ROYAL AUSTRALASIAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
POLICY
Division:
Fellowship and Standards Division
Department:
Professional Development Department
Title:
Professional Development Activities
Professionalism and Health Advocacy
1.
Ref. No.
FES-PRD-005
PURPOSE AND SCOPE
This policy relates to the conduct of professional development activities pertaining to the
surgical competencies of professionalism and health advocacy.
2.
KEYWORDS
Professional development, health advocacy, professionalism, medico legal, court, reports,
retirement, burn out, consent, workshop, activity
3.
BODY OF POLICY
3.1.
Aims
These activities aim to enable surgeons to better:
•
Demonstrate a commitment to their patients, profession, and community
through ethical practice and profession led regulation
•
Recognise medico-legal issues and manage them appropriately
•
Consider the impact of culture, ethnicity and spirituality on patient care.
•
Demonstrate self-care and promote it in others
•
Demonstrate reflective practice
•
Champion standards of ethics, probity and confidentiality
Champion the rights of patients, colleagues, the organisation and health care system
3.2.
Activities
Activities focusing on professionalism and health advocacy include:
3.3.
•
Building Towards Retirement
•
Writing Medico Legal Reports
•
AMA Impairment Guidelines: Difficult Cases
Building Towards Retirement
This whole day workshop aims to explore the issues associated with retirement from
active practice including maintaining health and well-being, career opportunities and
legal requirements when closing a practice. The content is tailored to meet the needs of
Fellows who are contemplating retirement. It is convened by a senior Fellow with
support from the Senior Surgeons Group.
Building Towards Retirement is governed by the Senior Surgeons Group and the
Professional Development Committee.
3.4.
Writing Medico Legal Reports
This half day, skills-based workshop provides training in drafting medico legal reports. It
is delivered once annually by the Medico Legal Section Committee in conjunction with
legal specialists. The topics covered include expert reports, the lawyer/expert
relationship, the advocate’s perspective and a surgical perspective on form and
content. Individual feedback is provided in regard to a pre-prepared medico legal
report.
Approved By:
Director, Fellowship and Standards
Original Issue:
February 2010
Document Owner:
Manager, Professional Development
Version:
4
Approval Date:
February 2014
Review Date:
February 2017
Page 1 of 3
ROYAL AUSTRALASIAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
POLICY
Division:
Fellowship and Standards Division
Department:
Professional Development Department
Title:
Professional Development Activities
Professionalism and Health Advocacy
Ref. No.
FES-PRD-005
Writing Medico Legal Reports is governed by the Medico Legal Section Committee and
the Professional Development Committee.
3.5.
AMA Impairment Guidelines: Difficult Cases
The American Medical Association (AMA) Impairment Guidelines inform medico legal
practitioners as to the level of impairment suffered by patients and assist with their
decision as to the suitability of a patient’s return to work. While the guidelines are
extensive, they sometimes do not account for unusual or difficult cases that arise from
time to time. This workshop provides surgeons involved in the management of medico
legal cases with a forum to discuss their difficult cases, the problems they encountered
and the steps they applied to satisfactorily resolve the issues faced. This workshop
complements the accredited AMA Guideline Training Courses.
Please note: Fellows will still need to attend AMA Training to be accredited to use AMA
guidelines.
The AMA Impairment Guidelines: Difficult Cases is governed by the Medico Legal
Section Committee and the Professional Development Committee.
3.6.
Administration
These workshops are offered annually in metropolitan locations rotating throughout
Australia and New Zealand and attract points in Category Four of the Continuing
Professional Development Program.
The general administration and co-ordination of the workshops is the responsibility of
the Professional Development Department.
3.7.
Fees
Fellows will be charged an attendance fee based on recovery of the direct costs
associated with the workshop unless external funding is provided to offset these costs.
Educational grants obtained to support these workshops must in no way compromise or
detract from the educational content or value of the activity. Any uncertainty which may
arise with regard to the appropriateness of a sponsor/sponsorship opportunity will be
referred to the Director, Fellowship and Standards for approval.
4.
ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS
Medico Legal Section Terms of Reference
Senior Surgeons Group Terms of Reference
Professional Development Committee Terms of Reference
Continuing Professional Development Program
Professional Development Workshop booklet ‘Active Learning with your Peers.’
Professional Development Activities Development and Review Policy
Professional Development Activities Registration Fees and Refunds Policy
Sponsorship Policy
Surgeons and Trainees Interactions with the Medical Industry Guidelines
Approved By:
Director, Fellowship and Standards
Original Issue:
February 2010
Document Owner:
Manager, Professional Development
Version:
4
Approval Date:
February 2014
Review Date:
February 2017
Page 2 of 3
ROYAL AUSTRALASIAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS
POLICY
Division:
Fellowship and Standards Division
Department:
Professional Development Department
Title:
Professional Development Activities
Professionalism and Health Advocacy
Approver
Authoriser
Ref. No.
FES-PRD-005
Chief Executive Officer
Professional Development Standards Board
Approved By:
Director, Fellowship and Standards
Original Issue:
February 2010
Document Owner:
Manager, Professional Development
Version:
4
Approval Date:
February 2014
Review Date:
February 2017
Page 3 of 3