Professor Alison Jones, Associate Professor George Albert, Dr Lucy Ramon and Associate Professor Dr David Garne. Picture: SYLVIA LIBER
Rural and regional health professionals will benefit from the new Academy of Clinicians which was launched at the University of Wollongong yesterday.
More than 65 doctors, nurses and academics from across the state attended the academy's inaugural training day which included sessions on National Health Reform and the psychological well-being of healthcare workers and support staff.
Graduate School of Medicine (GSM) Dean Alison Jones said around 20 courses would run this year for clinicians across all health care settings, with offerings to increase next year.
Professor Jones said it would fill a "critical gap" in the educational offerings and professional development available to health professionals.
"The Academy of Clinicians is a joint enterprise between the UOW Graduate School of Medicine and the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District," Prof Jones said.
"It's about creating an opportunity for clinicians to learn and engage together, so that they can each grow and develop each other's skills.
"This continuing professional development is important for the delivery of quality patient care and as such we hope that the ultimate outcome is positive patient outcomes."
Prof Jones said there would be a variety of training opportunities including online offerings, short courses and whole-day sessions which would be run at the GSM and other locations.
"We are tailoring this to the very specific needs of healthcare professionals - those who don't fit the nine-to-five workday and whose very complex professional environment is changing rapidly," she said.
Academy membership is available to all clinicians, with free participation available to those who teach GSM students or engage in GSM research.
"The academy is also a way for the Graduate School of Medicine to say thank you to our clinicians across NSW for their teaching and research collaboration," Prof Jones said.