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

New Zealand newsNew ZealandNational Committee(NZNC) newsNZNC 2012-13 membershipThe ANZCA Council has ratified thefollowing as the 2012-13 New ZealandNational Committee (NZNC): Dr VanessaBeavis, Dr Kerry Gunn, Dr Gary Hopgood,Dr Indu Kapoor, Dr Geoff Long, Dr SabinePecher, Dr Nigel Robertson, Dr JoeSherriff, Dr Malcolm Stuart, Dr JenniferWoods and Dr Sally Ure. The NZNC hasco-opted Dr Geoff Laney from DunedinHospital to make up the 12 and Dr JohnSmithells of Hamilton as the New Fellows’Representative.Since the nominations were declared,Dr Vanessa Beavis (pictured above) hasbeen confirmed as having been elected tothe ANZCA Council. She will now sit on theNZNC ex officio as a councillor so at theJune meeting the NZNC will consider cooptinga further member in her stead.Internal elections for officers will beheld at the June meeting.Dr Vanessa Beavis has been appointedchair of the NZ Panel for VocationalRegistration.Next meetingThe NZNC meets on June 22-23, withthe 2011 ANZCA Media Award winner,health reporter for TVNZ Lorelei Mason,as the guest speaker. She will talk to thecommittee about how the media worksand what they are looking for when puttingtogether a story.This meeting is preceded on the Fridayby the NZNC’s annual joint meeting withthe New Zealand Society of Anaesthetists’Executive.ANZCA CEO Linda Sorrell and ANZCAPresident Dr Lindy Roberts will attendboth meetings.General newsNon-specialists practisinganaesthesiaThe Medical Council of New Zealand(MCNZ) has revised the recertificationrequirements for general registrant doctorswho are not vocationally registered or ina specialty training program. The MCNZhas contracted with Bpac (Best PracticeAdvocacy Centre – a joint venture betweensome primary care organisations and theUniversity of Otago) to offer the requiredrecertification training program.About 20 of these general registrantsare already registered in ANZCA’s CPDprogram and in March the NZNC raisedwith the MCNZ and Bpac the issue of howto avoid these doctors having to undertaketwo CPD programs. The MCNZ has sinceadvised that those registered in the ANZCACPD program as at March 14, 2012 willnot also have to undertake the Bpacprogram, provided that within two years,the ANZCA program is meeting all theMCNZ’s administrative requirements forgeneral registrant recertification.Registration for anaesthetictechniciansThe new registration regime foranaesthetic technicians, bringingthem under the Health PractitionersCompetence Assurance Act 2003(HPCAA), came into full effect as atApril 1. Now only those registered asan anaesthetic technician can holdthemselves out to be anaesthetictechnicians or practising anaesthetictechnology. Their registration isadministered by the Medical SciencesCouncil of New Zealand (MSCNZ), formerlythe Medical Laboratory Sciences Board(MLSB). Under the new regime, healthpractitioners who undertake anaesthetictechnology duties for a minimum of 384hours in one year are expected to beregistered in the scope of practice of ananaesthetic technician. While traineetechnicians do not need to be registered,they are required to work under thesupervision of a registered anaesthetictechnician. As at May 31, 620 anaesthetictechnicians had registered.Anaesthetic nurses without theanaesthetic technician qualification butrelevant experience have the option ofregistering as an anaesthetic technicianthrough a process that includes aworkplace-based assessment. Several aregoing through this process. Alternatively,such nurses may choose to continueperforming an anaesthetic nursing rolebut then may not use the title ‘anaesthetictechnician’. The MSCNZ is consideringallowing nurses until 2014 to registeras an anaesthetic technician.40th anniversary celebrations nownext FebruaryOngoing repairs to the University of Otago,Christchurch’s main building (damagedin the earthquakes) has seen a furtherpostponement of the 40th anniversarycelebrations of the ChristchurchMedical School. The damage forced outresearchers and students and repairshave prompted postponement of thecelebrations twice – firstly from February2012 and now from September 2012.However, the building is being repairedrapidly and on February 20-22, 2013the University of Otago, Christchurch, willcelebrate both a return to these premisesand 40 years of research and teachingin Christchurch. Those who have workedor studied at the school are invited toparticipate. Celebrations include ananniversary dinner on February 22 and aday of scientific sessions as well as toursthrough refurbished laboratories. Registeryour interest by completing an online formaccessible via a 40th anniversary buttonon http://www.otago.ac.nz/christchurch, oremail kim.thomas@otago.ac.nz.64 ANZCA Bulletin June 2012