CHANGE

SURGICAL
TRAINING
SURGICAL
TRAINING
Have you thought about
being an instructor?
PHIL TRUSKETT
Chair, TIPS Committee and Censor in Chief
I
first attended an Early Management of Severe Trauma
(EMST) Provider course at Westmead over 20 years ago. I
was a supervisor of surgical training at that time and went
because I wanted to see what I was insisting that the trainees
must do. I didn’t need to know anything more about trauma
management; I was a consultant after all at a Trauma Centre.
Well I sure got that wrong. Not only was I taught a new
structured approach to the trauma patient, I was introduced
to a whole new form of adult education delivered by a well
prepared bunch of surgeons, emergency physicians and
anaesthetists. I was really impressed. Soon after, I was invited
to an Instructors Course, in those days at my own expense; I
jumped at the chance.
The Instructor Course was a whole new experience. I had
been teaching medical students and surgical trainees for some
years, by emulation. I had never been taught how to teach. At
this course I was introduced to a multitude of concepts that
were totally foreign to me relating to skills training, question
construction, debriefing and lesson plan structure, to mention
a few. It was a revelation. Soon after I instructed on my first of
many courses with a bunch of people I had never met before,
all with a common purpose. It’s kind of nice to step away
from your clinical practice and meet new enthusiastic group
of people in such a safe teaching environment.
The Care of the Critically Ill Surgical
Patient (CCrISP®) course started a
year or so later and I agreed to teach
on that. Before long I found myself on
the EMST and CCrISP® committees,
eventually chairing the EMST
Committee. My committee involvement
was also an important education. It
taught me about issues relating to
governance, strategic planning and
course sustainability. As a result I
got involved with College politics,
I was elected to the NSW Regional
committee and eventually becoming
a generally elected College Councillor
some eight years ago. My involvement
in modular teaching has also allowed
me to help in developing new courses
such as Training in Professional Skills
(TIPS) and Management of Surgical
Emergencies (MOSES).
So what have I got out of being
an instructor? I have a whole new
bunch of friends both nationally
and internationally. I have gained an
extensive education in adult learning
that has allowed me to do things
that I would have never been able
to do. It caused me to make a strong
commitment to the governance of our
College. Without all this, there is a
significant chance that by now I would
be a burnt out, somewhat cynical
bystander.
Give it a crack. You have got nothing
to lose.
Australia and New Zealand Surgical
Skills Education and Training (ASSET)
Do you enjoy teaching practical surgical
skills? This well-established, hands-on
course provides an educational package of
generic surgical skills required by surgical
Trainees in the Australian and New
Zealand context.
Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient
Are you experienced in managing acutely
unwell patients? The CCrISP® course
assists doctors in developing simple,
useful skills for managing critically ill
patients, and promotes the coordination of
multidisciplinary care.
Critical Literature, Evaluation &
Research
Are you involved in clinical research and/
or clinical epidemiology? This hands-on
course is designed to make the language
and methodology of literature, and
research relevant to surgeons in the dayto-day
activities of their practice.
Early Management of Severe Trauma
Are you passionate about trauma
management? This course teaches a
systematic, concise approach to the
care of a trauma patient, providing a
safe and reliable method for immediate
management of injured patients.
Training in Professional Skills
Do you understand the importance of
professional skills in surgical practice?
This course teaches patient-centred
communication and team-oriented nontechnical
skills in a clinical context.
Graduate Diploma
of Surgical Anatomy
Richmond Diagnostic Imaging has changed its name to
Bridge Road Imaging and moved to 84 Bridge Road, Richmond.
Our new centre has some of the world’s most advanced scanning
equipment, covering a full range of modalities. But it’s our team of leading
radiologists and support staff behind the scans that make the difference.
We understand what referring practitioners need to get the best results.
We offer bulk billing and extended opening hours 7 days a week.
And knowing your patients will get care you can trust makes referral easy.
When you want the best in diagnostic imaging, refer to the team behind
the scans.
For more information, call 9242 4888, contact
your Healthcare Imaging Services Representative
or email: bridgeroad@healthcareimaging.com.au
84 Bridge Road, Richmond
AFFORDABLE | ACCESSIBLE | IMAGING
CRICOS Provider Number: 00117J
Advanced anatomy training for Doctors. The
course has been aligned to the RACS academic
requirements for postgraduate surgical education
and training.
The course comprises two subjects and will be
delivered over the course of 1 year, full time.
This course will suit graduates training in regional
locations, as the program will be delivered as
a combination of external (online) and limited
mode attendance (4 x 4 day workshops) at the
Townsville campus. Full-body cadaveric dissection
will be facilitated by senior clinical staff.
www.jcu.edu.au/GDipSurgicalAnatomy
2016 Workshop Dates
Module 1: April 21 - April 24
Module 2: June 23 - 26 June
Module 3: September 29 - October 2
Module 4: December 8 - 11 December
Enquiries
gdipsurgicalanatomy@jcu.edu.au
Apply now
Applications close: Friday 4th December 2015
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