Report From The President

Date Added: 16 September 2009

Education

The draft new curriculum is currently being reviewed by the Education Deanery after extensive input from Fellows, trainees and external stakeholders. Once the Education Deanery have completed the review and advised the faculty of their recommendations the Education Committee will consider the recommendations. The final version will then go to the College Education Committee for ratification.

The Faculty has two strategic projects focussed on Assessments. The first project is to develop DVD resources for trainees and examiners on clinical short cases. The filming will take place in Melbourne 18 September and we hope to have the DVD resources available via the web in October. The second project is to run two item writing workshops later this year to develop a bank of multiple choice questions for future assessments.

The Faculty is also involved with the Education Deanery in the initial development of an AFOEM Advanced Training Portal. A number of e tools are being developed. A learning plan and progress report is a priority.  A number of self assessment quizzes are being formulated. If you would like to know more please contact David Goddard.

The CPD sub committee has just had its new terms of reference endorsed by the Education Committee. The key change for the committee is to have representatives from all regions on the committee. Expressions of interest will be going out to Fellows shortly.

Policy and Advocacy

The project to develop policy on Health Consequences of Long Term Worklessness aims to follow on Dame Carol Black's report on the health of Britain's working age population 'Working for a Healthier Tomorrow'.  In the context of the current economic climate the issue is worthy of a timely Australasian response. The health consequences of being off work extend far beyond the individual - to families and friends, workplaces and the wider community.

A working party, including Fellows of the Faculties, key government representatives and international experts in the field will develop recommendations and what is anticipated to be an extremely important piece of health policy.  The policy is expected to influence medical practitioners and government bodies, as well as raise the awareness of the biopsychosocial aspects of the health consequences of long term worklessness. The working party will develop a Consensus statement; one we hope will be endorsed by all specialist medical societies and practitioner groups.

Mary Wyatt and David Beaumont are the co-chairs of this project.  If you would like to know more about this project please contact the Research Officer Heidi Williams.

The draft policy on Work Disability - using evidence for better outcomes has received extensive feedback from external organisations. If you have not yet commented on this important document there is still an opportunity to do so until 25 September 2009. Please go to the website for further details http://www.racp.edu.au/page/health-policy-and-advocacy/occupational-medicine.

The Policy and Advocacy Committee are currently working on four draft position statements -

Requests will be sent out to members in the coming weeks asking for comment on these draft documents.

Projects

The Faculty is developing a Independent Medical Examiner (IME) Medico-legal Report Writing Course. The one day course will be held at the Stamford Grand in Adelaide on 13 February 2010. The course is intending to set a minimum standard on the conduct and content of IME reports, and for this to become an Industry benchmark, with certification.   This course is being developed with the assistance and sponsorship by the South Australian WorkCover Corporation and Employers Mutual Ltd. This initiative is enthusiastically supported by local Fellows.

The Faculty is working with Coal Services to develop a one day training course at the state of the art Virtual Reality cola mine facility near Wollongong, NSW. Murray Sinclair, Tim Driscoll and David Goddard are working towards having the course available to trainees late 2009 or early 2010.

There is also a proposal to be put to Council on developing a MRO course for next year.

The membership of the Marketing sub committee has now been confirmed. The chair is Tim Stewart. The other members are Chris Cunneen, Ian Gardner, John Wilson, David Allen, Yasmin Khan and Andrew Porteous NZ.

The purpose of the committee is to investigate and advise AFOEM Council on marketing strategies for use by AFOEM to promote itself as a discipline and a faculty, identify all potential marketing targets (industrial, political, allied health, medical practitioners, medical schools, workers / unions) and prioritise, and recommend measurable goals, including resourcing and time-lines.

The registration for WCIM2010 is now open. AFOEM has some excellent sessions programmed thanks to Bruce Hocking. The ATM and Faculty training day 20 and 21 March 2010 prior to WCIM2010 is nearly finalised and registration will be open in October. The aim is to have online registration for the ATM, Faculty training day and the dinner.  

Expressions of interest for an AFOEM representative of the College Medico-Legal Expert Advisory Group (EAG) will go out to the faculty members today. The purpose of the Medico-Legal EAG will be to inform and educate Fellows and Trainees regarding their obligations to the legal system in relation to specialist practice (including but not limited to issues relating to expert medical witnesses) and in so doing, demonstrate that the College is cognisant of the medico-legal consequences of specialist practice.  It is not intended that the Group will provide individual advice to Fellows or Trainees on medico-legal issues or to duplicate the activities of other bodies such as Medical Boards and Medical Defence Organisations.

Please send in your expression of interest to Mary Osborn on mary.osborn@racp.edu.au by 25 September 2009. Further details in the AFOEM e- newsletter.

Finally, I would encourage all Fellows and Trainees to have a read of the October RACP News when it comes out. There will be a tribute to Dr Jay Govind, articles on ‘nanotechnology' and ‘getting back to work', as well as an update on the health consequences of long term worklessness policy project.

Dr Ross Mills,
President AFOEM

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