Rural Coach - General Surgeons

Rural Coach

If you are a surgical Trainee who is considering working in rural Australia in the future, Rural Coach might be able to assist you.

Rural Coach supports Trainees interested in a career in rural surgery or in contributing to the rural workforce in locum or outreach work. Rural Coaches are experienced rural surgeons who provide 1-1 support, networking, educational or professional opportunities, or assistance with attending the Provincial Surgeons of Australia [PSA] Conference.

Dr Sally Butchers FRACS is the Clinical Director of the Rural Coach and Chair of the Rural Surgery Section of the College.

Sally is a General Surgeon in Lismore NSW who has a special interest in Younger Fellows, Women in Surgery and Rural Surgery and is keen to make links with Trainees. She has an interest in teaching, is an instructor on the EMST and MOSES courses.

Sally started her training at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney. She was seconded to Lismore as an Intern and as a Registrar. She also worked in NSW at Coffs Harbour and Bega. Sally gained her Fellowship in 2005 and then spent two years working in the UK.

Sally returned to Lismore as a Consultant in 2008 and has been there ever since. The support from all her colleagues in all areas of medicine in the area has been the best part of working in a rural area and one of the reasons she decided to move permanently to Lismore. The lovely surroundings and usually lovely weather were also a definite attraction. Sally has a great life outside of work, including hockey, mosaics, the theatre and the arts, and lots of fine dining.

Please contact Dr Sally Butchers at sallybutchers@ who is keen to assist Trainees considering working in a rural environment and will be attending the next Provincial Surgeons of Australia (PSA)

Provincial Surgeons of Australia [PSA] Conference 2015 28 - 31 October 2015, Lismore NSW.

A Trainee specific session is held during the conference to assist Trainees with their networking and sharing of information and experiences.

Dr Butchers would like to alert you to the generous offer from General Surgeons of Australia.

General Surgeons Australia (GSA) is extremely supportive of initiatives that encourage our Trainees and IMG's to become involved in regional and rural surgical careers. This is a significant workforce issue for General Surgery and one of the strategic imperatives of GSA for 2012-2015. As such, GSA is again providing a registration grant of up to $600 (ex.GST) per General Surgery Trainee or General Surgery IMG, for attendance at the Provincial Surgeons of Australia (PSA) conference

General Surgery Trainees and IMG's wishing to access this grant must first register for the PSA Conference, and then complete the Rural Coach Project application process. All applications will be assessed by a panel and the

registration granted retrospectively. Watch for the notices in Fax Mentis regarding the RCP GSA Registration Grant.

For further details on eligibility, and to obtain a copy of the application form, please contact the Rural Coach Project Officer - Trish Meldrum E: trish.meldrum@

Rural Coach Trainees at Darwin PSA 2014

Click on the Testimonials from SET Trainees who attended the PSA 2014 in Darwin held in conjunction with the 2014 Trauma Symposium.

Dr Julie Flynn MBBS SET 2 General Surgery Trainee

Dr Gausihi Sivarajah MBBS SET 3 General Surgical Trainee

Dr Wei Ming Ooi MBBS SET 3 General Surgery Trainee

Dr Jesse Beumer MBBS SET3 General Surgery Trainee

Sunset in Darwin at PSA 2014

Testimonial 1

Dr Julie Flynn MBBS SET 2 General Surgery Trainee

Provincial Surgeons of Australia ASM and Trauma Symposium 2014

In August this year, I flew into Darwin for the Provincial Surgeons Australia (PSA) conference. The academic and social programs ran like clockwork thanks to the hard work and planning of the organisers, who had even managed to arrange balmy 25 degree days and pleasantly cool nights for the whole week. The theme of the conference was emergency and trauma surgery. A number of international speakers described how this is approached in rural areas in their regions. Specialists from the city presented papers on the management of injuries in their specialty area, while their country colleagues described their own adaptations to manage emergencies without the resources and specialty input of a tertiary hospital. A number of inspirational presentations were given by surgeons who have undertaken humanitarian work, and I don't think I was alone as I surreptitiously wiped away tears as Dr Rajiv Choudrie described the lives and separation surgery of conjoined twins at his rural hospital in Vellore, India. Overall the presentations combined the academic credibility we would expect from any surgical conference, with an appreciation for the ingenuity required of the rural surgeon, who just has to get the job done when a subspecialist is not available. A meeting was held for those trainees involved in the rural coach project. The key topic was the challenges of finding fellowship and junior consultant jobs for those who have recently acquired, or are soon to acquire, their FRACS- a topic relevant to all trainees. Advice included using the conference to establish relationships and make our interest clear at an early stage. Contact details for the rural surgeons' organization in the USA were provided as a possible means of gaining overseas fellowship experience. The comeraderie and genuine friendships between the older PSA members was evident, but younger members were seamlessly included. As a junior trainee, a new member of the rural coach project and new to PSA, I was welcomed and included, in true country hospitality. Thank you to the College and Rural Coach Project for funding my attendance. I will be sure to make PSA an annual event from now on.

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Testimonial 2

Dr Gausihi Sivarajah MBBS SET 3 General Surgical Trainee

Provincial Surgeons of Australia ASM and Trauma Symposium 2014

Being a general surgical trainee with an interest in Rural Surgery and currently doing a rotation at the Royal Darwin Hospital, I was delighted with the opportunity to attend the Provincial Surgeons of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2014 held at the Darwin Convention Centre. This year's meeting was a collaboration between the Provincial Surgeons of Australia, the Trauma Committee and the Indigenous Health Committee.

The first two days were filled with engaging talks related to rural trauma: from the approach to prevention of a frozen `open' abdomen from Mr Ollapallil Jacob to large mammal-related trauma, horses being the majority culprits, in the Yukon, Canada by Dr Alex Poole. Even my interest in surgical history was piqued with a thorough and insightful narrative of the history of rural surgery in Darwin by Associate Professor Phillip Carson. Furthermore, Dr Rajiv Choudrie's emotional and personal account on the separation of Siamese twins in rural India, undoubtedly captivated and profoundly affected the entire audience.

Presentations on the Australian Medical Assistance Teams (AusMAT) deployment to the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan inspired many keen medical students, junior RMOs and registrars (myself included). The strong attendance and multiple papers by these delegates, suggested a bright future for Rural and Trauma Surgery. In addition, a trainee session was organised by the RACS Rural Coach Project, in which invaluable advice was given into how to become more involved in Rural and Trauma Surgery and we were made aware of the current opportunities that exist for planning ahead for fellowships in these fields.

The Jim Pryor Begonia Prize on the Friday, demonstrated innovation within the Rural Surgeon cohort, and proved to be educational as well as entertaining. These included the various approaches for closure of umbilical Hassan entry port sites and the award winning use of a wooden spoon to apply thoracic aortic pressure in trauma haemorrhage control.

I, unfortunately due to work commitments, was not able to attend the Trauma Symposium "Injury in Indigenous Populations ? learning from each other" component of the program, however hope the experience I gain working at the Royal Darwin Hospital will provide great alternative insight.

Much can be said about the social events in the evenings, which comprised of fantastic activities and venues such as the Mindil Beach Markets, Parliament House, Darwin SkyCity, and encounters with crocodiles and lions at Crocodylus Park. Just as the conference allowed a forum for old colleagues to reconnect, it too provided me the occasion to catch up with previous surgical supervisors I had worked with in rural Victoria.

The conveners Mr Mahiban Thomas, Dr Stephanie Weidlich, Mr David Read and A/Professor Kelvin Kong, must be congratulated for the wonderful program. I look forward to attending the conference annually in the future and encourage other interested General Surgical Trainees to become involved in the Rural Coach Project and PSA meetings.

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Testimonial 3

Dr Wei Ming Ooi MBBS SET 3 General Surgery Trainee

Provincial Surgeons of Australia ASM and Trauma Symposium 2014

Having just passed the halfway mark of my training program, I have been fortunate to undertake predominantly rural/regional rotations. This has provided me with excellent exposure to a generalist view of general surgery. Through these rotations, I was introduced to the Provincial Surgeons Australia (PSA) as a group. It is an association run by rural surgeons to address the interest of rural surgery. An annual scientific conference is held for rural surgeons to engage with peers in a scientific environment. Surgical trainee and junior medical doctors participation have steadily increased over the years.

The 50th edition of PSA Annual Scientific Conference (PSA 2014) was held in Darwin, NT. I was fortunate the deadline for submission of abstract for PSA 2014 coincided with me completing a small review project regarding the introduction of acute general surgery unit in Bendigo Hospital, Victoria. I was over-joyed when I was given the opportunity to present my findings at PSA 2014 to an audience whom the results are relevant to.

The warm weather of Darwin was certainly a welcome change from the cold in Hamilton, where I was working at that time. The conference was held at Darwin Convention Centre a splendid venue located at the Darwin waterfront. The theme of the conference was "Injury in Indigenous Population ? Learning from Each Other". The program consisted of a good mix of lectures from renowned experts and high quality free papers from both surgeons and trainees.

The sight of surgeon mentors whom I worked for certainly eased a few nerves of my pending oral presentation, which was scheduled for the afternoon of the second day. The kind introduction afforded by Mr Brian Kirkby whom I have worked before during my time in Launceston certainly eased me into my oral presentation, which I am glad was well received.

I must mention the Jim Pryor Begonia prize, a very unique and entertaining element of this conference. It is a prize given to the most original surgical innovation and open to all attendees of the conference. It certainly was the session that I enjoyed the most.

In all, it was a very fulfilling conference to attend and I certainly would encourage my fellow trainees to attend future editions.

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Testimonial 4

Dr Jesse Beumer MBBS SET3 General Surgery Trainee

Provincial Surgeons of Australia ASM and Trauma Symposium 2014

The Provincial surgeons of Australia 50th Annual scientific conference held in Darwin this year was complimented and enriched by the RACS Trauma committee and Indigenous health committee. There was a broad range of presentations with local Darwin surgeons presenting on their extensive experience in the surgical management of mandible fractures, neck and chest trauma. Of particular interest was the session from the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre outlining their support for victims of Typhoon Haiyan.

The international speakers provided insight and perspective regarding rural and remote trauma from initiating a trauma service in rural New Zealand, the nature of wildlife related injuries of the Yukon in Canada to complex pelvic and soft tissue injury management in rural India. The conference was held in good humour throughout and the Jim Pryor Begonia prize for "surgical innovation" was hotly contested. Entries included a heated poncho styled to fit under a surgical gown, innumerable methods of gaining pneumoperitoneum but the prize was eventually awarded for a modified wooden spoon designed for thoracic aortic compression.

As my first visit to a PSA conference, I developed a better appreciation of the broad and high quality surgical care being delivered in the provincial setting across Australia and also the significant role rural & regional surgeons play in surgical training. The rural coach project run by Dr Sally Butchers allows medical students and trainees an opportunity to informally discuss issues related to developing a career in regional surgery. I would like to acknowledge the support of GSA through their grant that assisted in my attendance to the conference. I encourage any trainee looking to enrich their rural surgery training experience or considering any future role as a regional surgeon to get involved in the rural coach Project, apply for the GSA grant and attend the PSA conference being held in Lismore 2015.

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