ANZCA Bulletin - June 2009 - Australian and New Zealand College ...

NewsSafety of AnaesthesiaReportThe Mortality Working Group reviewsanaesthesia-related mortality in Australiaand New Zealand under the auspices ofANZCA. The report for the period 2003-2005will be published next month. This is the fifthtriennial report collated and published byANZCA. The report will be sent to Fellows andtrainees in July and will be disseminated toall appropriate bodies to contribute to furtherimprovements in patient safety.Australian budgetThe Australian Government has announced$A500 million funding to support theexpansion of pre-professional clinicaltraining places by 2013. This fundingwill support clinical training for anexpected increase of 12,000 in healthrelatedundergraduate school numbers– from 66,000 in 2009 to 78,000 in 2013. Anadditional 212 ongoing GP training places willbe provided as well as 73 specialist trainingplaces in the private sector. The governmentalso announced the establishment of theNational Workforce Agency to “bettercoordinate and expand capacity for clinicaltraining across a range of workforce settingsand assist with workforce planning”.MABEL doctors surveyThe first results of the MABEL longitudinalsurvey of doctors have been released.There were 10,512 participants in thesurvey including 4603 specialists and 1072doctors enrolled in a specialist trainingprogram. Initial results showed that over80% of doctors were satisfied with theirwork. Specialists were the most likelyto want to reduce their hours of work.Although satisfaction levels were high,the survey found that 12% of GPs and 13%of specialists were “very likely” to quitmedical work entirely within the next fiveyears, driven largely by people aged over55 who were expected to retire. For furtherinformation visit www.mabel.org.au oremail enquiries@mabel.org.auAustralian nationalregistration andaccreditationscheme updateA Senate inquiry into the FederalGovernment’s proposed nationalregistration and accreditation scheme isdue to report by the end of June, althoughthis is likely to be delayed. Since theSenate inquiry began, the AustralianHealth Workforce Ministerial Councilhas announced a number of changes,including making the accreditation functionindependent of government and remainingwith the Australian Medical Council –something ANZCA has consistently calledfor. There will be both general and specialistregisters for medicine. The specialistregister will not cover practitionersregistered to practice in an area of need.There is also acknowledgement of the roleof specialist medical colleges in the areaof continuing professional development.Part B of the legislation, which outlines theoperation of the scheme, has been releasedprior to its introduction to the QueenslandParliament in the second half of 2009.NZ budget booststrainee numbersThe New Zealand Government hasannounced an additional 60 medicalschool places boosting trainee doctornumbers by 200 within five years and a$NZ15.3 million voluntary bonding schemeto decrease New Zealand’s dependence onforeign-trained doctors. A further $NZ70million has been earmarked to train 800additional anaesthetists, surgeons, residentmedical officers, nurses and techniciansand other health professionals to staff andsupport the new elective surgery “supercentres”. The government has said it iscommitted to building 20 new electivesurgery theatres with associated bedsand facilities as part of its policy toreduce hospital waiting times andincrease access to elective surgery.Launch of ANZCAFinal Examinationpreparation resourceTo assist trainees preparing for the ANZCAFinal Examination, a new resource thatprovides insights into the exam process andwhat happens on the day has been launched.It includes examples of “mock” vivas todemonstrate ways to optimise performanceand can be found on the ANZCA website.The ANZCA FoundationPatrons ProgramThe ANZCA Foundation will shortlyintroduce a Patrons Program to encourageand recognise those who wish to supportmedical research and education. Alldonations (which are tax deductible) willbe directed solely towards medical researchand education with the ANZCA Councildetermining the awarding of the grants.Full details will be made availablein coming months.RASTS program –web conferencing pilotANZCA is piloting web conferencingtechnology that will soon be available toall trainees. The education developmentunit is looking for trainees now on rotationin a rural area who are preparing for theANZCA Final Examination to participatein the pilot. Please contact Susan Batur(+61 3 0093 4909) oremail SBatur@anzca.edu.auBest of web projectANZCA has launched a “best of web”initiative that aims to review existingonline educational material and evaluateit for its applicability to all Fellows andtrainees. Each online resource will bereviewed, rated and approved for claimingcontinuing professional development(CPD) points. The project group is seekingtopic recommendations from Fellows andtrainees. Please send your suggestionsto cpd@anzca.edu.auThe ANZCA Bulletin June 20093