Royal Australasian College of Surgeons · At this stage of the calendar year, ... Non English Speaking Country has been used to identify applications from a Non ... Royal Australasian

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Activities Report

For the period: 1 January 2009 to 31st August 2009

The Activities Report is a document provided for the community which details statistics on the College’s activities in education assessment and the surgical workforce. Education figures provided include details on Basic Surgical Trainees and Surgical Education and Training, examinations and placement. Activities of new, active and retired Fellows are also described.

This, and other Activities Reports, are available at the website of the

Royal Australasian College of Surgeons: www.surgeons.org

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© Royal Australasian College of Surgeons

http://www.surgeons.org/

January – August 2009 Interim Activities Report Royal Australasian College of Surgeons

2

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................. 3 KEY DEVELOPMENTS JANUARY TO AUGUST 2009 ....................................................................................3

GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................................................4 SECTION ONE: ACTIVITIES OF BASIC SURGICAL TRAINEES ................................ 5 ITEM: BST.1: ALL BST TRAINEES BY LOCATION AND YEAR OF TRAINING ..............................................6

ITEM: BST.2 - ALL BST TRAINEES BY LOCATION AND GENDER...............................................................7

SECTION THREE: ACTIVITIES OF INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES 8 ITEM: IMG.1 - APPLICATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATE SPECIALIST, AND/OR AREA OF

NEED ASSESSMENT, AUSTRALIA...............................................................................................................9

SECTION FOUR: ACTIVITIES OF SURIGICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING ... 10 ITEM SET.1: SET APPLICATIONS BY TYPE AND SPECIALTY....................................................................11

ITEM SET.2 - SET APPLICATIONS BY LOCATION AND SPECIALTY ..........................................................12

ITEM SET.8 - ACTIVE SETS BY LOCATION OF TRAINING POST AND YEAR OF TRAINING........................13

ITEM SET.9 - FEMALE ACTIVE SETS BY LOCATION AND SPECIALTY......................................................14

SECTION FIVE: ACTIVITIES OF EXAMINATIONS .................................................... 15 ITEM EXAM.1 - CLINICAL EXAMINATION - CANDIDATES WHO PASSED THE EXAM BY LOCATION AND

SPECIALTY ..............................................................................................................................................16

ITEM EXAM.2 - SURGICAL SCIENCE EXAMINATION (GENERIC) - CANDIDATES WHO PASSED THE EXAM BY

LOCATION AND SPECIALTY .....................................................................................................................17

ITEM EXAM.3 - SURGICAL SCIENCE EXAMINATION (SPECIALTY SPECIFIC) - CANDIDATES WHO PASSED

THE EXAM BY LOCATION AND SPECIALTY ..............................................................................................18

SECTION SIX: WORKFORCE DISTRIBUTION ............................................................ 19 ITEM: WFD.1: ACTIVE AND RETIRED FELLOWS BY LOCATION AND SPECIALTY .....................................20

ITEM: WFD.2 ACTIVE FELLOWS BY LOCATION AND SPECIALTY.............................................................21

ITEM: WFD.3: FEMALE ACTIVE FELLOWS BY LOCATION AND SPECIALTY .............................................22

ITEM: WFD.4: ACTIVE FELLOWS BY LOCATION AND AGE......................................................................23

ITEM: WFD.5 - ACTIVE FELLOWS BY SPECIALTY AND AGE ....................................................................24

ITEM: WFD.6 - AUSTRALIAN ACTIVE FELLOWS BY RRMA* CODE AND SPECIALTY .............................25

ITEM: WFD.7: AUSTRALIAN ACTIVE FELLOWS BY RRMA* AND ...........................................................25

ITEM: WFD.8: AUSTRALIAN ACTIVE FELLOWS BY RRMA* AND AGE....................................................26

APPENDIX A: DEFINITIONS FOR REGIONAL, RURAL AND RRMA DATA ......... 27

**Rural, Remote & Metropolitan Area (RRMA) classifications are based on postcode (refer to Appendix A)


3

Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Interim Activities Report

For the period: 1 January 2009 – 31 August 2009

INTRODUCTION This Interim Activities Report outlines data for the period 1 January to 31 August

2009. As with previous interim reports, the purpose is to provide a snapshot of the

College’s activities in the eight months of 2009, and is not meant to be taken as

articles of full data.

At this stage of the calendar year, numerous data sets are incomplete and their

listing has been omitted to avoid providing readers with inaccurate trends. For

instance, Section Two has been excluded as there are numerous Skills Training

classes held throughout the year with repeat sessions that can be taken at any time

of the year. Therefore, whether attendance is small, average, or high in any one

period of time, does not reflect an accurate account of this activity until the full

calendar year data is provided for review. College activities are segmented as

follows:

SECTION ONE: Activities of Basic Surgical Trainees

SECTION THREE: Activities of International Medical Graduates

SECTION FOUR: Activities of Surgical Education and Training

SECTION FIVE: Activities of Examinations

SECTION SIX: Workforce Distribution

Format Each of the 5 sections in this report and the data selected has been provided as

being useful for a snapshot review of activities. Consequently, there are fewer

explanatory notes than is the case for the end of year report.

Key Developments January to August 2009 The growth of the Fellowship body continues strongly seeing an increase of 3%

compared to this time last year with the greatest increase seen in the specialty of

vascular surgery (8%). Numbers of female Fellows continues to grow with an overall

increase of 10%, with the greatest increase, also seen in the specialty of vascular

surgery (22%).


4

GLOSSARY

Abbreviations Description Abbreviations Description

AMC Australian Medical Council ORT Orthopaedic Surgery

BSE Basic Science Exam PAE Paediatric Surgery

BST Basic Surgical Trainee Person

Application not previously involved with College as a

Trainee, IMG or Fellow

CAR Cardiothoracic Surgery PLS Plastic and

Reconstructive Surgery

CPD Continuing

Professional Development

RACS Royal Australasian College of Surgeons

COAG Council of Australian Governments RRMA Rural, Remote and

Metropolitan Areas

ESC English-Speaking Country SAT SET Supervisor and Trainer

Course

GEN General Surgery SET Surgical Education and Training

IMG International Medical Graduates SSE Surgical Science

Examination

NEU Neurosurgery URO Urology Surgery

OBS & GYN Obstetrics and Gynaecology VAS Vascular Surgery

OHN Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery WFD Workforce Distribution

OPH Ophthalmology


5

SECTION ONE: ACTIVITIES OF BASIC SURGICAL TRAINEES

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Policies and Procedures

College policies for Surgical Education and Training undertaken with the Royal

Australasian College of Surgeons are published on the College website.

The Basic Surgical Training Program

The purpose of the Basic Surgical Training Program is to train and assess trainee

surgeons in the knowledge, skills and aptitudes necessary to enable progression into

one of the nine specialist surgical training programs. During Basic Surgical Training

(BST), trainee surgeons gain an understanding of the principles of surgery and

acquire skills in basic surgery, clinical assessment and the use of diagnostic

modalities and gain an understanding of basic surgical sciences.

With the introduction of the Surgical Education and Training Program, the BST

Program will cease from December 31, 2010, and no additional appointments have

been made.


Item: BST.1: All BST Trainees by Location and Year of Training Location

& Year of

Training ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA AUST NZ O/S

Total Jan -

August 2009

Year 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Year 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 2

Year 3 1 3 0 6 4 0 12 4 30 18 0 48

Year 4 0 10 0 4 3 0 8 2 27 6 1 34

Total 1 13 0 10 7 0 22 6 59 24 1 84

Figure: BST.1 - All BST Trainees by Location and Year of Training RACS Jan - August 2009 Activities Report

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA NZ O/SYear 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4


6


Item: BST.2 - All BST Trainees by Location and Gender

Location &

Gender ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA AUST NZ O/S

Total Jan -

August 2009

Female 0 1 0 2 0 0 5 2 10 7 1 18

Male 1 12 0 8 7 0 17 4 49 17 0 66

Total 1 13 0 10 7 0 22 6 59 24 1 84

Figure: 2 BST.2 - All BST Trainees by Location and GenderRACS Jan - August 2009 Activities Report

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA NZ O/S

Female Male


7


8

SECTION THREE: ACTIVITIES OF INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES

EXPLANATORY NOTES The processes for assessing the suitability of International Medical Graduates (IMG)

for practice as surgeons in Australia are in accordance with the principles outlined in

the following publications:

• RACS - Specialist Assessment of International Medical Graduates in Australia

policy

http://www.surgeons.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Policies3&CONTENTID=

29617&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm

• AMC / Committee of Presidents of Medical Colleges / State and Territory

Medical Boards / State and Territory Health Departments “Assessment

process for Area of Need specialists: User’s guide”

http://www.amc.org.au/images/publications/AONUsersGuide.pdf

• AMC / COAG - Guidelines on the Specialist Assessment Pathways

http://www.amc.org.au/images/FormsSpecialistCandidate/Att17.pdf

In New Zealand, the College provides recommendations, as a requested agent of the

Medical Council of New Zealand, to assess an IMG’s comparability to the standards

identified by the Medical Council of New Zealand for vocational registration in a

surgical vocational scope. The Medical Council of New Zealand considers these

recommendations then determines whether to grant the medical registration and

whether any restrictions or conditions will be placed on that registration.

http://www.surgeons.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Policies3&CONTENTID=29617&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm

http://www.surgeons.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Policies3&CONTENTID=29617&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm

http://www.amc.org.au/images/publications/AONUsersGuide.pdf

http://www.amc.org.au/images/FormsSpecialistCandidate/Att17.pdf


9

SECTION THREE: ACTIVITIES OF INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES

Item: IMG.1 - Applications for International Medical Graduate Specialist, and/or Area of Need Assessment, Australia

Areas of Need

ESC* ESC** & Others

Non ESC***Only TOTAL

Activated 6 2 1 9

Completed 4 1 1 6

In Progress 2 1 0 3

Completion Time

Less than 8 weeks 1 0 1 2

More than 8 weeks 3 1 0 4

Specialist Assessment

Activated 17 9 24 50

Completed 9 7 19 35

In Progress 8 2 5 15

Completion Time Less than 12

weeks 8 6 13 27

More than 12 weeks 1 1 6 8

Assessment Outcomes Specialist Assessment & Area of Need

Not Comparable 0 2 6 8

Partially Comparable 8 6 11 25

Substantially Comparable 5 0 3 8

Clinical Assessment in

Progress Clinical Practice Under Oversight/Supervision

Undertaking/completed period of assessment

of clinical practice specified

1 0 3 4

NOTES: *ESC: English-speaking Country. ** The category 'Non-ESC & Others' has been used to identify applicants from a Non-English Speaking Country that have completed subsequent training in an English Speaking Country.*** Non English Speaking Country has been used to identify applications from a Non-English speaking country that have not completed subsequent training in an English Speaking Country


10

SECTION FOUR: ACTIVITIES OF SURIGICAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING

EXPLANATORY NOTES The College is accredited to conduct surgical training in nine specialties. The

following specialties conduct bi-national training programs:

• Cardiothoracic Surgery

• Neurosurgery

• Paediatric Surgery

• Urology Surgery; and

• Vascular Surgery

Separate programs are conducted in Australia and New Zealand for the following

specialties:

• General Surgery

• Orthopaedic Surgery

• Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery; and

• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

General Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery remain the largest training specialties

within the College. All specialties have experienced ongoing growth as a result of

additional posts accredited for training.

Surgery remains an attractive career path for doctors, as evidenced by the large field

of applicants for the training programs in the nine specialties.


Item SET.1: SET Applications by Type and Specialty

Type &

Specialty BST

2 BST

3 BST

4 SST SET Deferred IMG Person Fellow

Total Jan -

August 2009

CAR 0 3 1 7 0 1 28 1 41

GEN 0 16 7 2 0 1 313 0 339

NEU 0 0 3 2 0 0 60 1 66

OHN 0 4 2 19 0 0 91 0 116

ORT 0 21 13 0 0 0 180 1 215

PAE 0 2 1 2 0 0 21 0 26

PLA 0 8 5 32 0 0 82 1 128

URO 1 2 1 22 0 0 88 0 114

VAS 0 3 5 7 0 0 48 0 63

Total 1 59 38 93 0 2 911 4 1108

Figure: SET.1 - SET Applications by Type and SpecialtyRACS Jan to August 2009 Acitivities Report

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

CAR GEN NEU OHN ORT PAE PLA URO VAS

BST 2 BST 3 BST 4 SST SET Deferred IMG Person Fellow


11


Item SET.2 - SET Applications by Location and Specialty

Location &

Specialty ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA AUST NZ O/S

Total Jan -

August 2009

CAR 0 11 0 5 1 0 12 3 32 9 0 41

GEN 5 104 2 62 15 4 82 18 292 47 0 339

NEU 2 23 0 7 3 3 16 5 59 7 0 66

OHN 1 33 0 26 8 2 25 6 101 15 0 116

ORT 5 49 1 47 18 4 48 11 183 32 0 215

PAE 0 9 0 4 2 0 3 2 20 5 1 26

PLS 1 39 0 20 5 5 36 6 112 16 0 128

URO 0 29 0 26 6 2 30 6 99 15 0 114

VAS 0 21 0 10 4 0 11 7 53 10 0 63

Total 14 318 3 207 62 20 263 64 951 156 1 1108

Figure: SET.2 - SET Applications by Location and SpecialtyRACS Jan - August 2009 Activities Report

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA NZ O/SCAR GEN NEU OHN ORT PAE PLS URO VAS


12


Item SET.8 - Active SETs by Location of Training Post and Year of Training

Location &

Year of Training

ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA AUST NZ O/S Total Jan -

August 2009

Year 1 4 75 1 47 16 3 66 24 236 54 3 293

Year 2 8 96 5 52 21 7 91 23 303 56 3 362

Year 3 4 83 1 39 21 4 50 19 221 34 2 257

Year 4 1 57 0 32 9 1 55 16 171 28 2 201

Year 5 2 39 0 6 7 1 23 6 84 19 0 103

Year 6 0 8 0 1 1 0 8 1 19 0 1 20

Total 19 358 7 177 75 16 293 89 1034 191 11 1236

Figure: SET.8 - Active SETs by Location of Training Post and Year of Training

RACS Jan to August 2009 Activities Report

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA NZ O/SYear 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6


13


Item SET.9 - Female Active SETs by Location and Specialty

Location &


Total Jan -

August 2009

Year 1 2 13 0 11 3 1 22 6 58 15 2 75

Year 2 0 27 0 15 3 1 30 4 80 14 2 96

Year 3 1 23 0 11 5 1 12 6 59 11 1 71

Year 4 0 10 0 5 2 0 12 2 31 7 1 39

Year 5 0 5 0 1 3 0 6 3 18 3 0 21

Year 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 2

Total 3 78 0 44 16 3 83 21 248 50 6 304

Figure: SET.9 - Female Active SETs by Location and SpecialtyRACS Jan to August 2009 Activities Report

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35


Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6


14


15

SECTION FIVE: ACTIVITIES OF EXAMINATIONS

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Examinations Activities

Location - State and/or Country reflected in these reports refer to the candidate’s

mailing address. This is not necessarily the State where the candidate has

undertaken all of their training or oversight.

Fellowship Examinations

Numbers reflected in the Fellowship Examination report are representative of the

exams held in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong in May/June 2009.

For more detail on the Fellowship Exam pass rate, please refer to the end of year

Activities Report. Candidate numbers comprise both Trainees and IMGs.

Surgical Science Examination

The 'Surgical Science Examination' (SSE) was run for the first time in October 2008.

This exam replaces the Basic Science Examination (BSE) in a revised format aligned

with the SET program.

The SSE exam comprises two generic papers and one specialty specific paper for

Cardiothoracic Surgery, General Surgery, Neurosurgery, Otolaryngology - Head and

Neck Surgery. Urology Surgery and Vascular Surgery

Specialty specific examinations will remain in their current format for Orthopaedic

Surgery, Paediatric Surgery and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Coverage of Data

Included in this report are the SSE and Clinical examinations run in February and

June 2009.


16


Item Exam.1 - Clinical Examination - Candidates who passed the Exam by Location and Specialty

Location, Type &

Specialty Outcomes

ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA AUST NZ O/STotal Jan -

August 2009

Total Sitting 2 44 0 27 11 0 29 9 122 14 0 136

Passed 2 34 0 26 10 0 24 9 105 11 0 116

% 100% 77% ~ 96% 91% ~ 83% 100% 86% 79% ~ 85%

Candidates who Passed by Specialty

Sitting 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 5 2 0 7 BST

Passed 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 5 1 0 6

Sitting 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 CAR

Passed 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2

Sitting 1 29 0 16 8 0 17 3 74 8 0 82 GEN

Passed 1 20 0 15 7 0 14 3 60 6 0 66

Sitting 0 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 5 1 0 6 NEU

Passed 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 4

Sitting 0 4 0 2 0 0 2 1 9 0 0 9 OHN

Passed 0 4 0 2 0 0 1 1 8 0 0 8

Sitting 1 3 0 3 0 0 3 0 10 1 0 11 ORT

Passed 1 3 0 3 0 0 3 0 10 1 0 11

Sitting 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 PAE

Passed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Sitting 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 PLS

Passed 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

Sitting 0 2 0 1 1 0 3 3 10 1 0 11 URO

Passed 0 2 0 1 1 0 3 3 10 1 0 11

Sitting 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 1 6 1 0 7 Vas

Passed 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 1 6 1 0 7


17


Item Exam.2 - Surgical Science Examination (Generic) - Candidates who passed the Exam by Location and Specialty

Location, Type & Specialty Outcomes

ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA AUST NZ O/STotal Jan -

August 2009

Total Sitting 1 42 0 28 6 0 31 5 113 13 0 126

Passed 1 32 0 24 4 0 27 5 93 13 0 106

% 100% 76% ~ 86% 67% ~ 87% 100% 82% 100 ~ 84%


Sitting 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 BST

Passed 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

Sitting 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 3 CAR

Passed 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 3

Sitting 1 26 0 19 6 0 18 1 71 8 0 79 GEN

Passed 1 19 0 16 4 0 17 1 58 8 0 66

Sitting 0 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 6 1 0 7 NEU

Passed 0 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 5 1 0 6

Sitting 0 3 0 2 0 0 3 0 8 1 0 9 OHN

Passed 0 3 0 2 0 0 2 0 7 1 0 8

Sitting 0 4 0 3 0 0 2 0 9 1 0 10 ORT

Passed 0 3 0 2 0 0 1 0 6 1 0 7

Sitting 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 PAE

Passed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Sitting 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 PLS

Passed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Sitting 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 2 7 1 0 8 URO

Passed 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 2 6 1 0 7

Sitting 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 2 7 1 0 8 Vas

Passed 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 2 7 1 0 8


18


Item Exam.3 - Surgical Science Examination (Specialty Specific) Candidates who passed the Exam by Location and Specialty

Location, Type &

Specialty Outcomes

ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA AUST NZ O/S Total Jan -

August 2009

Total Sitting 1 46 0 27 9 0 33 7 123 13 0 136

Passed 1 30 0 20 7 0 21 6 85 10 0 95

% 100% 65% ~ 74% 75% ~ 64% 86% 69% 77% ~ 70%


Sitting 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 BST

Passed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Sitting 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 CAR

Passed 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1

Sitting 1 35 0 20 8 0 22 3 89 10 0 99 GEN

Passed 1 24 0 14 6 0 14 2 61 7 0 68

Sitting 0 5 0 2 0 0 2 0 9 1 0 10 NEU

Passed 0 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 5 1 0 6

Sitting 0 3 0 2 0 0 3 0 8 0 0 8 OHN

Passed 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3

Sitting 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ORT

Passed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Sitting 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 PAE

Passed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Sitting 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 PLS

Passed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Sitting 0 2 0 1 1 0 3 2 9 1 0 10 URO

Passed 0 2 0 1 1 0 3 2 9 1 0 10

Sitting 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 2 7 1 0 8 Vas

Passed 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 2 6 1 0 7


19

SECTION SIX: WORKFORCE DISTRIBUTION

EXPLANATORY NOTES

Augmenting the workforce by addressing workforce skills

Recertification

The College Council requires all Fellows involved in any form of medicine,

surgery or medico legal services to participate in the College’s Continuing

Professional Development (CPD) Program (Recertification). This triennial

program aims to advance the individual surgeon’s surgical knowledge and skills

for the benefit of the patient and to provide tangible evidence of participation and

compliance with the CPD Program by the award of the Certificate of Continuing

Professional Development. Recertification demonstrates maintenance of surgical

standards by individual surgeons in Australia and New Zealand.

Professional Development In order to facilitate the maintenance of surgical competence of Fellows, the

College provides a number of professional development activities that specifically

address the skills and knowledge required in each of the College surgical

competencies. The number of courses offered, and participation rates have

increased over the last few years, particularly in 2007 with the introduction of the

Supervisor and Trainer Course (SAT SET).

External Funding Submissions

The College made submission to the Commonwealth for funding for training and

professional development of the rural surgical workforce in June 2008. At the

time of this report we have not received any substantive advice from the

Commonwealth despite numerous requests. The College continues to make

submissions to support training and development and stands ready to assist the

Commonwealth achieve its objectives in this field.

Library and Website Services

Fellows and trainees have free access to an extensive range of on-line journals,

texts and databases. This is supplemented by a literature search and journal

acquisition service. The College also maintains a comprehensive website which

includes information about the services and resources available to support

surgeons.

SECTION SIX: WORKFORCE DISTRIBUTION In all Workforce Distribution (WFD) tables the last known address is used when the

current address is unknown (~52 Fellows). Regionality is based on mailing postcode

and country. An Active Fellow is a Fellow involved in medicine, surgery, medico-legal

work and other specialist non-procedural and non-clinical work such as surgical

administration and academia.

Item: WFD.1: Active and Retired Fellows by Location and Specialty

Location &


Total August

2009

Total August

2008

% Change

2009/ 2008

CAR 6 59 0 35 12 2 54 13 181 28 34 243 241 1%

GEN 19 602 13 307 156 33 459 135 1724 267 193 2184 2145 2%

NEU 5 70 0 37 20 5 50 19 206 23 29 258 248 4%

ORT 21 373 4 216 105 24 252 107 1102 235 67 1404 1360 3%

OHN 9 142 1 78 39 7 113 35 424 82 28 534 516 3%

PAE 4 37 0 17 9 3 31 9 110 16 33 159 157 1%

PLA 6 105 1 59 40 10 116 42 379 57 28 464 457 2%

URO 4 123 0 71 28 13 94 35 368 62 23 453 441 3%

VAS 3 49 1 31 14 4 44 15 161 15 2 178 165 7%

Sub Total 77 1560 20 851 423 101 1213 410 4655 785 437 5877 5730 3%

OBG 0 13 0 1 0 0 17 0 31 5 1 37 39 -5%

OPH 5 122 1 56 21 5 88 23 321 25 15 361 368 -2%

Total 82 1695 21 908 444 106 1318 433 5007 815 453 6275 6137 2%


20

Figure: WFD.1 - Active and Retired Fellows by Location and Specialty RACS

Jan - August 2009 Activities Report

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700


CAR GEN NEU ORT OHN PAE PLA URO VAS


Item: WFD.2 Active Fellows by Location and Specialty

Location &


Total August

2009

Total August

2008

% Change

2009/ 2008

CAR 4 48 0 32 8 2 44 10 148 22 27 197 193 2%

GEN 15 465 12 236 112 24 361 100 1325 208 165 1698 1650 3%

NEU 5 63 0 35 15 4 48 17 187 20 25 232 224 3%

ORT 19 349 4 205 95 19 240 92 1023 216 57 1296 1249 4%

OHN 7 117 1 65 36 7 97 32 362 73 23 458 440 4%

PAE 4 28 0 13 9 1 20 7 82 14 24 120 119 1%

PLA 6 92 1 52 32 9 109 36 337 48 25 410 404 1%

URO 3 105 0 60 23 10 78 31 310 51 18 379 368 3%

VAS 3 46 1 29 14 4 40 12 149 14 2 165 152 8%

Sub Total 66 1313 19 727 344 80 1037 337 3923 666 366 4955 4799 3%

OBG 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 5 0 0 5 5 0%

OPH 5 108 1 42 16 4 78 18 272 13 13 298 306 -3%

Total 71 1423 20 769 360 84 1118 355 4200 679 379 5258 5110 3%

Figure: WFD.2 - Active Fellows by Location and SpecialtyRACS Jan - August 2009 Activities Report

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500




21


Item: WFD.3: Female Active Fellows by Location and Specialty

Location &


Total August

2009

Total August

2008

% Change

2009/ 2008

CAR 0 4 0 1 0 0 3 0 8 2 0 10 10 0% GEN 1 46 0 25 14 3 39 10 138 19 22 179 160 12% NEU 0 5 0 5 3 1 6 1 21 1 0 22 19 16% ORT 1 10 0 3 3 0 7 4 28 9 1 38 36 6% OHN 0 9 0 6 3 1 9 0 28 7 3 38 32 19% PAE 1 5 0 2 2 0 3 2 15 3 4 22 22 0% PLA 0 8 0 7 3 2 14 2 36 5 2 43 38 13% URO 0 4 0 3 1 0 8 3 19 4 1 24 21 14% VAS 0 4 0 0 1 0 3 1 9 0 0 9 7 29% Sub Total 3 95 0 52 30 7 92 23 302 50 33 385 345 12% OBG 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0% OPH 0 14 1 1 1 0 13 1 31 2 1 34 36 0% Total 3 109 1 53 31 7 105 24 333 52 34 419 381 10%

Figure: WFD.3 - Female Active Fellows by Location and Specialty RACS Jan - August 2009 Activities Report

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50




22


Item: WFD.4: Active Fellows by Location and Age Active

Fellows by

Location & Age

ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA AUST NZ O/S Total

August 2009

≤39 8 228 2 136 53 12 181 58 678 85 59 822

40-44 16 214 3 134 50 13 159 66 655 102 37 794

45-49 9 220 2 140 54 11 175 58 669 124 42 835

50-54 15 167 2 100 57 15 120 58 534 125 46 705

55-59 5 149 4 85 40 15 118 37 453 88 55 596

60-64 10 170 3 75 48 7 148 28 489 73 63 625

65-69 6 144 2 61 36 8 114 25 396 55 33 484

70+ 2 131 2 38 22 3 103 25 326 27 44 397

Total 71 1423 20 769 360 84 1118 355 4200 679 379 5258

% Of Active Fellows under 55 years

% 68% 58% 45% 66% 59% 61% 57% 68% 60% 64% 49% 60%

Figure: WFD.4 - Active Fellows by Location and Age RACS Jan - August 2009 Activities Report

0

50

100

150

200

250


≤39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70+


23


Item: WFD.5 - Active Fellows by Specialty and Age Active

Fellows by

Specialty & Age

CAR GEN NEU ORT OHN PAE PLA URO VAS OBG OPH Total

August 2009

≤39 15 297 42 219 79 5 73 66 26 0 0 822

40-44 37 238 45 191 81 12 71 81 27 0 11 794

45-49 32 231 39 229 58 28 77 59 23 0 59 835

50-54 35 197 25 190 63 17 54 46 24 0 54 705

55-59 28 177 25 148 50 17 32 39 16 0 64 596

60-64 27 225 21 130 50 17 44 41 24 0 46 625

65-69 13 193 14 90 48 9 37 26 19 0 35 484

70+ 10 140 21 99 29 15 22 21 6 5 29 397

Total 197 1698 232 1296 458 120 410 379 165 5 298 5258

% Of Active Fellows under 55 years

% 60% 57% 65% 64% 61% 52% 67% 66% 61% 0% 42% 60%

Figure: WFD.5- Active Fellows by Specialty and AgeRACS Jan - August 2009 Activities Report

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350


≤39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70+


24


25


Item: WFD.6 - Australian Active Fellows By RRMA* Code and Specialty Australian

Active Fellows by

RRMA & Speciality

M1 M2 R1 R2 R3 Rem1 Rem2 Total

August 2009

% In

Metro

CAR 132 16 0 0 0 0 0 148 100%

GEN 920 114 138 107 40 6 0 1325 78%

NEU 167 20 0 0 0 0 0 187 100%

ORT 774 95 92 52 9 0 1 1023 85%

OHN 284 29 33 13 3 0 0 362 86%

PAE 70 10 1 0 0 1 0 82 98%

PLA 297 23 15 2 0 0 0 337 95%

URO 234 27 39 9 1 0 0 310 84%

VAS 123 18 6 2 0 0 0 149 95%

Sub Total 3001 352 324 185 53 7 1 3923 85%

OBG 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 100%

OPH 227 19 13 10 3 0 0 272 90%

Total 3,232 372 337 195 56 7 1 4200 86% *Refer to Appendix A for details

Item: WFD.7: Australian Active Fellows by RRMA* and Location Australian

Active Fellows by

RRMA & Location


August 2009

% In

Metro

ACT 71 0 0 0 0 0 0 71 100%

NSW 1037 163 110 90 23 0 0 1423 84%

NT 1 16 0 0 0 3 0 20 85%

QLD 460 139 137 28 3 1 1 769 78%

SA 345 0 3 8 3 1 0 360 96%

TAS 51 1 23 6 3 0 0 84 62%

VIC 943 53 63 40 19 0 0 1118 89%

WA 324 0 1 23 5 2 0 355 91%

Total 3,232 372 337 195 56 7 1 4200 86% *Refer to Appendix A for details


Item: WFD.8: Australian Active Fellows by RRMA* and Age

Australian Active Fellows

by RRMA & Age


August 2009

≤39 561 57 42 14 3 0 1 678

40-44 514 68 49 20 3 1 0 655

45-49 490 57 77 38 7 0 0 669

50-54 408 48 47 26 5 0 0 534

55-59 310 48 46 39 7 3 0 453

60-64 372 40 42 24 10 1 0 489

65-69 301 34 20 26 14 1 0 396

70+ 276 20 14 8 7 1 0 326

Total 3,232 372 337 195 56 7 1 4200 *Refer to Appendix A for details

Figure: WFD.8 - Australian Acitve Fellows by RRMA* and AgeRACS Jan - August 2009 Activities Report

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

M1 M2 R1 R2 R3 Rem1 Rem2

≤39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70+


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APPENDIX A: DEFINITIONS FOR REGIONAL, RURAL AND RRMA DATA

Regional and Rural Data The following are explanatory notes on how region and RRMA codes are determined.

RRMA Codes

The RRMA code is the ‘Rural, Remote & Metropolitan Area’ code which is used by

the Australian Federal Government to help classify healthcare facilities across

Australia according to the types of communities they serve. The RRMA system

divides Australia into areas according to city status, population, rurality and

remoteness.

Use of Post Code to Determine Region

The allocation of Fellows to regions and Rural, Remote & Metropolitan Areas

(RRMA) classifications is determined by the postcode from each Fellow’s preferred

mailing address as of August 2009. The last known mailing address was used if the

current address was unknown.

Rural Remote and Metropolitan Areas - (RRMA) Classification & Population

RRMA CODE DETAILS POPULATION

Capital cities/large metropolitan areas M1 (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin and

Canberra) > 500,000

Other metropolitan M2 (Newcastle, Wollongong, Queanbeyan (part of Canberra-Queanbeyan),

Geelong, Gold Coast-Tweed Heads, Townsville-Thuringowa) > 100,000

Large rural cities

R1 (Albury-Wodonga, Dubbo, Lismore, Orange, Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Wagga Wagga, (NSW); Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton-Mooroopna (Vic); Bundaberg, Cairns, Mackay, Maroochydore-Mooloolaba, Rockhampton,

Toowoomba (Qld), Whyalla (SA); and Launceston (Tas))

25,000 – 99,999

Small rural centres R2 (e.g. Armidale, Mildura, Hervey Bay, Mount Gambier, Bunbury,

Devonport)

10,000 – 24,999

Other rural centres

R3 (e.g. Cowra Shire, Temora Shire, Guyra Shire (NSW); Ararat Shire,

Cobram Shire (Vic); Cardwell Shire, Whitsunday Shire (Qld); Barossa, Pinnaroo (SA); Moora Shire, York Shire (WA); George Town, Ross (Tas);

Coomalie, Litchfield (NT))

< 10,000

Remote centres Rem 1 (e.g. Broome, Kalgoorlie/Boulder, Alice Springs)

25,000 – 99,999

Other remote centres Rem 2 (e.g. Bourke, Orbost, Quilpie, Coober Pedy, Shark Bay, King Island,

Gove)

10,000 – 24,999

Source: Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Area (RRMA) classification developed by the Commonwealth Departments of Primary Industries and Energy and Health and Family Services (DPIE & DHFS 1994).


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