ANZCA Bulletin June 2012 - final.pdf - Australian and New Zealand ...

ANZCACurriculumRevision2013Sample vivaquestions for thenew format primaryexaminationA number of sample viva questionshave been written by members of thePrimary Examination Sub-Committee.These questions are available on theCollege website in the CurriculumRevision 2013 section - www.anzca.edu.au/trainees/curriculumrevision-2013.The viva questions are designed togive candidates some practice in thetype of integrated vivas that will beused in the new primary examination.The best way to utilise the samplequestions when preparing for theexamination is outlined online.The College aims to increase thenumber of sample questions over time.Fundamental toanaesthesia: theANZCA ClinicalFundamentalsAmong a number of innovations inANZCA Curriculum Revision 2013 will bethe introduction of seven ANZCA ClinicalFundamentals.These fundamentals have beendeveloped to define the range of clinicalknowledge and skills required forspecialist anaesthetic practice, and willbe taught and experienced throughout thecurriculum, particularly within the firstfour years of training, in parallel with theANZCA Roles in Practice.The seven ANZCA Clinical Fundamentalsconsist of:• General anaesthesia and sedation.• Airway management.• Regional and local anaesthesia.• Perioperative medicine.• Pain medicine.• Resuscitation, trauma and crisismanagement.• Safety and quality in anaestheticpractice.These areas define the fundamentalaspects of anaesthetic practice, andclearly indicate the major areas ofexpertise that are required by allanaesthetists for specialist practice asan anaesthetist regardless of the clinicalareas in which they work.The specific learning outcomes,expected to be achieved for these ANZCAClinical Fundamentals, have beendefined and grouped to the variousperiods of training (introductory, basicand advanced training) where they buildfrom basic knowledge and skills to moreadvanced levels as the trainee progresses.Log on to the ANZCA website to read moreabout these learning outcomes:www.anzca.edu.au/trainees/curriculumrevision-2013/pdfs/anaesthesia-trainingprogram-curriculum.pdf.The development of the ANZCA ClinicalFundamentals derived from a desire todefine more accurately the core elementsthat make up and distinguish the practiceof anaesthesia regardless of the areas inwhich anaesthetists work.“No longer is (pain medicine)a subject to be ticked asModule 10 and forgotten!”Past emphasis on surgeryPreviously, considerable emphasis hadbeen placed on describing anaesthesiaaccording to the surgery for which it isused. This has under-emphasised manyimportant expert contributions made byanaesthetists to other areas of medicine,as well as failing to recognise theuniversal application of many aspectsof anaesthetic knowledge and skills.Airway managementAirway management is a good exampleof where all branches of medicinereadily acknowledge the pre-eminenceof anaesthetic skills and knowledge.Training and education in airwaymanagement in the revised curriculumwill no longer be somewhat haphazardby “association” with anaesthesia forsurgery. As a clinical fundamental it willbecome the focus of the training itself.The curriculum review undertakenin 2008-10 recommended that there beimproved emphasis on other core areasof anaesthesia, including perioperativemedicine, pain medicine and regionalanaesthesia. These areas were perceivedto be under-represented in the trainingprogram. This particularly applies toperioperative medicine and to painmedicine.Pain medicineIn the existing ANZCA curriculum, painmedicine was included as a specificmodule (10), which could be experiencedas a single block of activity, as well asa component of another module (1). Itwas commonly not perceived by traineesas being integral to their training asanaesthetists.By incorporating pain medicine asan ANZCA Clinical Fundamental, therevised curriculum emphasises theintrinsic importance of pain medicine toall activities undertaken by anaesthetists.It thus demonstrates that the knowledgeand skills of pain management arelearned and applied across the wholetraining period and cannot be studiedin isolation.(continued next page)21