GP Leader Online - Issue 12

Contents


We are now well into the new training year and 2012 is destined to be one of learning, overcoming challenges and achieving great things.

As the incoming CEO, I would like to thank you for making my introduction to AOGP a very pleasant one. I would also like to add my support and best wishes to all Registrars in the AOGP program. In particular, for those Registrars approaching the completion of their training, I trust your time with AOGP has set you up well for your future endeavors. For those approaching exams, I wish you every success for this demanding period. 

AOGP has a national reputation for being innovative and delivering quality outcomes. I am committed to ensuring this reputation is not only maintained but also enhanced. Equally, AOGP has a strong educational and governance foundation and I look forward to working with the AOGP staff to continue to offer a range of learning opportunities to program participants. This will ensure AOGP continues to produce graduates who are well-rounded, competent general practice specialists. 


Dr Gary Day
CEO 




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The annual 'Breathing New Life' conference was held in the middle of March in Canberra and was attended by AOGP's newest RLO Dr Gerry Considine. Gerry takes on the Rural role after Dr Holly Deer finished her term late last year.

At the conference, GPRA announced it has formed a variety of subcommittees that will cover: National Minimum Terms & Conditions, Rural Registrars, IMG issues and a few more. If you have an interest in being involved, please email Gerry (gerard.considine@gmail.com) or Annabelle (annabellecforrest@gmail.com) and we will help get you involved!

World Family Doctors Day is coming up on 19 May, and GPRA is hoping to spread the GP love with a national campaign called 'I heart my GP'. So have a think about your own GP and your patients on this day and take part in some of the online activities leading up to it. More details as the date gets closer.

There will be much more news and opportunity to be involved as the year rolls along, so keep an eye out for the updated RLO e-Newsletter which is due to come out very shortly.

Cheers,
Gerry and Annabelle

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Hello! I’m Dr Anna Schettini and I have just taken on the Urban Supervisor Liaison Officer role as Dr Roly Vinci has now finished his term.

I have been involved in teaching junior doctors for the past 11 years, initially as a PBL facilitator when training was through the RACGP and then as a Supervisor through Adelaide to Outback. 

Over the years I have become heavily involved in PGPPP and currently host Interns through Modbury Hospital, and more recently, Trainee Medical Officers on rotation from Lyell McEwin Hospital. I juggle these roles with motherhood and have two young girls that keep me busy.  

I look forward to this new challenge of the urban SLO role. If I can assist with any SLO matters, I can be contacted via email (anna.schettini@healthonmontacute.com)

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2012 sees a change to our PMLO team. As attendees at last year’s PM workshop will know, the PMLO positions run for a set term and as such, it is now time to farewell Danny Haydon as rural PMLO.

As one of the inaugural PMLOs, his fantastic work, commitment, vision, enthusiasm and effort over the last four years have been invaluable, and we wish him well in all his future endeavours. I am sure that he will remain a familiar face around AOGP and in the General Practice world.  

Welcome to Sonya Irvine, who steps into the rural PMLO position. Sonya works as the Practice Manager at Crystal Brook Medical Centre and will be commencing ‘active’ service early in April. 

Welcome to the Practice Managers of new AOGP training practices:  

  • Boston Bay Family Health
  • Crafter Medical Centre
  • Elizabeth Grove Surgery
  • GP Surgery
  • Hazelwood Clinic  
  • Old Base Medical Centre 
  • Pro Health Care 
  • Rocky River
  • Wudinna Medical Centre  

Please feel free to contact Sonya (cbmedpra@mndgp.org.au) or Deb (debdocking@pioneerdoctors.com) if you have any questions or need clarification or assistance.  

Reminder: Practice Manager Workshop 14th September 2012.



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25–27 May 2012, Whyalla

Registrations are now due!

If you have not yet registered, please fill in the registration form online and submit as soon as possible - www.adelaidetooutback.com.au/educationweekend2012

Please note: attendance at the Education Weekend is compulsory if you are a:

  • Core Hospital Registrar
  • Junior Registrar (GPT1, GPT2 and PRRT1 & 2 (1-12 months)

Attendance is optional for all other Registrars and Supervisors.

This fun-filled and educational weekend is an opportunity for AOGP Supervisors, Registrars, Staff and families to learn and socialize together.

Three great guest speakers have been confirmed for the event: Robyn Williams AM, Professor Barry Brook and Dr Penny Burns

Friday evening (25 May 2012) will be an informal get-together, with the Mayor of Whyalla welcoming participants.

After the plenary session on Saturday morning, concurrent masterclasses – ‘Disaster Management’ & ‘Medicine across the Globe’ – will be held as well as Skill Stations, including:

  • Surgical flaps
  • Understanding and Teaching Clinical Reasoning
  • CPR  
  • ENT 
  • iPads  
  • Radiology 
  • Managing the Deteriorating Patient
  • Clinical Teaching Skills

The Education Weekend dinner on Saturday night will include celebrations for AOGP’s 10-year anniversary, with a local SA band for the adults and special entertainment for children.

Sunday morning sessions include self-care activities and the AOGP Research Showcase.

Register now at www.adelaidetooutback.com.au/educationweekend2012

For more information, please contact either Bel Marwe (bel.marwe@adelaide.edu.au) or Roberta Morris (roberta.morris@adelaide.edu.au)


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GPT1/PRRT1 (0-6months) Registrars completed their Learning Needs Analysis at AOGP earlier this month. The LNA gives Registrars an opportunity to receive feedback about their strengths and identify areas for improvement. 

The LNA provides feedback on:

  • Preparedness for General Practice
  • Procedural skills confidence
  • Clinical knowledge, consultation skills
  • Communication and language skills

AOGP highly values the results from the LNA. We encourage Registrars and Supervisors to take advantage of the opportunity to pick up on the identified needs in order to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of their training. We recommend Registrars and Supervisors quarantine some time as part of their next in-practice training session to review the LNA results (which will be available soon) and can be accessed in the Registrar portfolio on GPRime.

Did you know that all Registrars who complete the GPT/PRRT1 (0-6mths)LNA also complete a learning styles questionnaire as a part of the day? 

Understanding how you best learn and what types of learning activities will be most effective for you can make your training more efficient. AOGP encourages Registrars to discuss their learning style/s with their Supervisors. The completed questionnaires have been uploaded into the Registrar Portfolio section of GPRime for your reference.

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Paediatrics is a core hospital/core clinical training component required by both RACGP and ACRRM, but AOGP recognises that it is often difficult to obtain the Paediatrics experience required to fulfil this mandatory training component.  As a result, in collaboration with The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, AOGP is providing an innovative Paediatrics program during this Core term, offering the new ‘AOGP Certificate in Child Health’. 

Specific ‘GPAEDS’ lectures are provided online through the Children’s Hospital at Westmead website. These lectures are supported by Hospital Peer GPL sessions where case discussion provides general practice relevance to the GPAEDS lectures. Hospital Registrars can obtain their  ‘AOGP Certificate in Child Health’ by watching the GPAEDS online lectures, completing the supporting online course material such as MCQs, participating in the clinical tutorials at Hospital Peer GPLs, and successfully completing an end of year exam. 

While the cost of enrolment and access to GPAEDS lectures is covered by the Professional Development Reimbursement for Core Hospital Registrars, Registrars in their GPT/PRRT1 (0-6mths) year who also wish to complete the AOGP Certificate in Child Health are still able to do so. These Registrars will need to individually cover the cost of enrolment and access to online GPAEDs lectures and attend the Virtual Learning Group (VLG) sessions for clinical tutorial support. 

For more information please contact Alexandra Smart (alexandra.smart@adelaide.edu.au) or Jenni Sleigh (jenni.sleigh@adelaide.edu.au) 


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AOGP’s Online Learning Environment (OLLE) now hosts the Rural Emergency Skills Program (RESP) workshop support modules. Participants in the workshop use OLLE as an interactive platform to complete pre- and post-workshop modules, and a needs analysis – the results of which help us to tailor the workshop to the Registrars’ needs. The pre- and post-workshop online modules include e-tutorials, interactive cases with questions, a graded quiz (answers may be viewed and questions repeated to assist with learning) and topic summaries. 

RESP on OLLE was launched prior to the first 2012 RESP workshop in February and the participating Registrars gave OLLE a big thumbs-up in evaluations. A win for OLLE’s first comprehensive course!


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As many of you are aware, the placement process (P5) is now underway for Semester 2 2012. 

An email with information, including the online checklist has been sent out to relevant Registrars and Practices, so please ensure you are across the dates for Placement as listed in the timeline. The checklists are now open on GPRime to fill out, so please be sure to do this by Monday 2 April.

If you are having trouble accessing either the timeline or checklist on GPRime, please contact Carl Roberts (carl.roberts@adelaide.edu.au) or 8366 3100.



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The AOGP Medical Education Team, along with new CEO Gary Day and representatives from Program Support, attended the recent Medical Education Team Residential Meeting at Camp Coorong near Meningie. The meeting had a strong focus on cultural immersion training and replicated parts of the two-day Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health GPT/PRRT1 (0-6mths) Block Release. As part of this, the group undertook various activities with Major Sumner, Camp Coorong manager Uncle Tom and staff member Auntie Ellen, as well as AOGP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Team members Drs Kali Hayward and David Dunn. The group had a great time at Camp Coorong, with many highlights including:

  • Dr Jenny Gunn's narrow miss while masquerading as a Kangaroo during Major Sumner's spear throwing demonstrations
  • A Medicinal bush walk with Uncle Tom
  • Sharing of histories with Major Sumner 
  • Basket weaving in the evening with Auntie Ellen.

The next Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health GPT/PRRT1 (0-6mths) Block Release at Camp Coorong will be held on the 19 and 20 of July 2012. We have some places available for any Supervisors who are interested in attending, so please contact Annabel Blain (annabel.blain@adelaide.edu.au) or 8366 3100 if you are available.

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Adelaide to Outback GP Training Program first opened its doors in 2002, and has been delivering training for doctors specialising in General Practice ever since.
We are proud to have reached this 10 year anniversary and we now pause to reflect on how much we have grown.
 For example, from the 21 Registrars in 2002, we now have over 140 currently training under the AOGP umbrella. AOGP has also expanded into a range of other education programs, including IMG support, PGPPP, and more recently into coordination of nursing, psychology and medical students training from within our General Practice network. 

In each issue of the GP Leader this year, we will have a special feature that looks back at the people whose valued contribution has helped shape AOGP over the past 10 years. 



Nigel Klein
 AOGP’s inaugural Medical Education Manager (2002-2006) and Medical Educator (2007-2008)

Nigel’s became involved with AOGP (or A2O as it was then) soon after establishment. He developed our education framework and processes, and along with Linda Black, engaged and became the face of Adelaide to Outback with all stakeholders. In those days, any query, whether from a Registrar, Practice, Supervisor or GPET was answered by either Nigel or Linda. Nigel was instrumental in forming the perception that AOGP is a ‘can do’ organisation, that will do everything possible to deliver a good outcome for all concerned.

After four years at the helm of the Education Team, Nigel and his family took the bold decision to undertake long-term missionary work in Murgwanza, in north-west Tanzania.



Today, Nigel and his family remain in Murgwanza, continuing with their missionary work in the local community. Nigel is working as a nurse educator, teaching at Murgwanza Nursing School, and clinically teaching and modelling nursing care at Murgwanza Hospital. Nigel’s wife Rose is working as the doctor in charge of Murgwanza Hospital. As Rose is the only fully qualified doctor in the hospital, her role involves full time clinical work, administration and staff education.


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AOGP's Keith Saggers achieved his long-term goal over the weekend, to become an IRONMAN!

For the uninitiated, the IRONMAN is a long distance triathlon, which involves a swim of 3.8km and a cycle of 180km, finished off by a marathon run of 42.2km.

Keith’s goal was to achieve this madness within 12 hours and 37 minutes, which would see him cross the line of the Melbourne event before the sun set. Keith managed to smash this time by more than an hour, with an official time of 11 hours 10 minutes (swim 1hr17 / ride 5hr52 / run 3hr52).

So what drives someone to push themselves to such lengths and what preparation goes in to training? 

Keith has always been a 'runner' but only started serious running (longer than 15kms) after moving to SA from WA in 2008. From this point, Keith started to increase his distances in order to prepare for his initial goal, the 2009 Adelaide Marathon. Since then, he has completed four marathons and two Yurrebilla Trails (ultra marathons of 56km) and felt his endurance base was sufficient to train for an IRONMAN, which is the universal standard of endurance sport. Reaching this ultimate standard has been the driving force behind Keith's determination.

Over the last seven months, Keith increased his training to six days a week - generally morning and night - in order to further increase his endurance to complete this grueling event.

The physical side effects for Keith post-IRONMAN, varied from an immediate soreness in his quadriceps to the two toenails which will be lost in the coming weeks. Despite this, Keith was fully recovered and back to a leisurely 3km run two days after the event. 

Keith acknowledges the assistance given to him through his triathlon coach, the Lakers Triathlon Club, the SA Road Runners Club and the swim training kindly provided by AOGP Alumni and great swimmer Dr Natasha Elsley.
AOGP's Annabel Blain was also a regular training partner while preparing for her own Olympic distance (1.5km swim / 40km ride / 10km run) triathlon race which she successfully completed recently. 

Keith is happy to assist anyone who is interested in starting or improving their running or triathlon, so feel free to contact him (keith.saggers@adelaide.edu.au) if you would like some help, encouragement or training advice.

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