NTGPE’s Cultural Educators have been busy delivering cultural orientation and awareness to Medical Students, Prevocational Doctors and GP Registrars, fulfilling one of the core functions of Northern Territory General Practice Education (NTGPE) for the past ten years.

The departure of two Cultural Educators last year saw a temporary hold placed on ECT visits, mentoring, community team building and conferences whilst the remaining two Cultural Educators focused on the delivery of core orientations. NTGPE is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Cultural Educators in the Darwin office – Elisabeth Heenan from the Tiwi Islands who is connected to Central Australia and Patricia Rankine from Ali Curung, North of Alice Springs, and the reinstatement of previous areas of focus, plus new specialised orientations and clients.

Since 2010 NTGPE has extended training to external organisations like the NT Government Public sector, Rural Area Health Corp (RAHC) and in recent times Department Public Prosecutions (DPP) Hospital staff Nurse and Doctors and Careflight. Expressions of interest have been received from Aboriginal Medical Service and Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) to deliver cultural training to some of their new staff. Any external stakeholders interested in cultural orientation for their clients should direct their expressions of interest to [email protected]

NTGPE has now moved to encompass the John Flynn Scholarship Program and Prevocational General Practice Placements Program into one portfolio. This will provide a more streamlined service to our program participants and community clinics.
Some things to remember:

John Flynn Scholars come to the NT for a total of 8 weeks during their degree and the aim of the program is to have them return to the same community to form relationships which we hope will result in them coming back to the NT as a PGPPP Prevocational Doctor and even as a GP Registrar. Their first placement is for 3 weeks which will include a 2 day orientation, the remaining 5 weeks is made up over a 2 year period. All mentors are entitled to a payment which can be the supervisor, community clinic, council or similar body. Payments are made upon a suitable tax invoice. We will send out reminders to all mentors at the end of each JFS placement. This is a long term commitment from a community and we encourage anyone who is not involved to come on board for a rewarding long term experience with these students.

Prevocational General Practice Placements Program (PGPPP) is for PGY 2+ doctors to come out of the hospital system and have a taste of general practice in a well supported environment. They do require to have a GP supervisor available to them at all times. The program in the NT has resulted in approx 60% of doctors joining GP training somewhere in Australia with the vast majority heading or rural or remote.

NTGPE currently takes doctors from all over Australia with the majority coming from the NT. It provides funding to clinics for supervision and clinic incentive. The doctors also generate Medicare income which partly covers their salary with the remainder staying with the clinic.

Many of our Prevocational Doctors have done a previous JFS or medical student placement in the NT and are keen to come back as a fully qualified medical practitioner. Placements are for 10 – 13 weeks.

For more information on the above please call Nicole Lamb, Program Manager 07 3820 7063.

As part of a renewed effort to improve and increase communication with practices, Supervisors and Registrars the Education Team will be spending a week in each regional location throughout the year.

The first mobile office week was held in Gove from 30 January – 3 February. Staying in the region for a week allowed the Director of Medical and Cultural Education, Dr Tamsin Cockayne, and her team of program managers, medical and cultural educators, marketing and administration staff to not only carry out routine elements of training including Accreditation visits, Supervisor Professional Development sessions, Training Advisor Meetings and ECTVs but also to explore and help find some solutions to the issues unique to the region and the training situation there.

Highlights of the week included a Business Meeting with practices, a visit to Laynhapuy Homelands to explore how to strengthen training in this unique health service, a visit to Groote Eylandt and a dinner with Supervisors and Registrars.

The dates for other regional events are:

• Alice Springs 26 – 30 March 2012

• Tennant Creek 4 – 8 June 2012

• Katherine 13 – 17 August 2012

• Darwin 15 -19 October 2012

An ECTV reflection by Penny Ramsay, Medical Educator with NTGPE

As I sit back in the small single engine plane, climbing into the clouds away from the little East Arnhem community of Milingimbi I think admirably of the resilient GP registrar who is wrapping up their day in the clinic on the ground below. I have just spent several hours sitting in on her consultations. I have watched her assess and manage a variety of patients, most of whom spoke very little English and accompanied her to the home of a dying patient with the clinic’s Aboriginal health worker and watched her assess a seriously dehydrated child and organize a medical evacuation. During the day we had many interesting discussions about the patients she saw and the many rewards and challenges she faces working in Milingimbi and Gove Hospital 300km away. In the course of the day I also shared lunch with the clinic staff, had a chat with the registrar’s GP supervisor and was shown around the clinic and community. All that remains for me to do is to write a short report of the visit.

I have just completed an External Clinical Teaching Visit, known in the trade as an ‘ECTV’. GP Registrars participate in five compulsory ECTVs during the course of training, in which an experienced GP Medical Educator from outside of the practice spends half a day watching them consult with patients. Time is taken between patients to discuss each consultation, focusing particularly on the process of the consult and communication issues. The GP visitor tries to be a ‘fly on the wall’, not interfering with the consultation process in any way. This gives a more accurate idea of how the Registrar operates from day to day. At some point during the visit the educator meets with the GP Supervisor to discuss the Registrar’s progress and any issues or concerns. A report of the visit is sent to the Registrar and Supervisor.

ECTVs are one of the few tasks I have continued to do since cutting back on my hours as a Medical Educator with NTGPE a few years ago. Watching such a variety of doctors consult highlights the range of styles, skills and approaches we have as GPs. ECTVs provide a welcome opportunity to get to know registrars and supervisors and give very interesting insights into other practices. The practice settings range from mainstream general practices and remote aboriginal clinics to Australian Defense Force clinics all over the NT. It is great to see the same Registrar at different times over the course of their training, as their skill base and experience increases. The visits also provide a valuable opportunity to help Registrars with general issues and concerns.

I find it a privilege to work at this level GPs in training, helping them reflect on the consultation process, their style and habits. Observation and reflection allows us to mentally re-live the consultation with its many twists and turns, exploring alternative meanings, missed opportunities, consideration of patient concerns and hidden agendas which may not have been addressed. Acquiring the skill of reflective practice sets up GP Registrars for a lifetime of rewarding patient interactions and increasing effectiveness as GPs.

So what skills do you need to be an ECT Visitor? Basically any experienced GP who enjoys working with Registrars and has an interest in the GP consultation can be trained to do these visits. Why not add variety to your work as a doctor and talk with NTGPE about this opportunity.

For more information regarding ECT visits please write to us at [email protected]

NTGPE’s Executive Director Prof Michael Wilson is pleased to welcome Mr Garry Lambert to the position of Business Manager. Most recognised in his current role as Darwin City Council Alderman, Mr Lambert comes to NTGPE with a wealth of experience in education and training, business development, community engagement and Indigenous social services. With 35 years experience in the Territory, most recently as Senior Executive for NT Police Fire and Emergency Services, Mr Lambert’s appointment will help strengthen the organisation’s focus on delivering NT based solutions to General Practice training and best practice organisational management.

Mr Lambert said, “Given the critical importance of health issues across the NT, particularly Indigenous health, I hope to be able to bring a strong community engagement focus into my new role as Business Manger of NTGPE. The organisation plays a vital role in providing support and direction to Prevocational Doctors and General Practice Registrars across the NT.

“My extensive participation in community engagement, as former Mayor and current Alderman along with my past role as a teacher and school principal in Indigenous and non Indigenous communities and my role as a senior executive in the public service means I can bring wide range of views, experiences and skills to the organisation.

“The quality of Prevocational Doctors and Registrars to deliver health outcomes is directly related to the quality of training and placement experiences provided through NTGPE.

“I am enormously proud to be a part of the senior leadership team at NTGPE, an organisation that directly impacts on health outcomes in the NT, whether in remote locations or in Darwin.”

NTGPE celebrates its tenth year of medical and cultural general practice education and training in Aboriginal health with a fresh focus on enhanced interaction and communications with the medical profession, remote clinics and beyond.

With new business manager Garry Lambert, a strengthened cultural education team, increased staff numbers and an inter-departmental shuffle NTGPE is shifting towards a more active presence in the industry to provide enriched support and communication to remote communities and allied health professionals, whilst delivering stronger awareness of its role in the community to the medical profession and the broader world.

Mr Garry Lambert appointed as new Business Manager

NTGPE’s Executive Director Prof Michael Wilson is pleased to welcome Mr Garry Lambert to the position of Business Manager. Most recognised in his role as Deputy Lord Mayor of Darwin, Garry comes to NTGPE with a wealth of experience in education and training, business development, community engagement and Indigenous social services. With 35 years experience in the Territory, most recently as Senior Executive for NT Police Fire and Emergency Services, Mr Lambert’s appointment will help strengthen the organisation’s focus on delivering NT based solutions to General Practice training and best practice organisational management.

Expanded staff, Expanded Services

New staff positions include:

• Training Projects Manager: Susie Lehmann takes the helm to coordinate NTGPE’s other specialised programs, including RAHC, DPP Cultural Education, Simulation Training, Supervisor Professional Development
• Education Coordination Assistant: Emma Carroll (temp) is providing assistance to the Director Medical and Cultural Training, Tamsin Cockayne, to deliver timely training communication and coordination across education programs.

Mrs Amalie Andropov of Nightcliff Medical Centre, Darwin is settling into her role as NTGPE’s new Practice Liaison Officer. Amalie is the communications channel for all accredited practices for all will be able to assist directly with all queries and requests via [email protected].

Dr Andropov advises, “I have really enjoyed meeting the Gove Supervisors and getting out and meeting some Darwin supervisors recently. I am looking forward to meeting more supervisors and practice managers over the coming weeks.”

Cultural Education Developments

With the recent addition of Patricia Rankine (Ali Curung) and Elisabeth Heenan (Nguiu, Bathurst Island) NTGPE’s cultural education team has risen to four and now offers a wider range of cultural orientation and training to the medical industry and wider community and will be engaging in more activities such as ECTs within the medical community. NTGPE’s most recent client Careflight is receiving cultural orientation sessions for their emergency crew so they can better understand community culture and customs when performing emergency retrievals from remote NT locations.

Patricia Rankine

Elisabeth Heenan

NTGPE Overview

The NT’s only regional training provider, NTGPE’s primary role is to promote and facilitate general practice placements in rural and remote NT (with a focus on Aboriginal health). This trainee placement role is vital in encouraging qualified doctors back to the Territory to provide essentials services where they are needed most. NTGPE also provides general practitioners, international medical graduates and primary health care workers access to professional development, to ensure continued delivery of quality medical care. For more information visit www.ntgpe.org

NTGPE is now providing cultural orientation sessions to Careflight emergency staff to ensure awareness and respect and help overcome cultural and communication barriers whilst performing emergency retrievals from remote NT locations. Cultural, social, spiritual, economical and political topics are covered to ensure the Careflight crew are better placed to work in a partnership with the community.

NTGPE can offer specialised cultural education training catered to the individual client’s requirements. For more information contact Susie Lehmann at [email protected]