By Dr Brendan Carrigan, College Council Member (QLD)
It was a pleasure to join College President Dr Daniel Halliday to meet with members at our Queensland Member Forum run in conjunction with RDAQ on 7 June. ACCRM is committed to providing spaces for members to engage with the college and this was one opportunity to do so. Dr Halliday provided members with a brief update on College activities including College-led training and Rural Generalist specialist recognition.
This was followed by open discussion and training was a key topic with members discussing distribution of trainees, engagement of hospital based and international trainees, barriers to training and training flexibility. Other topics included the Rural Generalist brand and operational structures of the College. ACRRM remains strong, with recognition of a strong brand which has resulted in over recruitment to our training pathways. It was, however, disappointing to hear the difficulties members and trainees have had with transition. This is not unexpected as a large change never occurs without bumps along the way, however I thank members for sharing their experiences and providing innovative solutions. The member engagement team may reach out to you for more details, so that we can consider how we can improve.
I thank the members who took the time to attend and provide robust discussion. Personally, I value the diversity of opinion represented among our members, including feedback on where ACRRM can do better. This is but one way in which members can engage with college activities. ACRRM also provides an online space for discussion on issues affecting members through Connect@ACRRM.
The College is always looking for members to provide input into College activities through our various committees and the frequent requests we receive for external representation.
Finally, it is always a pleasure to hear from members. You are welcome to contact the member engagement team, myself as the Queensland Council Representative (qld@acrrm.org.au) or any other member of council your issue may be of interest to.