EV welcomes the appointment of Associate Professor Ruth Stewart as Australia’s next National Rural Health Commissioner. A/Prof Stewart will replace Emeritus Professor Paul Worley who, as Australia’s inaugural National Rural Health Commissioner, has been in the role since 2017. Her appointment is supported by industry leaders. ACRRM President Dr Ewen McPhee says the appointment of A/ Prof Stewart demonstrates the government is serious about the future of our rural and remote communities. “We commend the Ministers on selecting someone who is clearly passionate, informed and proactive, and we are confident they have chosen the best person for the job,” Dr McPhee says. “A/Prof Stewart is a highly experienced and committed rural doctor,” RDAA President, Dr John Hall, said. She worked for 22 years as a procedural GP in Camperdown in South West Victoria. In 2012 she moved to Queensland where she worked as a Senior Medical Officer on Thursday Island until 2019. She was then appointed Associate Professor of Rural Medicine and Director of Rural Clinical Training with James Cook University. Her roles include serving on the Boards of RDAA,…

Generally speaking, Billy fell into the role of co-host on the RACGP Podcast that is currently running on various streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Play. “I had done some media training for the RACGP and a couple of months later I got a phone call asking if I would like to take part in a podcast for the College as they had “scouted” me! I was toying with the idea of doing something similar myself, so it was good timing.” “The aim is to inform as many GPs and GP trainees about the latest medical developments, give them tips on personal wellbeing, connect GPs through the podcast) and help improve the health of our communities. “Being produced by the RACGP it is tailored to GPs in Australia, including GP trainees, however the audience is going to be broader, even international, as it is being published on an open platform. “My co-host Dr Gill Singleton is fantastic, we actually only met for this podcast. On paper, RACGP thought we would be a great match, and we have been! She has…

From the commencement of semester 2 2020, there will be an increase in GP registrar base rates.   The specific clause in the National Terms and Conditions for the Employment of Registrars (NTCER) that relates to the increase is clause 11.1 Indexation – The base rates of pay prescribed in this agreement will be reviewed at the beginning of each financial year and adjusted in line with the most recent indexation of the MBS, level 23 consultation item. The new base rates of pay will become applicable in the training term immediately following the MBS increase.  Registrars will commence receiving the MBS increase from 1 July as part of their percentage calculation.  However, the base salary rate increase of 1.5% will not come into effect until the commencement of semester 2 2020 (3 August 2020).   For enquiries:  Registrars should contact GPRA directly  Supervisors and practice managers should contact GPSA directly. 

We have been rated highly by supervisors and registrars in surveys undertaken by the Commonwealth Department of Health and General Practice Supervisors Australia (GPSA).  We are extremely pleased that supervisors’ satisfaction with EV as a Regional Training Organisation (RTO) ranks the highest nationally. EV has an 80% supervisor satisfaction survey rating of supervisors compared with a national average of 69%.  EV registrars’ satisfaction with their training experience is above the national average, and this has been consistent for the past 4 years. The latest National Registrar Survey (NRS) findings indicate that our registrars are highly satisfied with both the RTO experience and the training practice experience.   EV’s results are presented in Infographics which can be accessed here NRS EV Results and Supervisor Survey EV Results.  Read the Media Release here. 

EV has made significant operational changes in the COVID-19 environment. We have had at the forefront of our minds the delivery of healthcare to communities served by Eastern Victoria’s training practices. We are committed to communicating to all registrars, supervisors, practices, and staff to support their health, safety, and welfare; providing them with current information and keeping them up-to-date with the latest information on the impacts of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on education and training. In the course of the changes to day to day operations, we have followed advice outlined by the Commonwealth Health Officer and Victorian Government at all stages and have consulted with both GP Colleges and EV Supervisor and Registrar groups. We are satisfied that we have been able to respond quickly and effectively to the disruption the pandemic has created. A summary of EV’s response to COVID-19 can be found on the COVID-19 Information page.

Dr Laurie Warfe EV congratulates Dr Laurie Warfe, former EV Board Director, for recognition in the 2020 Queens Birthday Honours List. Laurie received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to medicine and to the community. Laurie is a past Chair of the Victorian Medical Board of Australia. He served on the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria from 2005 and then went onto the Medical Board of Australia when AHPRA was formed in 2010. He practised as a GP in the Melbourne suburb of Frankston for nearly 40 years, working as a practice surveyor and trainer of GP registrars through that time. Laurie was an EV Board Director from 2016-2019. EV extends its congratulations to all recipients recognised in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours particularly GPs and allied health workers. Merinda Harrison-Drake Congratulations to Merinda Harrison-Drake on her acknowledgement in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Merinda received a Medal (OAM) in the General Division for service to Indigenous health in Gippsland. Merinda is the Practice Coordinator at the Morwell site of Ramahyuck and District Aboriginal Corporation, an accredited…