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Dear Section members,
It has been business as usual for the Rural Surgery Section team. Advocacy on rural health equity matters continues to be spearheaded by the Rural Health Equity Steering Committee and the Rural Surgery Section. Here are some highlights:
- President met with senior Federal government representatives and ministers on matters related to SIMGs, rural maldistribution and workforce along with other issues. Meetings were held with the Assistant Minister for Health (Ged Kearney), Department of Health Secretary (Blair Comley), Senior Political Special Advisor to Government (Eamonn Fitzpatrick), Chair of House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care & Sport (Dr Mike Freelander), Shadow Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health (Dr Anne Webster), and Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health (Malarndirri McCarthy).
- Accompanied RACS President to meetings with NT Government and Health Service as part for RACS MOU with NT Government in August.
- Rural Surgery Section Committee Chair presented on the Rural Health Equity Strategic Action Plan - Remote Central and Northern Australia Strategy at the RACS NT, WA, SA Tristate Annual Scientific Meeting.
- Rural Surgery Section Committee Chair present at the Rural Doctors Association Rural Specialist Group meeting with Dr Anne Webster, Nationals MP and the Shadow Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health (on what rural consultant specialists see as the issues and what their concerns are) in September.
- Rural Surgery Section Committee Chair represented RACS at the AMA Rural Medical Training Summit in Canberra.
The College will be preparing submissions to these consultations:
I encourage you to contact me to let me know about your local challenges or successes in your area. This will allow me to advocate and help where possible or share successes for the benefit of all.
Dr Bridget Clancy MBBS FRACS GAICD
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Have your say in Scope of Practice survey
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The Australian Government announced the Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce (Scope of Practice Review) in the 2023-24 Federal Budget as part of its response to the Strengthening Medicare Reform Taskforce.
One of the Priority recommendations from the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce Report was that the Australian Government work together with states and territories to explore the barriers and opportunities for all health practitioners to work to their full scope of practice.
Professor Mark Cormack is leading this independent review and it will focus on:
- general practitioners
- nurses (registered and enrolled), nurse practitioners
- pharmacists
- midwives
- allied health practitioners
- First Nations health practitioners and workers
- paramedics.
Individuals can provide feedback directly by completing the independent review’s online survey.
RACS will be preparing a submission outlining the impact on surgeons and how RACS can support supervision of health professions working to their full scope of practice.
If you would like to contribute feedback to inform the RACS’ submission, or if you have any supporting evidence or case examples (such as literature, examples of community need and expanded scope within multidisciplinary teams) please forward to RACS by 9am AEST 28 September 2023.
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Call for Subject Matter Experts to help shape new selection tool
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We are currently seeking Subject Matter Experts to help us expand upon our collection of situational judgement questions that reflect your real work-based experiences.
Three surgical specialties have introduced Situational Judgement Tests (SJT) as a selection tool into the SET program this year. The aim of SJTs is to evaluate applicants' judgement skills in complex real-life workplace scenarios. Candidates are presented with hypothetical work-based situations and are required to make judgments about potential responses.
We're looking for a diverse group of surgeons from different stages of their careers (younger fellows, trainees, senior fellows), and from all backgrounds. You will collaborate with consultants from other specialties, alongside an SJT facilitator expert who will help shape your ideas into a comprehensive set of work-based scenarios and potential responses.
The design of the SJT scenarios is undertaken in 2 phases a) development workshops for scenario creation and b) review workshops for refinement and finalisation of scenarios, members are invited to participate in one or both phases.
Could we kindly request your participation as a volunteer for one of the Development Workshops and one of the Review Workshops? These will be conducted via Zoom. The number of hours you would be asked to commit to would be 9 – spread across the months of September to November this year. The remaining 3 hours will be spent in pre-reading (1 hour) and the concordance activity (2 hours).
Please email liz.wells@surgeons.org with your preference – one session from each group.
Development Workshops
• Tuesday 26/9/23 from 6.30 pm – 9.30 pm (AEST)
• Wednesday 27/9/23 from 6.30 pm – 9.30 pm (AEST)
• Saturday 30/9/23 from 10.00 am – 1.00 pm (AEST)
Review Workshops
• Tuesday 24/10/23 from 6.30 pm – 9.30 pm (AEDT)
• Thursday 26/10/23 from 6.30 pm – 9.30 pm (AEDT)
• Wednesday 1/11/23 from 6.30 pm – 9.30 pm (AEST)
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New podcast on Plastic Surgery for regional & rural patients
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Rural Surgeons Award
Dr Richard John Coutts FRACS, General Surgeon, AoNZ
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Dr Richard John Coutts FRACS, General Surgeon
RACS President, Associate Professor Kerin Fielding, presented the award at the Wellington ASM on 31 August.
Dr Richard Coutts is a general surgeon who has worked in Palmerston North Hospital since 1994. His clinical repertoire is that of the traditional general surgeon, covering clinical surgery of the skin, breast, endocrine, digestive tract, abdominal, acute vascular, gynaecologic oncology, and head and neck oncology.
Dr Coutts works to improve patient care by running the regional breast screen Aotearoa program and is an active proponent of the cancer Multidisciplinary Team Meetings. He has been the lead surgeon for breast cancer and breast screening since the latter’s inception in the late 1990s.
The national trauma network is also strongly supported by Richard. He maintains and deepens links to the quaternary trauma centre.
He is passionate about equity and fairness to all people, particularly the elderly and those who are isolated geographically. He is very aware of the difficulties patients may experience travelling long distances to be seen for a surgical consultation, so instead, he travels to them. He constantly tries to solve multiple problems involving other health specialties in a single visit to aid the patients returning to health.
Dr Coutts has always been an enthusiastic teacher and mentor to countless registrars. Trainees who have passed through Palmerston North hospital remember their time fondly. He has inspired many house surgeons to pursue surgery and registrars to consider working rurally.
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Congratulations to our 2023 grant recipients
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Congratulations to the latest recipients of the 2023 Learning and Development grants.
Dr Aasim Khan, General surgeon, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, was the recipient of the Rural Surgery Fellowship for Provincial Surgeons.
Dr Jessica Wynn, junior doctor from University Hospital Geelong, Victoria, was the recipient of the Rural Junior Doctors Surgical Skills Course Grant.
Read more about what they plan to do with these grants here - https://www.surgeons.org/Resources/Member-benefits/Lifelong-learning/scholarships-and-grants-program/Learning-and-Development-grant-recipients-2023
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Tri State Webinar Series - Work Life: How to thrive as a surgeon
Thursday, 12 October 2023
Sharee Johnson is a registered Psychologist, Professional Coach, Author, Speaker and Meditation Teacher. She has been coaching doctors since 2015 and is the founder of Coaching for Doctors, Australia's first coaching practice dedicated solely to doctor development. In 2021 she published her international best selling book The Thriving Doctor - How to be more balanced and fulfilled, working as a doctor. Sharee spends her days deep in coaching conversations with individual and groups of doctors seeking to understand their goals, aspirations and challenges believing healthcare systems can be much more effective for patients when caregivers are well.
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PSA 2023 ASC Margaret River, Perth WA 26-28 October 2023
The 58th Provincial Surgeons Australia Annual Scientific Conference is taking place in the beautiful region of Margaret River.
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Over three days, a rural surgery-relevant program will be presented, covering unique rural and regional perspectives: innovations and technologies that can be adapted to rural surgery, and how to bring the best surgical practices and outcomes to those living in remote parts of Australia. The interactive program will be as relevant to our rural counterparts as it is to our metropolitan colleagues and offers a fantastic opportunity to come together in a beautiful part of Australia – country and city. Find out more here.
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About the Rural Surgery Section website and useful links
The Rural Surgery Section strives to foster excellence and equity in the practice of rural surgery in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Our website provides resources to inform members about updates and opportunities related to rural continuing health educational activities.
Surgeons' Wellbeing
RACS encourages all surgeons to recognise and discuss any challenges facing them and to ensure self-care is part of managing their professional life. Check out our support program and resources.
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