Newsletter

A New Era in Australian General Practice Training...

A Message from the CEO and Editor

Welcome to CoastCityCountry's first newsletter which we have simply called Triple C Update. Its been an effort to get to press and I have many people to thank including my Administrative Officer Jackie McMullen and our local media company JAM Media.

Given that selections for the GP Registrar Training Program opens this week our first newsletter has a selection process "flavour" to it. In this issue you will find information about how the selection process works in CoastCityCountry.

You will see that our process is quite different to some other Regional Training Providers in that Registrars need to indicate preferences for three sub regions within our Training Region immediately following their interview. Also, because of the mix of regions we have ranging from popular destinations close to Sydney on the coast to the ACT and western regional centres, we cannot guarantee that you will be offered your first preference because Registrars are spread throughout the region. Look inside for more details on how it works!

Also included in this issue are a few words from our GPRLO Martin Liedvogel and profiles of two practices in our region. Practice profiles will be a regular feature of the newsletter because we want to showcase the range of opportunities available in our region. In this issue we feature the practice of Dr Jim Turner in Wollongong and the practice of Paul Mara and Virginia Wrice in Gundagai (the gateway to the Riverina).

Other regular features will include a calendar of events, profiles on Board members and medical educators, and reports on education events around the region.

Our Head Office is in Wagga Wagga!

The headquarters of CoastCityCountry Training is in Wagga Wagga, at Harvey House located in the grounds of the Wagga Wagga Base Hospital. Harvey House is the administrative headquarters of the UNSW Faculty of Medicine School of Rural Health, and CoastCityCountry have three offices on the first floor of this delightfully renovated building. The Building was the hospital's original nurses' quarters.

Introducing the CCC Registrar Liaison Officer (RLO)

Hi, I am Martin Liedvogel, the RLO for CCC. Most Registrars probably don't know who I am or what I do. I have met most registrars in the Wagga Wagga region, and will be in Canberra for the next multi day release, where I hope to meet the rest of the Registrars. Most of you would have received a letter from me earlier in the year to give you some idea of what the RLO does. In a nutshell, the RLO liaises between Registrars and training providers, as well as giving advice about any issues relating to training. I am currently based in Albury, where I divide my time between three jobs and some study towards the exam. One of the jobs is an academic Registrar position, which involves two days of research and half a day of teaching medical students in Albury. This is only one of the many training options available to GP Registrars. The rest of the week is divided up between clinical and RLO work. Once the exam is over in May, I will be waiting for the snow to fall, so I can get "lost" doing some back country skiing.

Apart from being involved in training issues, I also represent Registrars through the General Practice Registrar Association (GPRA). The GPRA consists of one RLO from each training region, and some Registrar representatives to key stakeholders in GP training such as GPET, GPEA, and RACGP. To find out more about GPRA, visit us on www.gpra.com.au. Again, I advise you to consider becoming a member, as full representation is important. Membership fees have been waived for this year.

To improve communication amongst Registrars, I would like to start an email list server over the next two months, which can be used to discuss various training issues. If you would not like to be part of this, please let me know. You can contact me about any training issues on:
(02) 6021 2426, or martin44@bigpond.net.au