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Annual General Meeting Reports
Chairman's Report 2007
Once again the past year has been busy and rewarding for the college in Queensland.
There has been the usual array of college sponsored activities: primary long and short courses, second part long and short courses, primary and second part practice vivas, and the annual registrar interviews.
Dr Genevieve Goulding and her CME committee have continued with the evening educational sessions. These sessions have been very well received.
The annual registrar’s meeting was a great success and the annual CME meeting held in Stanthorpe was also well received. Our thanks go to Dr Pal Savalingham and Dr Lorraine Robinson respectively for their organization of these meetings.
Dr Mark Gibbs has enthusiastically embraced his role as the new Regional Education Officer. Mark is planning to improve the rotational training scheme to make it function even better for the trainees.
My thanks to Sharon and Kylie (our secretariat) for their excellent work in the face of trying conditions over the course of the year. Our one third share of the Water St building was sold to the college of surgeons. Hence we have been housed in temporary accommodation for the past 6 months. This has created many challenges for the secretariat and provided difficulties in finding venues and running courses. A new lease has been signed on a building in Brookes St. Hopefully we will come to a satisfactory agreement with the college in Melbourne soon for the fit out of this building. It is hoped this building will allow for the expansion of our educational activities. We are especially keen on finally obtaining video conferencing facilities so that all Queensland trainees and fellows can benefit from the activities of the college in Queensland. This is a very exciting development for us. Hopefully by this time next year the new facilities will be up and running.
I would like to thank all members of the committee for their hard work and efforts over the year. I would also like to thank all who have contributed to and coordinated our many courses and educational activities. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. I would also like to ask all fellows to consider how they could contribute over the next year. The more involved we all are in the college the better it will function.
MICHAEL FANSHAWE
CHAIRMAN
QLD REGIONAL COMMITTEE
Regional Education Officer's Report 2007
For several years, Dr Julia Byatte has done an outstanding job of managing the tasks of Regional Education Officer in Queensland. Dr. Byatte has built upon earlier successes in the processes of selection and training, resulting in a well co-ordinated Queensland Anaesthetic Rotational Training Scheme (QARTS). At the commencement of 2007 there were 144 Anaesthetic Registrars in either the Northern or Southern rotations. With an increasing number of hospitals and registrars and increasing demand for anaesthetic training by other training programs the co-ordination of these rotations is becoming more difficult for the two rotational co-ordinators (Drs Kerry Brandis and Lyndall Patterson). Added to this, the increased requirements for flexibility in training to accommodate modern professional lifestyles and expectations necessitate the development of three rotations before 2008. These rotations are to be Northern, Central and Southern.
For the 2007 year the number of new applicant for QARTS this year was in excess of 100. In spite of this large number the majority of applicants have now been offered training positions. The number of applicants with a basic medical degree from another country is increasing, reflecting the changing mix of medical officers working in Queensland.
Over the past two years Queensland Health has undergone major changes. There is now more recognition of the training and educative responsibilities with increased commitment to these tasks. The improvement in working conditions has made recruitment of Specialist staff more competitive. Hopefully these changes will result in an even better training program in Queensland.
The twice yearly SOT meetings continue to identify ways to improve training in Queensland and 2007 will see the first Module Supervisors Meeting. Hopefully this will result in improved standardisation of module completion and allow development of common educational resources.
The short courses and long courses for the Primary and the Final Fellowship exam, as well as viva practice sessions before each exam, continued to be available throughout 2006 and into 2007. These courses are all well attended and are invaluable. There is a demand for new Fellows assist in these educational areas.
This report would not be complete without acknowledging and thanking Dr Julia Byatte for her work as the REO and Dr Di Khursandi for developing the QARTS selection process.
Finally, the successful training program would not be possible without many very dedicated people particularly the Rotational Co-ordinators, SOT’s, Anaesthetic Course Organisers, Lecturers and Module Supervisors . Many thanks to both Kylie Joynson and Sharon Miethke for all they do to keep the Queensland Office of College operating so efficiently.
MARK GIBBS
QLD REGIONAL EDUCATION OFFICER