NTGPE thanks Dr Chris Kennedy for the expertise, guidance and stability he will provide whilst NTGPE conducts a nationwide search for a suitable replacement. Chris has been appointed for a 3 month period until such time as an executive replacement is secured by the Board and he will steer the continuing forward motion of NTGPE in delivering quality training programs to benefit rural health in the NT.

Dr Michael Wilson leaves NTGPE to pursue a challenging research role in Aboriginal Health and NTGPE thanks him for six years of committed service. Michael will be remembered for his robust dedication to remote health, his willingness to negotiate a better deal for the Territory and his supportive leadership style, all of which have been instrumental in sculpting NTGPE into the quality extended training institution it is today. The board and staff of NTGPE wish Michael all the best for his future endeavours.

Guests then enjoyed drinks and nibbles on the lawn before winding their way up the path past a photographic display of NTGPE’s 10 year journey across the NT through to the tastefully decorated function area, Red Centre Dreaming.  Whilst entrees were served the NTGPE Board’s long standing members spoke of the achievements along the way and some of the people that forged a difference to the health and wellbeing of our remote communities.  The guests then enjoyed the rest of their dinner whilst catching up with old faces and meeting new.

The atmosphere was bolstered by 13 piece band Simon and the GPettes, who turned on a fantastic performance and kept the party in full swing till the end.

A full collection of photos from the event can be viewed and downloaded at www.flickr.com/photos/ntgpe/collections/

Simon and the GPettes, the only band in Australia to boast a full complement of GPs in its ranks, entertained with a really different array of songs long since heard but well remembered to set a dulcet backdrop for a great conference dinner under the stars with a Territory BBQ that stood out for its rich array of red centre flavours.

A full collection of photos from the conference can be viewed and downloaded at www.flickr.com/photos/ntgpe/collections/

Assessing impediments to completion of GP training by a cohort of Indigenous Registrars
T Cockayne, M Wilson (NTGPE,Darwin, Australia)

Current assessment practices in General Practice Training don’t add up
M Wilson, T Cockayne, C Lesnikowski (NTGPE, Darwin, Australia)

Developing a readiness for General Practice… Learning Needs Appraisal – Innovation in
Assessment
K Pandithage, N Lamb, N Andric (NTGPE, Darwin, Australia)

Photo: Tamsin Cockayne, Kishan Pandithage and Christine Lesnikowski with the KL Medical Students at the Ottawa opening ceremony

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 education@ntgpe.org

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.

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) has recently been granted accreditation from the Australian Medical Council for a pilot of Workplace Based Assessment (WPBA) for International Medical Graduates (IMGs)on the Standard Pathway in general practice as an alternative to the Australian Medical Council Clinical (Part 2) Examination. WPBA has been designed to be delivered in conjunction with the educational resources of Regional Training Providers (RTPs) for the Australian General Practice Training program.

The assessment processes and tools have been designed to use multi-modalities and assessors to provide formative and summative assessments of IMGs during their training period. ACRRM will work in collaboration with four RTPs during the implementation of the pilot.

RTPs involved in the initial Pilot are Northern Territory GP Education, Adelaide to Outback GP Training, Southern GP Training and Western Australia GP Education and Training. IMGs currently employed in a full-time clinical position within geographical areas of these RTPs may be eligible to apply for the Pilot.

Upon successful completion of the 12 month WPBA, IMG doctors will be eligible for general registration in Australia.

For further information please view the attached information document and visit the ACRRM website www.acrrm.org.au

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

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 education@ntgpe.org