November 2023 - challenges (and rewards) a-plenty!

What is there to say about November 2023 but… whoa!!!!

Without a whole lot of time to recover from the madness of World WONCA in Sydney, Simon and I were off to WA’s Scarborough Beach for the ANZ Prevocational Medical Educators Forum. 

This was the first time GPSA had been visible as an exhibitor and presenter at this conference, which was clearly noted by the usual attendees… We were greeted by more than a dozen various university and non-GP specialty College representatives with an almost-accusatory “Where have you been?!”, or words to that effect!

While in the land of fierce ocean gusts and amazing seafood, between presenting and networking at our booth I had the pleasure (and a little stress) of co-hosting GPSA’s online AGM. Utterly confused though I was by the 3-hour time difference from my status quo, it was very rewarding to see so many nominees to our Board and to have so many members join us online for this meeting. 

The 8 candidates vying for the 3 advertised positions deserve a special mention here as GPSA members whom I so admire as representatives and champions of all participants in GP training at the coalface irrespective of their success in this election:

1. Dr Kevin Arlett – GP Supervisor

2. Mrs Leonie Chamberlain – Practice Manager

3. Mr Jon Erwin – Practice Manager

4. Dr Jonathan (Casey) Going – GP Supervisor

5. Dr Eldon Lyon – GP Supervisor

6. Dr Francesco (Frank) Maldari – GP Supervisor

7. Dr Nicholas (Nick) Tellis – GP Supervisor

8. Dr Shea Wilcox – GP Supervisor

Sadly, the outcome of the voting for the Board positions resulted in the discontinuation of my mentor and GPSA Chair, Dr Kevin Arlett; but we did get to welcome in the charismatic and business-focused Dr Nick Tellis, joining fellow South Australian Director, Dr Frank Maldari, who was thankfully renominated (the humour this man brings to our organisation is only matched by his wisdom!).

Due to competing priorities, Dr Justin Coleman chose to vacate his position as a Director shortly after the AGM, so we were able to offer the next-highest vote recipient, Dr Shea Wilcox, a 12-month Directorship in his place.

But the biggest, most exciting outcome of the election at this year’s AGM was the announcement of Mrs Leonie Chamberlain as the first practice manager member to be voted into an elected role on the GPTA Board.

In the first Board meeting following the AGM on Monday 20th November, the Directors 

A) voted in their Chair and Deputy Chair:

• Dr Srishti Dutta, Chair

• Dr Frank Maldari, Deputy Chair 

 and 

B) selected the members and office-bearers of the Finance, Audit, Risk Management and Governance (FARMG) committee:

• Mrs Leonie Chamberlain, FARMG Chair

• Dr Candice Baker, FARMG Deputy Chair

• Dr Kate Manderson

• Dr Nick Tellis

• Dr Shea Wilcox

Before the month was out, I re-packed my bags, tossed the dog (who had long given up on me after so many weeks away for conferences) in the car, cranked up the music, and headed 4 hours south-east for the Monash University Rural Summit. As an opportunity to learn about how GPSA can help the medical school and postgraduate medical council efforts to improve the attraction of future doctors to hard-to-fill rural locations, this was perhaps one of my favourite events for 2023 - which is surely saying something after the RMA and RACGP conferences! 

I look forward to exploring all the many ways we can add to our current resources and supports to better represent the needs of the supervisors of medical students and junior doctors, and further enhance our offering for rural doctors across this wonderful, scary, complicated, expansive land.