July 2019

The RACGP Awards winners

I feel proud to acknowledge and pay tribute to the outstanding GPs that we have in Tasmania. The RACGP Awards celebrate the important contribution GPs make to the health of patients and communities across Australia. It gives me great pleasure to announce the 2019 state winners of the RACGP Awards:

• 2019 General Practitioner of the Year – Dr Sue Shearman (John Street Medical Centre, Kingston)
• 2019 General Practice Supervisor of the Year – Dr Jane Hampson (Mowbray Medical).

These very deserving GPs are applauded by their colleagues, peers, students and patients for their understanding and commitment to general practice. On behalf of all RACGP Tasmania members, I am delighted to congratulate Sue and Jane.

National RACGP Award winners will be selected from the cohort of state winners and will be announced at GP19, the RACGP conference to be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre in October.

Thank you to Dr Tim Mooney

I would also like to celebrate and commend to you the work of Dr Tim Mooney who will retire from the RACGP Tasmania Council after many years of exemplary service. Tim is an active member of his community in George Town where he participated in a range of local and national health initiatives in addition to continuing his roles as RACGP Examiner, RACGP Registrar Supervisor, RACGP Rural Education Committee Chair, to name a few.  

Tim won the national RACGP GP Supervisor of the Year award in 2013 and was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday honours in 2017 for his service to medicine, through his support of doctors in rural and remote areas and communities.

Last year, Tim was acknowledged for his 25 years of work on the RACGP Rural Board. Thank you Tim, we will miss your sense of humour and wise counsel.
 

2019 Faculty Council Elections outcomes

RACGP Tasmania council elections have closed. With the voting outcomes in Tasmania, we welcome

• Dr Tim Jackson (Lauderdale Doctors Surgery) to the portfolio of Franklin, and
• Dr Mirza Baig (Latrobe Family Practice) to the portfolio of Braddon.

A formal dissemination of Council roles will be endorsed at the annual Faculty Member Meeting on Saturday 17 August 2019 in Launceston.  

A full listing of the RACGP Tasmania Council will be published in the August edition of this newsletter.
Feel free to email me with your observations and suggestions.

I look forward to hearing from you.


Jenny Presser
Chair, RACGP Tasmania.

Saturday 17 August 2019

Dr Jennifer Presser, RACGP Tasmania Chair, cordially invites all financial members to attend the annual RACGP Tasmania Faculty Members Meeting.
 
The meeting will be held at Peppers Silo Hotel, Launceston 11.00 am – 12.00 pm, Saturday 17 August 2019.
 
This important meeting offers Tasmanian members an opportunity to meet with their state council and participate in shaping the direction of general practice.
 
For more information or to register, please email RACGP Tasmania or call 03 6212 5888.

Saturday 31 August 2019

‘The workshop was interactive, practical and relevant with lots of useful information and insights. I would highly recommend it’. – Workshop participant.
 
The provision of palliative care is a significant challenge for general practice. Care setting, stage of illness and patient preferences all add to the complexity of effective management.

This workshop aims to empower GPs to confidently provide optimal palliative care and will consider:

• effective assessment
• management of pain
• management of other symptoms
• Advanced Care Directive and medical goals of care
• end-of-life conversations
• resources, referral pathways and support networks in the Tasmanian context.

This full-day workshop will be held at the Rural Clinical School, Burnie.

Register now.

Saturday 21 September 2019

Congratulations to all new Fellows who have recently attained their Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP).
 
The RACGP Tasmania Fellowship and Awards Ceremony is designed to applaud the achievements of our new Fellows, honour award winners and celebrate collegiality. This year's celebrations will be held at The Astley Room, Derwent Entertainment Centre, Hobart.

All members of the general practice community are warmly invited to witness the official presentations together with their colleagues, family and friends. Celebratory drinks and canapés will follow the formal program.

For more information, please email RACGP Tasmania or call 03 6212 5888.
 
Registration now open.

As we near the end of the current 2017–19 triennium, RACGP Tasmania will deliver a final suite of CPR courses to assist GPs in fulfilling their requirements for the current triennium.

These time-efficient sessions consist of two components, an online module and a one-hour practical skills assessment delivered locally.

Currently, we have practical skills assessment opportunities available in Burnie and Hobart.

Register now.

Take this opportunity to maximise the quality of your RACGP Fellowship (FRACGP) exam preparations by attending an RACGP Tasmania pre-exam course.

Learn examination techniques and refresh your knowledge across the various domains of general practice to enhance your chances of success.

There are currently two workshops available.

For enquiries, email Melita Medisauskas, Examination Officer, or call 03 6212 5888.

Sunday 27 October – Friday 1 November

Intercontinental Fiji

Developed in collaboration with Dr Columbine Mullins, the 2018 RACGP Tasmania General Practitioner of the Year, this first-of-its-kind, immersive summit is open to all health practitioners.
 
The inaugural summit aims to bring together energising speakers, an inspiring environment and a mix of fun social activities that promote professional and personal sustainability and wellbeing.

Speakers

• Sarah Wilson – Founder, IQuitSugar.com
• Ian Snape – Director, The Coaching Space and Frontline Mind
• Vanessa Fudge – Founder, Leading Well
• Dr Lizzie Elliott – Inspirational general practitioner
• Dr Shanina Braganza
• Prof Chris Stapelberg

This is an exclusive invitation only event. Request your invitation now.


*Inclusion does not imply RACGP endorsement.

The University of Tasmania (UTAS) has recently established a Safe and Fair Community Unit (SaFCU). 
 
SaFCU was largely derived from the University’s response to the Australian Human Rights Commission report into sexual assault and sexual harassment at Australian universities in 2017, as well as a University commissioned report. 
 
UTAS took the opportunity to create a centralised unit for university community members, both students and staff, to seek support, raise concerns and report incidents of inappropriate behaviour, including sexual assault and sexual harassment.

SaFCU aims for early identification and intervention of concerning behaviour that may affect the safety and wellbeing of individuals or other community members. If members of the UTAS community have experienced sexual assault or sexual harassment, or have experienced or observed concerning or unacceptable behaviour, they are encouraged to make contact.

For more information, visit the SaFCU  website.

*Inclusion does not imply RACGP endorsement.