New Funding Round Open

We are pleased to announce that the RHCE Stream One Funding Round Three is now open!

Calls for applications for Funding Round Three for both project and individual grants is now open.  The closing date for applications is 30 September 2011.  Funding is available in the following ways:

1. Individual specialist grants are available up to $10,000 to rural and remote medical specialists to support up to five days of CPD activites.
2. Grants for CPD initiatives that promote Multi-disciplinary Teams(MDT) and help build vocational support and learning capacity for health professionals in rural and remote locations.

Rural Fellows are encouraged to discuss suggestions and ideas for CPD projects with their Colleges.

The RHCE Guidelines and application forms are available on the RHCE website . Please read them carefully to ensure that your application satisfies all the criteria.

All applications must be lodged via Specialist Medical Colleges that will have earlier deadlines to enable review of applications. College contact details are provided in the RHCE guidelines http://www.ruralspecialist.org.au/resources/RHCE-individual-grants-guidelines-FR3.pdf .

RHCE Stream One Funding Round Two recipients

The Committee of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC) is pleased to announce the successful applicants from the second round of funding under RHCE Stream One.

Individual Grants: Funding has been awarded to 20 individual specialists who live and work in rural and remote locations to support their access to CPD; and

Project Grants: Seven project grants have been awarded to six Medical Specialist Colleges to develop and deliver CPD activites that meet the needs of medical specialists in rural and remote areas of Australia.

The seven successful project applications from the second round of funding by RHCE Stream One are:

1. Acute Neurotrauma Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS)
2. The Occasional Intensivist College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM)
3. Rural CPD web portal The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP)
4. Enhancing performance through self audit and peer review The Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA)
5. Indigenous Health Modules: Rural Specialist Resources Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA)
6. Perinatal Mortality and Morbidity: learning from adverse events to improve care The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG)
7. Practice Visits: reviewing specialist practice to improve the safety and quality care The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricans and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG)

Visit our website for further information on these projects and other projects funded by previous funding rounds.

Events

Rural Outcome Health Measurement (ROME)

Rural health outcomes across the continuum of care. A Face to face workshop (in conjunction with the Rural Medical Conference)  29 October 2011, Alice Springs NT.

Rural Medicine Australia - 2011 National Conference

A Three Day event to be held in Alice Springs  NT, 28 - 30 October 2011. Hosted by the Rural Doctors Association of Australia and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine  http://www.acrrm.com.au

RHCE Stream One

Specialists practising in rural and remote areas of Australia face many challenges. The sense of professional isolation and the specific challenge of accessing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunties having been identified as key deciding factors in health professionals chosing to remain in, or go to locations outside of major centers.

The overall aim of the RHCE Stream One program is to provide a streamlined program of support and education for these professionals, as both part of multidisciplinary teams and as individual practioners.

Feedback the program has received to date has been overwhelmingly positive, with many of the funding recipients saying that with out the assistance of the RHCE grants they would not have been able to attend or participate in CPD activities which addressed their specific needs.

Do you have a story?

We are hoping to make the RHCE Newsletter a relevant and useful resource.

If you have an article or information on a project or event that will be of general interest to rural and remote specialists, we would welcome your contribution, articles, and photos.