Dear In light of ongoing developments concerning COVID-19, I wanted to write to you concerning the provision of member services, events, and professional development over the coming weeks. Firstly, thank you for your professionalism and patience as we've worked through a range of factors related to member services and operations to ensure we can best support you as you care for your clients and patients. The health and safety of our members, their families and clients is paramount and we are currently following the advice of state and federal health departments and are monitoring the situation for new developments daily and making operational decisions in accordance with that information. 1. CPD cycle (1 July 2019 - 30 June 2020) With COVID-19 impacting on members’ abilities to be able to engage in CPD activities, we have determined that all Audiology Australia Accredited Audiologist Members will be granted a 5-point reduction under the hardship allowance for the current cycle. This means you now need to achieve 15 points by 30 June 2020, instead of 20 points. These 15 points can be achieved in any category (or categories) without restriction. If you have confirmed a previous arrangement for a greater point reduction based on hardship or personal circumstances such as maternity leave, those arrangements will stand. 2. CPD support To support your professional development needs at this time and to meet your 15 points by 30 June, there are a number of flexible options available including:
There is a range of Audiology Australia online learning webinars that are recorded, available on-demand and cover a range of topics. Click here for a full listing of available courses. You can also use your three, free online learning vouchers to attend online learning sessions. To redeem your vouchers, click here.
A number of external providers have online courses and webinars endorsed by Audiology Australia and therefore are eligible for CPD points. For a full listing of these events and courses, click here.
You can complete the Audiology Now Quiz for Issue 78 (open until 30 March). You can read the magazine and complete the quiz here.
You can read and reflect on peer-reviewed texts. You can find examples of such articles you could choose to read, along with a template for a reflective statement here.
You can gain points by providing a meeting overview and agenda of clinical meetings and a reflective statement outlining how you could apply what you’ve learned in day-to-day clinical practice. For further information, refer to the CPD handbook. If you need to speak to a member of the Audiology Australia team about your CPD requirements, please email info@audiology.asn.au or call 03 9940 3900. 3. The AudA 2020 Conference In light of recent announcements by the Federal Government in relation to events of more than 500 people, the AudA 2020 Conference will be postponed until later in the year. We are currently examining potential dates and further information will be communicated in the coming days. For further information about the Conference and updates visit https://auda2020conference.asn.au/covid-19/ We understand that for many members registered for the Conference, there was an expectation that you would be able to get all of your CPD points by attending the event. To ensure that you are still able to meet your CPD obligations, members who have registered for the conference (or who register for the conference before 30 June) will be granted free access to Audiology Australia’s library of webinar and webcast recordings until 30 June 2020. Conference registrants will receive further details and information regarding access in the coming days. Thank you for your support of the AudA 2020 Conference and we look forward to still bringing you a wonderful conference later this year. 4. Queensland Chapter Event The Queensland Chapter event, which was due to be held this week has been moved to a virtual event. If you have registered for this event, you will be sent an email with login information in the next 48 hours. 5. General information about COVID-19 For general information, relevant links and advice on COVID-19, please refer to our website. 6. Communication, help, and support I will regularly be in contact with you via email over the coming days with further updates as the situation unfolds. For any further questions, we are here to support you. Please email info@audiology.asn.au or call 03 9940 3900 to talk to our team about any concerns or questions you may have. Please take care and thank you for the valuable services you provide to public health. During times of challenge, the support you provide to those in our community is greatly valued and appreciated. Yours sincerely Dr Tony Coles CEO Audiology Australia |