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Applications for 2013 AGPT Entry open on 16 April, 2012 and close on 18 May, 2012.
2013 AGPT handbook

AGPT Careers Evening – Melbourne
A careers evening will be held on Thursday, 12 April, 2012 at Hilton on the Park. Registrations are essential for this “one night only” event. Register here.

Details about GP Information Seminars at Victorian Hospitals can be found here.

For information on eligibility, assessment and selection, visit the GPET website.

 

Academic Registrar Posts

Both Melbourne and Monash Universities offer Academic Registrar Posts. Both Universities have provided us with detailed information below:

Melbourne University

The General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre at the University of Melbourne has strong research programs in primary care mental health, chronic disease, young people's health, and abuse and violence. These research programs are tackling some of the most challenging problems that face the Australian community such as depression, diabetes, family violence, risk taking behaviour in young people and sexually transmissible infections. We are also developing research programs into the use of complementary and alternative therapies, musculoskeletal problems and cancer.

VMA Academic Registrar Posts

Chronic disease management is a major research theme of our department. It focuses on interventions relating to the health care system to improve the health of people with chronic diseases from disadvantaged and culturally and linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds, and the indigenous population. Projects focus on the role of general practitioners, practice nurses and the primary health care team, health systems in improving diabetes care and reducing cardiovascular disease risks, and consumer engagement in self management of diabetes and other chronic illness.

The Primary Care Mental Health research program has been formed in response to the growing burden of mental health problems in the Australian community and in recognition that general practice is the setting which provides most primary care for high prevalence conditions such as depression, anxiety and related disorders. Our current research program consists of observational, prospective, interventional and cross-sectional studies informed by rigorous qualitative and quantitative research methods.

The Young People's Health stream aims to advance the health and wellbeing of young people through an accessible, effective and responsive primary care workforce and system; to explore issues affecting the health and wellbeing of young people in the community and to design and test interventions that have potential to benefit this.

The Abuse and Violence program focuses on family violence, child abuse, unwanted sexual encounters, sexual harassment, and workplace violence and aims to improve the health and wellbeing of women, families and communities through addressing problems of abuse and violence. Research includes observational studies on the nature of the abuse and violence problem including its definition, prevalence, natural history and health consequences; developing and testing screening, educational and therapeutic interventions; and the promotion of knowledge transfer and research evidence to inform policy and practice.

VMA Event

In addition to our established research programs we are developing research areas including complementary therapies, sexual health, cancer and musculoskeletal problems. Our focus on complementary therapies is driven by the fact that over 40% of Australians use some form of complementary therapy every day, although for most of these therapies there is little or no evidence of their effectiveness. Research in this area is seeking to develop an evidence-base for the safe and effective use of complementary therapies in health problems commonly managed in general practice. Methods being used include randomised controlled trials, epidemiological population and practitioner surveys and qualitative interviews. Within the sexual health area are various projects on Chlamydia screening in general practice, and the sexual health of various population groups.

Potential Academic Registrars are welcome to consider working within one of these programs, or, with appropriate supervision, working up one of their own research ideas. All enquiries in relation to research projects should be made to:
Associate Professor Meredith Temple-Smith, Director of Research Training,
m.temple-smith@unimelb.edu.au Ph: 8344 3371

Comments from several past Academic Registrars can be seen on our website: http://www.gp.unimelb.edu.au/prof_dev/academicregistrars.html

Paul Grinzi Paul Grinzi

I started my academic general practice career a few years ago, after jumping at the chance to complete an academic registrar term with the University of Melbourne's General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre. Of course, I was initially hesitant that I would have the skills or ability to competently complete the research and teaching components of the year... but I shouldn't have worried, as the support and frequent assistance from more senior staff made the transition easy.

I approached the academic term as an opportunity to find out if academic life suited me - both professionally and personally. I found combining clinical work with academic work gives me the best of both worlds, with each aspect complementing the other.

During my first year, I was heavily involved in teaching medical students about clinical skills such as basic examination and consulting skills, as well as involved with VMA's registrar teaching. I have since continued both of these aspects of teaching, as I have found then extremely rewarding. I am now regularly involved in lecturing, tutoring and hosting medical students in my general practice.

I am now still part of the General Practice and Primary Health Care Academic Centre, and have just completed a Master of Medicine research thesis. My research focused on the medical education and training of GP registrars, regarding management of patients with alcohol-related problems. This study all began during my initial GP academic term and has slowly grown into a bigger project. There's a lot to learn about general practice research and the academic post provided me with ample opportunities to learn these, as a novice, with plenty of support and encouragement.

If you are considering an academic term, my advice would be take the opportunity and run with it! It will certainly open doors to opportunities you haven't yet thought about!

Research at Department of General Practice – Monash University

Research and Teaching Skills Scholarships for Academic General Practice Registrars

The Department of General Practice at Monash University Opportunities for Academic registrars

Problem Gambling Research and Treatment Centre

The Centre will:

Contact Prof S Thomas

Healthy Ageing

Research programs:

Contact Prof C Browning

Women’s Health

Improving the delivery and uptake of preconception care - The research aims to:

Contact A/Prof D Mazza

Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development (PHCRED) Strategy

To expand the existing primary health care research workforce, while improving the relevance and uptake of evidence in primary health care.

Contact – Mr Chris Anderson

Chronic disease management

“CDM-Net A Broadband Health Network for Transforming Chronic Disease Management” This is a CDM-Net (Chronic Disease Management) aims to trial a new approach to the management of chronic disease by demonstrating the use of broadband-based health services for monitoring and supporting care management.  Monash Department of General Practice is involved with the research and evaluation component of the project;

Contact Prof L Piterman, & Dr K Jones.

Childhood Obesity

Developing and implementing best practice in the detection, assessment and management of childhood obesity in general practice

Contact Prof J Dixon

Carolyn Ee

Being an Academic Registrar has really opened up my career options and introduced me to new non-clinical areas that complement my clinical practice beautifully. My special interest is acupuncture, and I joined the Department of General Practice at the University of Melbourne primarily to conduct research (a systematic review) on acupuncture for pregnancy-related pelvic and back pain. This turned into a trans-continental affair with me co-authoring with experts from the UK and USA! Two years later I am back in the Department doing a Masters of Medicine by research, now with a publication under my belt, and plan to conduct a pilot study on acupuncture for hot flushes. Not bad for someone who had no idea about research prior to her academic term.

Although I joined mainly to do research, I found that the teaching that I did at the Department enhanced my own clinical skills, and I really enjoyed tutoring and even being an examiner! In fact, teaching the undergraduates how to take a history and perform an examination ended up being the best preparation for my Fellowship clinical exams!

Before my Academic Registrar experience, I was struggling with maintaining the (com)passion levels needed for ten clinical sessions a week. I found the balance of academic and clinical work both stimulating and relaxing at the same time, and the quality of my clinical practice definitely improved significantly.

If you're considering academia, I highly encourage it, especially if you have a special interest, feel that clinical work is not quite satisfying enough, enjoy learning new skills, and like to mix it up a little. However, it does involve a little bit of panic at the beginning ("I have no idea what I'm doing!"), you need a wonderful supervisor (mine was fantastic), and you need to be very self-directed. It may open the door to opportunities you never dreamt possible - so go ahead and dip your toe in the water.