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VMA commended for quality improvement and evidence-based innovation by RACGP
8/05/2012 |
 The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has completed its triennial accreditation process for the VMA GP training program. VMA is pleased to announce we have demonstrated compliance with the RACGP Standards for Programs and Providers for Vocational Training for General Practice Registrars. As a result, VMA has been awarded accreditation through until June 2014. |
2012 VMA George Golding Memorial Golf Day
1/05/2012 |
 The VMA George Golding Memorial Golf Day was played this year Ivanhoe Golf Club on April 20. Whilst the numbers were down the competition was decidedly hot with several of the teams producing scores well below par. |
Take a look at Web Links & Resources
16/04/2012 |
 We are pleased to inform you that the Web Links & Resources section of the Alumni website has been updated. The format is now in keeping with the GPrime view you had as a registrar. All topics are now in alphabetical order to speed your search up. This will be kept up to date for your ongoing reference as an Alumni member. Please let us know what you think of it. |
VMA Celebrating 10 Years
16/04/2012 |
 VMA turned 10 this year and like all birthdays we need to celebrate with our families and friends. It is a significant milestone as general practice training has come a long way since the government established Regional Training programs to ensure GP registrars provide much needed workforce to the community via General practice training programs. Over the ten years, VMA has gone through some location and staff changes but it remains focussed to provide quality learning programs for the registrars. It is maturing and coming of age! |
Inner City Journal Club Launched
2/04/2012 |
 A new VMA Alumni Journal Club in the Inner City has been launched. There are 7 members including some past RLOs and the group is facilitated by Kirsty Jennings. If you are interested in joining this group, please contact Kirsty or the Alumni Coordinator. Their next meeting is planned for mid-May. |
Journal Club Update
26/03/2012 |
 Journal Clubs have recommenced for 2012. During March both Ivanhoe JC and Blackburn JC met to discuss various topics. A new Journal Club has been formed in the Inner City and they are meeting this Wednesday, 28 March. If you are interested in joining any of the existing JCs or forming a new club in your area, contact Lisa Burns. |
Alumni join the VMA Medical Education Team
13/02/2012 |
 VMA are pleased to welcome 3 Alumni as Medical Educators. Doctors Rachel Lee, Paula Moir and Anita Munoz commenced this term teaching GP registrars at various levels.
Also joining the team is Dr Megan Byrne, a current GPT4 registrar who is the first VMA Registrar ME, and doctors Gerard Connors and Thanh Nguyen.
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Inspiring Women In Medicine Series - February 2012
6/02/2012 |
 AMA's Women in Medicine Series is holding a special event and raising funds for ovarian cancer research.
Date: Monday, 27 February
Time: 6.30 pm
Venue - Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Room 109, 1 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf, 3006
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Dr Edward Vergara appointed GPRA Chair
23/01/2012 |
 VMA congratulates Dr Edward Vergara who has been appointed the General Practice Registrar Association Chair for 2012. Ed recently completed his GP training at VMA and is currently working at Westcare Medical Centre in Melton. He is passionate about advocacy, and has a deep commitment to registrar issues through his role as a registrar liaison officer at VMA.
Completing two years of his training at an academic post at the University of Melbourne, Ed also has a strong interest in incorporating an academic component to his clinical practice. During this time he took on both researcher and lecturer roles. He is currently undertaking a Masters of Philosophy (by research) at the University of Melbourne.
Ed will continue as a VMA Board Member.
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Congratulations to Dr Suzanne Ashdown on her RACGP Examination Results
23/01/2012 |
 VMA congratulates Dr Suzanne Ashdown who was awarded the Richard Clinton Gutch Medal in the 2011.2 RACGP Fellowship Examination. She was the GP candidate who received the highest pass score in each examination on the first attempt in the Victorian faculty.
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2011 VMA Supervisor of the Year
6/12/2011 |
 The Dr Shane Fennessey Memorial Supervisor award this year has been won by Dr Jim Lupton from Family Medical Centre, Sunbury. Jim's exceptional work as a GP and a VMA Supervisor was recognized by colleagues who spoke of his "dedication, energy, enthusiasm, infectious humour and obvious zest for general practice". They remarked on the high quality teaching that he delivers to both AGPT and PGPPP doctors often going "beyond the requirements of the training program." Jim is an excellent role model for registrars and junior doctors with an impressive number of doctors he has supervised choosing general practice as their career. This year again witnessed a large number of nominations equally deserving of the award. Those nominations included Wendy Bernett - Andrew Place Clinic, Grant Connoley - Blackburn Clinic, Peter Lovass - Blackburn Clinic, Paul MacCartney - North Yarra Community Health Fitzroy, Cameron Profitt - Bannockburn Surgery, David Ringelblum - Lysterfield and Rowville Wellness on Wellington and Andrew Soloczynskyj -Melton Medical Clinic. Congratulations to Jim on being this year's winner and to all those who were nominated. |
2011 VMA Registrar of the Year
6/12/2011 |
 The 2011 Dr Khulod Maarouf Hassan Memorial Registrar of the Year award has been won by Dr Ed Vergara. Ed was nominated by several of colleagues for his outstanding contribution across a diverse range of roles and the professional manner with which he conducts himself. Through his clinical work, his VMA roles, his advocacy and support for GP registrars and his involvement in academic general practice and medical education, he has made an impressive contribution to the profession. Dr Justin Osborne was also nominated for his outstanding contribution to General Practice. The award is particularly significant for the VMA as it commemorates the work of Dr Maarouf Khulod Hassan, a past VMA registrar and outstanding General Practitioner who was tragically killed in her practice in 2006. Ed is a very worthy winner of the award and we congratulate him on being this year's recipient. |
Dr Minh Phan - Graduation Art Exhibition - 22-26 November
22/11/2011 |
 Minh Phan, VMA Alumni, has just finished his Graduate Diploma of Visual Arts at the Victorian College of the Arts. His work will be on display at the Graduate Exhibition.
Venue: Margaret Lawrence Gallery, 40 Dodds St, Southbank
Opening Hours: Tues - Sun, 12.00pm - 5.00pm
He will be in attendance at the Exhibition from 2 - 5 pm on Saturday 26/11/11 and Sunday 27/11/11, for those wanting to catch up with him.
There will hundreds of works displayed by all graduating students. If you bring young children be aware that some of the work will need 'parental guidance'. Minh's work is family-friendly,
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Journal Clubs Share Their Papers
14/11/2011 |
 Ivanhoe and Blackburn Journal Clubs have been up and running for over 6 months now. Discussion topics have included postnatal depression, time management, nocturnal enuresis and other fascinating clinical topics! All discussion papers are available to Alumni members. See what they've been up to. |
The VMA "Doctor as Educator Program" Promoted at PMEF Conference
11/11/2011 |
 VMA showcased its "Doctor as Educator" Program at the 16th Australasian Prevocational Medical Education Forum held in Auckland, NZ in November. VMA's involvement included a presentation by Dr Kaye Atkinson and Dr Judith Culliver overviewing the program together with a trade booth to promote "Doctor as Educator" at the conference. |
2011 GPET Convention Photos
26/09/2011 |
 Photos of the 2011 GPET Convention "Campaign Dinner" have been added to the Alumni Photo Gallery. Photos are of the "VMA UnLtd" party, the party where "You can always do more than you think you can!" |
VMA Involvement at GP11 in October
19/09/2011 |
 After VMA's successful involvement at the GPET Convention this year with 7 presentations and workshops, VMA will also have a presence at the RACGP annual conference. Presentations will be made by Dr Mark Kennedy, Dr Carolyn O'Shea, Dr Paul Grinzi and Dr Chris Longman. |
VMA Presence at GPET 2011 Convention
31/08/2011 |
 VMA's MEs will be presenting on a range of education topics at the GPET convention in Canberra in September. |
RLO Dinner - Future Leaders, Educators and Researchers
9/08/2011 |
 Past and present VMA RLOs gathered at VMA on 2 August and enjoyed reconnecting with VMA friends and colleagues. The evening's focus was on the future opportunities facing young GPs and the importance of leadership within the profession. |
VMA Receives Record Number of Applications for 2012 !
12/07/2011 |
 VMA has received a record number of applications from doctors wanting to join the VMA AGPT program in 2012. 170 applications were received for 102 training places that VMA will offer next year. "This is the best ever result for the VMA and due to the hard work of everybody at the VMA. It is particularly pleasing given that both the general pathway and rural pathway were well subscribed," Mark Rowe, CEO, VMA. "It is an exciting time for VMA and due recognition of our VMA community that continually strives to deliver the best possible general practice training program available in the country." The next step in the process is the Melbourne Selection Centres which are being held on 16-17 July. |
Blackburn Journal Club Launched Last Week
4/07/2011 |
 The second Alumni Journal Club was launched in Blackburn last week. The group met at Enriks Restaurant and enjoyed a lovely meal together. Lisa Burns, Alumni Chair, led the discussion on how the club would work based on the VMA Guidelines. Fay Ferdinand's paper (from Ivanhoe Journal Club) on Time Management. was discussed. |
GPET Research Week, 15-22 July 2011
28/06/2011 |
 Research Week is a GPET initiative for registrars, medical educators, supervisors, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors and others interested in GP education. |
Have you been making changes lately?
14/06/2011 |
 To stay connected please ensure your membership contact details are up to date. If you have moved house or changed your email address, please login and change your details online. NOTE: It is advisable to supply a current email address as this is the primary form of contact for the Alumni. |
Share your GP Journey
14/06/2011 |
 We'd like you to share your GP journey with us. Let us know what you have been doing since you graduated from VMA. |
Therapuetic Guidelines - New Features
9/05/2011 |
 Therapeutic Guidelines is available to Alumni Members as part of the Alumni membership package. Version 5 has lots of new features in particular new Gastrointestinal guidelines. Version 5 has been thoroughly reviewed and updated by a group of experts to provide concise practical advice for the busy practitioner. |
RACGP Research Grants - Now Open
9/05/2011 |
 The RACGP Foundation supports general practice research through the provision of grants, scholarships, fellowships and awards each year. The applications for the 2011 grant round are now open. Award details and application forms are available here. |
Lisa Burns New Chair for VMA Alumni
21/03/2011 |
 It is a real privilege to serve you as Chair of the VMA Alumni community for the next 12 months. |
The Alumni's First Year - The Inaugural Chair, Rachel Lee, Reflects
21/03/2011 |
 The VMA Alumni has had a successful first year and I was really pleased to be involved in getting it set up. An Alumni organisation had been 'on the cards' for some time and in 2010 the time was ripe. |
VMA Alumni Celebrates it's First Year
21/03/2011 |
 The Alumni has been in up and running for 12 months this month and has had an exciting first year. There are currently 115 members and we are excited about the year ahead. If you want to get involved or have ideas for the Alumni, email the Alumni Coordinator |
Maintaining enthusiasm in general practice
8/12/2010 |
 Dear colleagues,
By now, you would have settled into a general practice and getting on with independent practice and enjoy your chosen vocation! You will also notice that more and more people will call upon you to participate in activities such as teaching and research. Some of you will also be asked to engage in local General Practice and RACGP work in advancing the discipline and influencing your local communities. How are you going to cope with all these requests as well as meeting the demands of your family and having some time for yourself!! My advice is to choose the options wisely and take on one task at a time and rotate the tasks so that you drop something before picking up another. |
VMA Chair looks to the future
8/12/2010 |
 I am very pleased to be given this opportunity as Chair of VMA to write briefly about the rationale behind the formation of the VMA Alumni and to make a few comments about health reform and the future of medical education. |
"Taking control of time" - Something we can all benefit from
15/11/2010 |
 It seems that controlling time is a challenge for all GPs. At the recent Alumni seminar on time management for GPs, Mark Kennedy shared his valuable experience and expertise on the topic.. The seminar covered the 10 biggest time wasters, dealing with interruptions, managing telephone messages, paperwork and emails efficiently, delegation, planning, appointment systems and saying "no". Attendees went away with numerous tips to help them to "take control". Christine Longman gave an inspirational and personal reflection on balancing work and life which no doubt left a lasting impression on all present.. The event was another opportunity for Alumni to catch up with friends, network and learn something new. Notes from the event can be found at www.vma.com.au/alumni/Press Releases & Documents |
Alumni Message Board Launched
27/09/2010 |
 A Message Board has been added to the Alumni website. This has been added for members to have their say and hear the views of other members. Only Alumni members can read member postings. To access the Message Board, you need to login as a member, then select "Message Board" from the main menu. Let us know what you think about this new functionality by posting a comment today. |
The first VMA Alumni event a great success
17/08/2010 |
 The first Alumni event was held in July at VMA's new office in Cato Street Hawthorn. The education event, "Building a career after fellowship", was attended by 23 Alumni members, and GPT3 and GPT4 registrars who were treated to a night of good company, great food and informative presentations.
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Record number of applications for 2011 entry
17/08/2010 |
 VMA has received a record number of applications for 2011 entry into the AGPT program. Over 137 applications were received for 90 training places. From 2011, VMA will offer 85 general pathway and 5 rural pathway training places. The 5 rural pathway registrars will choose from VMA accredited practices in Airey's Inlet, Bannockburn, Drysdale, Kooweerup, Point Lonsdale, Warburton and Whittlesea. |
VMA expands its Prevocational General Practice Placements Program (PGPPP)
17/08/2010 |
 Additional Commonwealth funding allows more prevocational doctors to experience general practice first hand. |
Growing opportunities in medical education
17/08/2010 |
 VMA medical educators underpin the delivery of vocational training for general practice. With increased trainee numbers, VMA has extended its medical education team. |