The ISML will continue to provide medical education to GPs as it has since its inception in 1993. The ISML believes there are opportunities for a greater role for Medicare Locals in leading general practice training and ongoing education. Training for practice staff has been provided since 1999.

The ISMLs vision for future education is to deliver training to practices as a whole and to be based on the individual needs of the practice. Through practice visits and other communication channels, the ISML will determine the education needs of the practice and develop and deliver packages that are tailored to helping them meet those needs. Education packages will be developed using the the Australian Primary Care Collaboratives program model which provides a framework for developing, implementing and testing changes. The Collaboratives model is a quality improvement approach which has a "planning/thinking" component and a "doing" component. It involves identifying goals and using a series of step by step plans to achieve those goals. It encourages a systematic, proactive and team-based approach to managing patients' health care while achieving business efficiency.

The new model will integrate a practice-based approach with familiar activities such as the annual Update Seminar and Grand Roundsand with new approaches such as the Collaboratives Local Wave.

EDUCATION COMMITTEE

The ISML educational activities are planned by the education committee, who meets every two months to plan and develop our educational activities and to review expressions of interest from other parties requesting our assistance in holding meetings. The committee consists of the following members

Dr Ananth Rao - Education Coordinator and Chairman
Dr David Grant - Southern Sector Coordinator Link to Calendar of Events
Dr John Watson - GP Northern Sector
Dr John Fardy - Illawarra and Shoalhaven Medical Teaching Program
Dr Russell Pearson - University of Wollongong Graduate School Medicine
Dr Saroja Gunasekera - Senior Medical Educator Illawarra/Shoalhaven CoastCityCountry Training Ltd.
Ms. Pam Roscoe - Unanderra Family Practice
Mrs. Margaret Jordan - NPS Program Officer, Illawarra Shoalhaven Medicare Local
Dr Andrew Dalley - Medical Director Shell Cove Family Health
Dr Kellie Marshall - CEO, Illawarra Shoalhaven Medicare Local
Linda Blackmore - Practice Support Manager, Illawarra Shoalhaven Medicare Local
 

The IDGP is accredited by the RACGP as a QA&CPD Program Accredited provider. 

Education 2011 (calendar of events)

SOUTHERN SECTOR GP CPD

This area covers from Lake South, south to Gerroa and includes Albion Park and Oak Flats. Dr David Grant, the Southern Sector Coordinator, coordinates a monthly meeting for GPs at the Terrace Restaurant Kiama, with topics based on GPs’ requests from the Southern Sector survey.Link to Calendar of Events

Grand Rounds     

GPs will be able to attain category 1 points for participating in 6 hours of education delivered at Grand Rounds.  Over a 12 month period 10 case presentation sessions will be conducted in the Central Sector and 8 in the Southern Sector, from which GPs will choose 6 sessions to count towards points. 

Indigenous Health Incentive Cultural Awareness Training

To register for the PIP Indigenous Health Incentive, at least two staff members from a practice (one of whom must be a GP) are required to complete appropriate cultural awareness training within 12 months of the practice signing on to the incentive. Practices who signed on to the Indigenous Health Incentive before the 14th of April 2011 have 12 months to complete their cultural awareness training, as of the 14th of April 2011, as this is the date that the RACGP online cultural awareness activity became available. Practices that sign on to the incentive after the 14th of April 2011 will have 12 months from their sign-on date to meet this cultural awareness training requirement. 

To assist practices to meet this requirement, the RACGP, funded by the Department of Health and Ageing, has developed an online introduction to cultural awareness. The 3 hour online activity is offered free of charge to practice teams signing up for the Indigenous Health Incentive (including GPs, practice managers, practice nurses, medical receptionists, health workers and other staff) and offered through the RACGP's gplearning platform and ClinED.

The online module for cultural awareness training is now available and accessible to participants by visiting the following websites:

General Practitioners (GPs)

GPs can access the cultural awareness online learning activity by visiting the following website http://www.gplearning.com.au

Practice nurses, practice managers and medical receptionist

Practice staff, other then GPs, can access the cultural awareness training through the following website, http://www.clined.com.au/activities/practice-managers. Participants will first need to sign up to ClinED, this can be done by visiting the following website, http://www.clined.com.au/sign-up

As an alternative or as an adjunct to the RACGP online training, the IDGP will be offering cultural awareness training to GPs, practice nurses and practice administration staff, in face-to-face workshops and/or small groups. Planning is currently underway and IDGP will disseminate information to all practices once details of training are confirmed.

The guidelines for the development of cultural awareness training have also been released. These guidelines can be accessed by clinking here

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the practice support team on 4220 7600 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Category 1 GP Dementia Risk Reduction Education Project

The Illawarra Shoalhaven Medicare Local has received funding from NSW Health to implement a GP Dementia Risk Reduction Project in local general practices. The project aims to educate GPs and PNs in general practice settings on the link between hypertension (high blood pressure) and dementia in the 45-64 year age group, encourage the application of blood pressure screening with this target group and the implementation of strategies with patients that seek to avoid or minimise the risk of hypertension and dementia over the long term.

This pilot project will actively involve eight local practices and will run until April 2012. Other interested GPs and PNs who are unable to participate can still be involved in the project by attending formal education sessions on dementia risk reduction and hypertension topics throughout the coming year. These education sessions will have QA&CPD points attached and more information will be provided as it comes to hand. For mor information about this project visit our Dementia and Hypertension page.

Australian Primary Care Collaboratives

The Collaboratives is a national quality improvement program providing a tried and tested approach to achieving successful change.  The program encourages and supports general practice teams to deliver rapid, measurable, systematic and sustainable improvements in patient care and business efficiency.   The program aims for improvements in 3 areas:  Diabetes, CHD and Access and Care Redesign.

Practice nurses

Workshops are provided for practice nurses in response to needs identified in consultation with practices as well as on topical matters. The ISML runs 6 Practice Nurse specific education sessions every year.  

Practice managers and staff

Workshops are provided for practice managers and practice staff. The ISML runs 4 practice manager events each year with additional events for all practice staff.

Contact

The organisation of educational events is the responsibility of the Practice Support Team. If you have any education inquires please contact the ISML on 4220 7600.