Australia Day 'gongs' for ACRRM members costs    

ACRRM Fellows were recognised for their contributions to rural and remote communities in yesterday's Australia Day honors list. They included two doctors who were honored with national awards at Rural Medicine Australia 2011 in Alice Springs. More ...

FACRRM Training’s hot topics for 2012 virtual  sessions

Feedback from last year’s interactive online  training sessions for regional training providers guides the content for the  2012 series on FACRRM Training. The first two sessions, about the StAMPS exam,  will be held on 6 and 20 February. Other topics to be covered in dedicated  sessions ... More...        

Telehealth on-board incentives to cover more than technology 
The $6,000 MBS on-board incentive for GPs –  which drops to $4,800 on 1 July — recognises that there is more to setting up  for telehealth than installing essential technology.  Incentives are also available on a per-consultation basis, including a $20 bulk billing payment and $40 service fee (on top of the MBS Telehealth item rebate). More ...
          

Quality one-day ALS course, Saturday, 3 March 2012:  Tasmania (open to non-members)Fellows can meet their advanced life support  requirements for the current triennium with this quality, one-day course  presented by ACRRM. The course is also accredited ACRRM PDP and RACGP CDP. Places are  limited to ensure you receive personalised attention from instructors. A rural  procedural grant of $2,000 is available if you are eligible and registered with  ACRRM.  To secure your place, complete the short online registration form on the College website. 

Opportunity to contribute to better quality  rural practice 
As a panellist for Pre-employment Structured  Clinical Interviews (PESCIs), you make an important contribution to ensuring international  medical graduates will be safe practitioners in Australia. You will earn PDP  (PRPD) points and be paid a fee at the relevant per-session or per-day rate.   Last year, ACRRM conducted 180 PESCIs in  Queensland and is now accredited by the Australian Medical Council to conduct  the interviews in South Australia and Tasmania. If you are a Fellow of ACRRM  practicing in QLD, SA, or TAS, you are encouraged to become a PESCI panellist.  Please email Annelise Carter (a [dot] carteracrrm [dot] org [dot] au)  for details.         

Last chance to have your say on new breast cancer modules 

Cancer  Australia is to develop new online learning modules dealing with  breast cancer. They will be available on ACRRM’s RRMEO platform. To nominate your priority topics, please go to the one-minute questionnaire on the ACRRM website. The poll closes this Monday. It takes about one minute to complete. Go to the questionnaire.        

RFDS STAR Program - Aeromedical Retrieval:  Cairns, Brisbane Hobart       

The major focus of this program is to improve  the delivery of clinical care in aeromedical retrieval. The course is for  doctors, nurses and paramedics currently working in the aeromedical environment  or looking to gain an insight into this unique specialty. It will give you  training and education in all aspects of this challenging discipline. For more  information, please call the program director, Assoc Prof Geoff Ramin 0400 055  668, or email graminrfdsqld [dot] com [dot] au.

Complementary dinner and a new career opportunity

Health Workforce Queensland invites metropolitan  GPs, registrars and interns (and partners) join them for dinner at the Stamford  Plaza Hotel in Brisbane on 14 March. Dinner and wine will be served as part of  an information evening on the challenges and rewards of rural and remote  practice.  For more information, and to  accept an invitation, please go the Health Workforce Queensland website and click on ‘Go rural!’        

Rural Medicine Australia 2012: Fremantle WA, 26 to 28 October        

The conference this year will be preceded by one-day and two-day procedural workshops and feature the biannual scientific forum. Consider how the work you are doing can be turned into publishable research and presented at the Rural Medicine Australia 2012. Save the dates in your diary, allowing for pre-conference workshops and perhaps some post-conference touring.       

Role models make a major impression on medical  students’ choices

The positive influence of mentors on students’  career choice is strongest where there is continuity of preceptors, continuity  of care, and continuity of patient interactions. This is particularly the case  in primary care environments, according a paper published in Rural and Remote  Health.
       
The aim of the systematic review was to  understand if and how medical students’ career choices are influenced by their  interactions with preceptors. The authors*, from Flinders University, looked at  international research into placements ranging from five days to two years.  Read the article: Are medical students influenced by  preceptors in making career choices, and if so how? A systematic review.