welcome to the June 2010 edition, in this issue:

Liz Degotardi's new arrival.

The much awaited baby daughter has arrived! The staff at NCGPT were fortunate in having a recent visit from Liz and baby Amirah. Big sister, Indira, was very proud of the baby and was happy to let us have a nurse. Liz reported that her time on leave is going quickly especially as the baby arrived a week later than due. We are able to share a photo of Amirah with Liz's permission. Just check out the baby's  fantastic head of hair.

June Examination Preparation Workshop in Coffs Harbour

Frank and Feng were two of the workshop attendees who were able to relax at the conference dinner on the Saturday nght after a very very full day of mock exams .

We received excellent feedback  from the participants on the recently held workshop. It was attended by a  mixture of Registrars, Overseas Trained Doctors and Doctors from the Emergency Department at Tweed Heads hospital. Opportunity was provided for participants to experience examination activities under simulated examination conditons. The presenters, Dr Christine Ahern , Dr Peter Silberberg and Dr Debbie Kors imparted  excellent advice and shared  their knowledge of the RACGP examination processes.

The venue was very relaxing with fantastic views of the ocean but there was so much content included in the two days that there was little time to enjoy the resort facilities. It was great to see some family members  come along as well and we were able to catch up over a very delicious and enjoyable conference dinner on the Saturday night. There was even a small celebration of Christine's birthday.  It was unfortunate that she was suffering from loss of voice but Peter assisted with Christine's presentations and all went well.

Sunday was very intense with the OSCE stations. Sue Grazma, once again, showed how efficiently she can organise these activities. A big thank you is extended to Christine Ong and Bruce and Jan Barling for their fabulous acting as "patients' in some of the stations.

Workshops and conferences

RDN 2010 Obstetrics Conference

When: Friday 25 to Sunday 27 June 2010
Where: Sydney Marriott Hotel
Cost: GPs $990
 

The conference will include lectures on Infectious Diseases in Pregnancy, Antenatal Testing and Case Studies in Obstetric Emergencies. The workshops will be on Intervention, Neonatal Resuscitation, Intrapartum Monitoring, Perineal Repairs, Unwell Neonate, Perinatal Anxiety and Depression, Hypertension - Pre-Eclampsia and High Risk Pregnancies.
 

There is no partner/children program provided with this conference.
 

The conference registration form can be downloaded from www.nswrdn.com.au  . Click on ‘Conferences/CPD Events’.

Please fax completed forms to RDN on 02 8337 8110.
 

Memberships

RACGP Membership

RACGP membership early bird offer – ends 30 June 2010.
 

Join the RACGP or renew your membership before 30 June 2010 to take advantage of their 'early bird' offers!

Read more on the website www.racgp.org.au

Australian Doctor - How to Treat "clotting conditions"

The "how to treat" section of the Australian Doctor's 21st May edition 2010, focuses on "clotting conditions". It provides an overview on diagnosing venous thromboembolic disease, investigations, management, pregnancy and thrombophilia and prevention of VTE.

The author is Dr Steve Flecknoe-Brown, consultant physician and clinical pathologist, Broken Hill, and senior lecturer, Sydney School of Public Health,University of Sydney, NSW. You will also find the "how to treat quiz" very helpful.

You can earn CPD points by completing the quiz on line at www.australiandoctor.com.au/cpd/

The 4th June edition focuses on "Generalised Anxiety Disorder" while the therapy update section is on "Borderline personality disorder".

Family Practice / Oxford University Press

Family Practice, Oxford University Press are delighted to offer free online access to the journal, Family Practice, until 31st August 2010.
 

For more information about Family Practice visit http://fampra.oxfordjournals.org/
 

How to claim your free access:
1. Visit "My Account" at www.oxfordjournals.org/register and login using your username and password, or if you are a new user, create a free account
2. Once you are logged in, click on 'Manage your subscriptions'
3. Enter A568994w into the 'Subscriber Number' box and submit
 

RACGP library

Online library catalogue goes live.

College library users are now able to search the library’s collection using the new online catalogue at http://library.racgp.org.au/amlibweb

The catalogue is user friendly and offers a range of search options.

Change in criteria for new Rural Relocation Incentive Grant

Following consultation with key external stakeholders, the Department of Health and Ageing has amended the eligibility criteria for the Rural Relocation Incentive Grant (RRIG). Applicants now need only have Fellowship status (as opposed to needing to have been a Fellow for 12 months). The College is pleased with this amendment.

Further information on the RRIG is available at  www.racgp.org.au/ff/30  or by calling the RACGP’s National Rural Faculty on 03 8699 0507.

Certificate in Primary Care Dermatology

The Certificate in Primary Care Dermatology is a new course comprising online and practical (workshop and clinical experience) modules. It is designed to provide GPs with the latest training to diagnose and treat skin cancers and other common skin conditions.
 

GPs can enrol in individual modules or the entire course, which can be finished over three years. Each module in the course attracts points toward Professional Development, based on the number of hours of work estimated for each module.
 

For more information and registration forms, please visit the Dermatology page on the ACRRM website at www.acrrm.org.au or call ACRRM on 1800 223 226.
 

Resource Offer

Dr Frank Zhu, one of our NCGPT IMGs, has written a very informative book, "Australian Anti-Infection Handbook". Frank has kindly offered to make this book available to NCGPT doctors at a reduced cost of only $30.

To order send an email to aahbook@gmail.com. Give your name, postal address and mention that you are a NCGPT doctor to receive your discount.

We thank Frank for this generous offer and wonder how he managed to find the time to write the book considering his very busy worklife.