in the first full week of July. It is a time to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and an opportunity to recognise the contributions that Indigenous Australians make to our country and our society.

This year’s NAIDOC theme is Serving Country: Centenary and Beyond, which honours all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who have fought in defence of the country. This includes warriors in the Frontier Wars to warriors who have served in Australia’s military conflicts and engagements across the globe. This year’s NAIDOC Week theme proudly highlights and recognises the role they have played in shaping Australia’s identity and gives people a chance to pause and reflect on their sacrifice. In 2014 people are asked to celebrate and honour the priceless contribution these men and women made to our nation.

Find out what’s on in your area. Many communities will have a NAIDOC Celebration Day where you can meet stallholders from within the community and services sector. Worth visiting to find out more about what services are available in your region and to meet the local network.  Keep an eye on your local paper for more details. More information can be found  at http://www.naidoc.org.au/

(Image: By artist Harry Alfred Pitt)

Win your way to GP14

GP14 – The RACGP conference for general practice will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from Thursday 9 – Saturday 11 October.

With an extensive range of active learning modules (ALMs), workshops, plenaries, networking events and more than 120 exhibitors on offer, this year’s annual conference is set to be the biggest yet.

Register for GP14 by 30 June and go in the draw to win your way to GP14.

The winning delegate will receive a full registration, return flights from their nearest capital city, four nights’ accommodation at the InterContinental Adelaide and a ticket to the GP14 Gala dinner. The total prize is valued at up to $2950. 

For more information, including terms and conditions, visit the GP14 website.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Health Assessment Flow Chart

The AH&MRC Chronic Disease Team have put together a flow chart to help navigation of health assessments and management plans for Aboriginal people against roles of the health professional.

Please note that it is a summary, and full details and up to date information on Medicare should always be checked with the Department of Health. You can do this through MBS Online.

Laminated copies are currently being packaged up to be sent to each Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service in NSW. You can click on the image above to download a PDF copy to print.

Quick Survey on Learning Needs of Health Professionals in Parkinson's Disease

Dr Sanjay Gangadharan, an Advanced Trainee in Geriatric Medicine is conducting research into the learning needs of healthcare professionals working with Parkinson's disease.

The outcomes of this research will be used to help organise a CME teaching program on Parkinson’s Disease.

This clinical survey will take 5-7 minutes to complete. Your response and the time spared is very much appreciated.

Please click the link below to take you to the survey.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BWYFFPM

Attitudes to the Management of Transient Ischaemic Attacks and Minor Strokes (TIAMS)

Dr Andrew Davey, a Term 3 registrar undertaking an academic elective term at General Practice Training Valley to Coast (GPTVtC), is conducting a qualitative study of GP registrars’ and supervisors’ attitudes to the management of transient ischaemic attacks and minor strokes (TIAMS). Registrars and supervisors from GPTVtC and North Coast GP Training are invited to take part in phone interviews that will explore this topic.

The background is that TIAMS are a medical emergency: they entail a considerable risk of recurrent stroke and much of this risk is ‘front-loaded’, occurring in the first week (especially the first 48 hours). The risk is dramatically reduced with prompt treatment. Current Australian guidelines suggest all patients should be seen urgently by stroke specialists.

But the research on which these guidelines is based was conducted overseas, mainly in Oxfordshire, UK. Oxfordshire is very different to Australia, and general practice in the UK NHS is a very different organisational environment to Australian general practice. Regarding TIAMS, key differences are in access to urgent specialist neurologists and access to the imaging modalities necessary to manage TIAMS. These differences are especially acute in rural areas of Australia.

In the current study, Andrew will be exploring registrars’ and supervisors’ thought processes and rationale in managing several TIAMS and possible-TIAMS clinical scenarios. He is especially interested in how services are utilised and the interface of primary and secondary care and how this might be different in urban and rural areas.

Andrew’s research is being supervised by general practitioners Professor Parker Magin from GPTVTC and Dr Dan Lasserson from the University of Oxford.

NCGPT registrars and supervisors may expect emailed invitations to take part in the study in the near future. We hope that you will take the time to read the invitation and consider participation in this interesting and important study.

General Practitioners’ Readiness to deal with Intimate Partner Abuse Survey (GRIPS)

You are invited to participate in General Practitioners’ Readiness to deal with Intimate Partner Abuse Survey (GRIPS)

How much do you know about intimate partner abuse in your practice?

How ready do you feel to respond to patients experiencing intimate partner abuse?

This is what the GRIPS project is about, by collecting general practitioners’ views on intimate partner abuse through a brief survey. This survey is a PhD research project conducted by Traci Leung, who is supervised by Professor Kelsey Hegarty, an academic GP, from the Department of General Practice, The University of Melbourne.

If you are a GP registrar or a GP, we would like to invite you to participate in the survey.

What would you be asked to do?

You are not required to provide us with your name. Please visit the Survey Link:
(https://melbpsych.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9uHrHoSvK5XysnP) and participate in the survey online which will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. OR, if you choose to fill out a hardcopy questionnaire please email us, we will mail out a hardcopy questionnaire with a prepaid envelope (no stamp required) delivered to you.

All participants will go into a random draw to win a supermarket gift voucher valued at $50 (7 winners). As your survey submission will be anonymous, please provide your contact details separately at the end of the survey to be eligible for the draw.

If you would have any questions regarding the project, please email Traci Leung, PhD candidate, at the Department of General Practice, The University of Melbourne, Victoria

e: traci.leung@unimelb.edu.au

Your time and responses to the survey are greatly appreciated!