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Latest News
FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT WELCOME
THE Federal Government has provided RVTS with the best Christmas present of all - a commitment of $18.4 million in ongoing funding.
The announcement by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Health Minister Nicola Roxon last week was part of a $150 million package to boost GP training across the nation.
For RVTS this means ongoing assurance for existing registrars and those contemplating joining us next year and into the future.
It will also boost our annual intake from 15 a year to 22 from 2011.
RVTS will, in time, train up to almost 90 doctors a year with our mix of phone hook-ups, the internet and workshops.
CEO Pat Giddings told the media the funding announcement gave the program certainty and was recognition of its success.
"It is a long way from when we started the original pilot in the front room of my house in Bright back in 2000" he said.
"What we are doing is keeping the doctors in the community while they are training; in some ways it's a retention strategy for the Government.
"The communities have access to GPs that they may not have had, and the doctors are meeting their vocational training requirements."
Dr Giddings admitted that while RVTS had held discussions with DoHA for some time re extension of funding, the timing of the announcement caught him by surprise.
PAPERWORK, DOES IT EVER END?
THE Albury office is bunkering down this week in anticipation of a visit from the ACCRM accreditation team. It is another step closer to formal accreditation as a GP training provider and one we hope to be able to tick off early next year. Liz Morris has been preparing for the site visit that will be followed up with surveyors from ACRRM and RACGP joining us for part of the Melbourne workshop on Wednesday. They will be seeking input from registrars, medical educators and supervisors. As mentioned in the previous e-letter the geographical complexities of remote registrars, trainers and the Albury office have proven a challenge for RACGP and ACRRM standards and their interpretation of traditional training methods.
Upcoming Events
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The second annual general meeting of members of the Remote Vocational Training Scheme Limited will be held at the Novotel St Kilda, 16 The Esplanade St Kilda, Victoria on Friday November 21, 2008 at 8.30pm.
Joining us for the evening will be Prof Rosemary Calder, First Assistant Secretary of the Mental Health and Workforce Division of the Department of Health and Ageing, along with Ms Maria Jolly, Acting Assistant Secretary, Medical Education Branch.
Formalities on the night include acceptance of the annual report and the appointment of auditors and directors for the coming year.
WORKSHOP WONDERS
BY the time most of you receive this e-letter you will be packed, packing or just compiling a list of what you need at the Melbourne workshop that starts Monday. All up there are more than 50 educators, registrars and supervisors booked to attend.
Meanwhile, planning is already well underway for the Sydney workshop in March. Given the difficulty of arranging locums and organising practices the dates to slot into the calendar are Monday, March 16 to Friday, March 20.
Among the topics on a draft program are dental emergencies; ear, nose and throat; women's health and emergency medicine. There will also be the usual exam training for registrars.
TELETUTORIALS
| Date |
Group 1 |
Group 2 |
| 13/11/08 |
Andrew Took - Medical Defence |
Tom Gratton-Smith - Paediatrics |
| 27/11/08 |
Break |
Break
|
| 04/12/08 |
John Woodall - Case presentation |
Ismael Albadran- Case presentation
|
Registrars and medical educators will then have a well earned break from their regular Thursday night catch ups. Teletutorials will commence again on 5 February 2009.
Important reminder for exam enrolments
ACRRM Dates
The first ACRRM MCQ Exam for next year will be held on 21 February, 2009, with the miniCEX available from February - July 2009.
The closing date for enrolment for both MCQ and miniCEX is 2 January 2009.
As ACRRM will close over the Christmas New Year break, participants are encouraged to enrol as soon as possible.
For more information contact Paul Hogan on 1800 223 226 or Email: p.hogan@acrrm.org.au
RACGP Exam Dates for 2009
| AKT |
14 March 09, Sat |
15 Aug, 09 Sat |
| KFP |
14 March 09, Sat |
15 Aug, 09 Sat |
| OSCE |
16 May 09, Sat |
25 Oct 09, Sun |
The last day for enrolments in any segment of the RACGP exam for 2009.1 is 16 January, 2009. Further information is available at http://www.racgp.org.au/exam/faq
Supervisor News from Dr Susan Wearne
DOCUMENTING LEARNING
Log Books and Learning Plans -
Each RVTS registrar has an individual learning plan which is discussed and updated with the registrar, supervisor and training advisor each six months. Those planning ACRRM Fellowship also need to keep a procedural skills log book. These documents are designed to show how each registrar is progressing during their training and are important when applying for College Fellowships.
As we near the end of the year now is a good time for you to double check your registrar's learning plan and log book. Have they enrolled in the courses they want to, have they researched an area of interest or arranged a clinical attachment to gain some specific skills? Checking now might avoid a last minute rush to get the registrar's procedural skills log signed off.
All RVTS supervisors have access to their registrar's learning plan and log book on RRMEO. Just ask if you need a reminder on your passwords and how to access and navigate RRMEO. |
ISSUE No. 4 - NOVEMBER 2008 |