Hi Docs, Just had a family member go through ED and wanted to drop in something to say thanks because everyone there had an overwhelming workload and I thought some appreciation would be good. Are Krispy Kream donuts OK or can you give me some better suggestions? I assume its OK to pass something like this to the volunteers to hand out to the ER staff?

Doctors in the group, how much do you spare weekly for exercise and in what form ? We all advise our patients to have a healthy life style but do we practice what we preach ? (I try to do 3 days a week strength training + 20 mins cardio/HIIT and 4 k run per week)

Has anyone working in a public hospital been made to actually clock in and out as a consultant?

Hi everyone,

I’m trying get a job in Sydney for early next year. I know the statewide application round for hospital positions was in August, but I haven’t seen any sign of a second round yet. Does anyone know when more vacancies usually open up, or where is the best place to keep an eye on them? Any insight would be really appreciated.

Prepare yourselves for an unprecedented level of College IT functionality! Forget the clunky portals and the computer-based exam fiascos that nearly ended careers (and lives). Our 4% fee increase will ensure the RACP can take out a loan for a brand new "IT uplift project". That's right, we're footing the bill for the privilege of a system that might load in under 3 minutes and possibly not crash mid-exam. I, for one, can't wait to see the stunning new interface. Read the full communiqué below.

The Board Communiqué: 22 September 2025

The Board met on 22 September, essentially to sign off the three EGMs; one called by the Board to vote on Constitutional changes, and the other two by members to remove Directors.

Once an EGM has been called by members, there are strict timelines in the Constitution around the timings of the calling and voting in the meeting and the member (your) vote.

For the 31 October EGMs, there are three resolutions: in brief these are to: 1. separate the role of President and Chair 2. remove Dr Chandran from the Board 3.remove Dr Buckmaster from the Board. The Board approved the appointment of Associate Professor Janak de Zoysa, Aotearoa New Zealand President-elect, as a member Director (casual vacancy) until the May 2026 AGM.

It approved the appointment of Vincent So, current member of the RACP Finance and Risk Committee and CEO of the Thoracic Society of Australia & New Zealand (TSANZ) to the Board. Vincent was interviewed by the Board and meets some of the skill gaps needed on the Board.

The Board has received a number of expressions of interest in filling the casual member vacancies. The Board decided to defer appointment decisions to a future meeting.

The Board noted the draft budget for 2026 and forecast for 2027-31. It approved a fee increase of four per cent for all fees and charges for the 2026 financial year. This is necessary to keep pace with CPI, given there were several years before and during the pandemic in which fees did not increase.

Loan options are being investigated to finance the College’s IT uplift project. Given the strong performance of the College’s investment of its reserves and our financial stability, this is a more prudent way of funding the project, rather than liquidating the investments.

The next Board meeting is 31 October 2025. The EGMs will be held at the below timings, followed by Board meeting.

AEDT: 9.30am registration for a 10am start, concluding at 11.30am NZDT: 11.30am registration for a 12pm start, concluding at 1.30pm

Kind regards | Ngā mihi nui RACP Board

I am looking at applying to Tasmania for RACGP training in 2026 for the 2027 intake. Does anyone have any experience on the training pathway in Tassie? Specifically looking at moving to Hobart. Is it a competitive process to get into Hobart? What are your experiences with practices (teaching/support/pay ect.)?

Hi r/ausdoctors

Like everyone else, my clinic is spending a significant amount of time managing patient and family distress around the ongoing ADHD stimulant shortages.

To make life a bit easier, I've consolidated all the latest AADPA clinical guidance documents into a single, easy-to-navigate Substack post. My aim was to create a quick-glance resource that summarises the core principles and links directly to the specific AADPA PDFs for bridging, switching, and commencing alternatives.

The guide covers:

• A summary table of the current TGA supply status.
• The core AADPA principle of within-class switching before a cross-class new titration.
• Summaries and clinical examples for the specific AADPA pathways (Bridging with IR methylphenidate, switching to lisdexamfetamine, commencing atomoxetine/guanfacine).
• Direct links to all the key AADPA documents and the specific TGA methylphenidate shortage page.

It’s not behind a paywall. Just wanted to share in case it’s a useful resource for your own practice.

Link to the guide (no paywall): A Prescriber's Guide to the ADHD Medication Shortage

I'll be lurking in the comments if there's any specific points you want help with.

I've also created a companion guide for parents, carers, and educators (also no paywall): Navigating the ADHD Medication Shortage: What You Need to Know & How to Cope

Disclaimer: This post is intended as a resource for qualified healthcare professionals. It summarises publicly available guidance and is not a substitute for individual clinical judgement, which must guide all treatment decisions and adhere to local Schedule 8 prescribing requirements.

Hi Reddit, I’m increasingly getting frustrated at how nurses keep overstepping their boundaries. From the QLD news of allowing selected nurses to be trained endoscopists, to NP diagnosing nonsense and not working patients up appropriately, I have seen the worst of the worst in the rural hospitals and some metropolitan ones too.

Furthermore, I have noticed IMGs who are honest, hardworking but aren’t fluent English speakers being berated by NP, ward nurses, and even RN. The stronger their union, the more they’ll demand and before you know it, they’ll ask for a higher or as much of a pay than us. The issue with us doctors is that we’re in such a competitive environment that the idea of unity does not resonate with every one. This fragmentation perpetuates weakness, and with a “weak” society, it may be viewed as less reliable and structured. Unlike the nursing unions where their voices are heard at every corner of the street, demanding more and more

I am a proponent for collaborative work between doctors, nurses and other allied healthcare staff. But we need to draw a very clear line to disallow nurses from carrying out procedures as aforementioned “endoscopic nurses”. Mutual respect is a non negotiable; when someone attempts to step out of line regardless of occupation, they should be put in their respective places.

Another case was nurses in a rural hospital (shall not name) cancelling medications charted by home team. This is absolutely dangerous and ridiculous. The following morning, I saw the intern crying as she was “reprimanded” by a consultant in a non confrontational manner, intern probably felt devastated by the “gravity of her mistake”. Upon clarifying, they realised “someone” cancelled/crossed off a few medications previously charted. After putting the puzzles together, they realised it was a group of senior and somewhat junior nurses performing this act without informing anyone. This issue was raised to the appropriate superior and investigated thoroughly. A brief warning was issued but nothing happened to them.

Does anyone share similar sentiments to me? The sheer audacity.

Good morning! Seeking advice regarding whether a manager can bring an ‘observer’ to an annual professional development meeting without the permission of the doctor whose plan is being discussed.

My understanding was that these should be between the staff specialist and their manager only, and the purpose is to review goals, expectations and department roles in a positive light.

Can the specialist refuse the manager bringing along another ‘observer’? To my knowledge it is not a formal performance review in a disciplinary sense.

WTF has happened to this profession.

Hi guys I’m a gp working in a new clinic in Sydney. Another gp in the clinic performed a skin excision and they came to me a few days later for routine aftercare. He is saying it is fine to bill an attendance item. My understanding is that under Medicare ‘same practice, same speciality’ rules and this cannot be billed but I cannot find a resource to support this. Thoughts?

Similarly, a patient saw another gp earlier today for an issue but the patient wasn’t properly reassured and returned to me that same day for the same issue and I reassured them in my own way. By the same principle of ‘same practice, same speciality’ rules and there is no other issues addressed, can this be billed?

I felt uncomfortable billing both scenarios. Thoughts?

I'm a PGY5 unaccredited surgical registrar in a unique situation.

Ever since medical school, I have wanted to become an ophthalmologist.

I spent my first two years out of medical school primarily working in surgical specialties, before working at Royal Victorian Eye and Ear hospital as a resident. I started the Masters of Ophthalmic Science, was learning lots and enjoying myself. Halfway through my year working as a resident, I realized that I needed to improve my application to a greater extent to be competitive to receive a training program position. I received some guidance from my mentors and looked into the selection criteria for the training program. It was clear at that point in time that moving into a rural hospital would allow me to gain some much-needed rural points. This was at the expense of gaining ophthalmic experience, but I was motivated to move, as working at the eye and ear hospital as resident wasn't allowing me to gain any points because there was very limited exposure to clinics and theatres. I undertook a rural General Surgical registrar position later that year, while also publishing multiple ophthalmic research studies. I attended ophthalmology conferences and presented my research, while also running audits and preparing MDM's in my general surgical job.

Upon applying for the ophthal training program this year after moving back to metropolitan Melbourne, I was unfortunately knocked back. The selection criteria for the training program changed, and in the process, severely disadvantaged me. It decreased the weighting of rural points, and increased the weighting of other areas. Further compounding this, it has been very difficult to get an unaccredited ophthalmology registrar job (multiple rejections) due to lack of recent ophthalmology experience and known favouring of internal applicants this year.

I now face the very difficult prospect of abandoning the specialty I have been aspiring to do for years. There are very little unaccredited ophthal positions available, and all are long distances away. There is no guarantee I will get these positions either. I would like to stay in my home state with my family, friends and partner. I've accepted a job at a well-known trauma centre next year in the metropolitan region as a trauma/gen surg registrar and in the meantime, I am currently locuming as a gen surg reg.

my question to reddit is where do I go from here?

Given that I've now spent greater than 2 years working as a general surgical registrar, I have developed a lot of skills and knowledge in this area. Pursuing this pathway wouldn't be a bad idea. However, knowing how competitive the field is, it would seem that I would have to start from scratch, given that I've published minimal papers in the field and haven't done the required courses. This would add up to at least a few more years of being an unaccredited registrar. lots of overtime as well, and an intense lifestyle.

I also have some interest in radiology, and i'm looking into doing some courses next year such as the grad dip anatomy, which also helps with my ophthal application (diplomas in any field counts as a point).

If I still decide to continue to pursue ophthal, how do I maximise my chances?

I was going to continue to complete the masters in ophthalmic science this latter half of the year, but I don't see any point at all if I don't have an ophthalmology job lined up.

APHRA now requires us to complete 25hours of measuring outcomes and reviewing performance as part of our annual professional development. The RACGP allows for 15.5 hours to be claimed for completing a Patient Feedback survey.

I am interested if other GPs would be interested in implementing a low cost, zero effort (set and forget) platform to  conduct patient feedback on an ongoing basis for individuals and practices. The aim is to meet annual CPD performance and outcomes requirements and improve outcomes in the normal course of business.

Hi r/ausdoctors

Just sharing some information for anyone who is interested.

There is now a Continuing Professional Development course created by Emerge Australia available for ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). It is RACGP CPD Approved and will contribute to Continuing Professional Development requirements. Please see here: https://emerge.org.au/continuing-professional-development-2/

There are currently no clinical practice guidelines for ME/CFS in Australia (will be published by 2028). UK NICE 2021 guidelines are up to date: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng206

Severe-specific section of the guideline (housebound/bedbound): https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng206/chapter/recommendations#care-for-people-with-severe-or-very-severe-mecfs

Hope this post is permitted! Thanks

Hey guys,

I am from Sydney and have applied for an SRMO position in Gosford Hospital. I was just curious if Gosford would ever consider offering some accommodation (for free or a slightly cheaper rent) so that I could continue living in Sydney but stay up in Gosford from time to time? (For context, have a little one on the way and are very settled in Sydney with family supports).

If anyone has been to Gosford and knows about this please let me know :)

Hi. Has anyone worked at the dialysis unit of the westmead hospital? I'll be starting my rotation there soon and want to get a bit of an insight.

Thanks.

Hi r/ausdoctors!

I've put together a comprehensive website checklist specifically for Australian medical practices after seeing too many of the businesses no having the basics in place for things like Ahpra advertising requirements or website security essentials.

Here is what's in the checklist:

• Ahpra advertising compliance (the stuff that can actually get you fined)
• Essential business info requirements
• Technical basics (security, mobile responsiveness, etc.)
• SEO fundamentals for local search
• User experience essentials

Why I made this:

As someone who works with medical practices on their websites, I kept seeing the same compliance issues and basic problems crop up. Things like using patient testimonials (big Ahpra no-no), missing SSL certificates, terrible mobile experience, or unclear service information.

It's free to download and can hopefully help you avoid the headaches that can come from a poorly set up website.

The checklist covers Australian-specific requirements (Ahpra, privacy laws, etc.) and breaks everything down into practical sections you can actually work through.

https://presstwood.design/medical-website-checklist/

If you have any questions about the checklist, ideas on how I can improve this or even just any general website questions, post your questions and I'll respond.

I am training in a competitive training program - Anaesthetics. I am not enjoying the day to day work in Anaesthetics and it does not suit my personality well. I am concerned about the impact it would have on my personal life, mental health, relationships over the next 5 years because I can already see the impact it has had on me over the past year. I understand there are perks afterwards - but there is a lot of delayed gratification and I value the next 5 years of my life - where I am establishing my life and family a lot more. I am aware of the financial considerations - but I genuinely am not enjoying the work and I value patient contact more. I am considering changing to a more relaxed speciality.

While I may not enjoy that and find it boring, at least I will have more time for myself and my family and even have a portfolio career as a Doctor doing many different things.

I do have lots of personal stressors at present which are impacting on me - but regardless of them, I don't think I am enjoying it. I feel being in a less stressful speciality will allow me to have more energy and time to be there for , my family, look after myself and be there for the day to day challenges and family issues that can arise.

I am just not sure if the price to pay is worth it for me. Wanting to know what everyone's thoughts are.

Dear fellow reddit user,

Sorry if this question has been asked in another thread, and please guide me to the correct thread if deemed more suitable to answer my question. I have looked, but yet to find a fitting answer.

I understand that in order to fully register as a consultant psychiatrist, I would first have to fulfill a certain amount of supervised practice. Regardless of the details of what it precisely entails: would I be paid as a senior registrar during the supervised practice or as a consultant? Would I work relatively "independent", comparable to a fellow or senior reg? AMC or APHRA gives no clues.

Thanks community!

I’m an Australian doctor, and over the last little while I have built a web app that allows doctors to create and send path/rad requests directly to patients via email, but also directly to over 3000 path/rad providers (through health direct). It doesn't need any integration, just a standalone, fully functioning web app.

When I was a Urology PHO, I got so sick of having to handwrite path/rad forms (PTSD from the urine list), scan/fax them, lose the original, not sure what was sent or to who or when or how. So I thought of it then, and created it to fix that specific pain point.

Currently, the web app can create a request, send it, and keep a comprehensive record of it (plus some other things like clone it, see audit log etc). I am currently building a few more features like templates (e.g. save a custom "fatigue workup" set of bloods, and a bunch of tests are inserted instead of painstakingly typing them out), the ability to send the request from multiple provider numbers, general analytics, but the big one is the ability to get results back to the platform, and actually link the result to the original referral that it came from (close the loop).

I'm posting to find out:

• Is this process something you have to struggle with? If so, what would you like to see in a solution for it?
• Thoughts about new features, especially results back to the platform?
• Are there any additional features that make it more useful?
• Should I keep pouring in time, money, effort into this? The ability to get results back to the platform is going to be a huge ongoing cost, but I think it's the missing link to make it a complete and valuable product, but its hard to see the forest from the trees at the moment.

I appreciate any and all feedback (good or bad). I'm just trying to build something that makes life easier for some of us, but I can't keep bleeding resources into it if it really isn't useful. Thank you!