Education and Training | Education Committee | Directors of Clinical Training | Medical Education Officers | Projects
Directors of Clinical Training
The Director of Clinical Training plays an integral part in the training of junior doctors; in addition to their usual hospital commitments they provide support, supervision and counsel to pre-vocational doctors.
Duties of the Directors of Clinical Training
The roles and responsibilities of a Director of Clinical Training may include:
- act as an advocate for junior medical officers;
- offer career advice and counselling to junior medical officers;
- facilitate feedback to junior medical officers about their performance;
- liaise with term supervisors regarding junior medical officer issues;
- in association with medical administration and the hospital’s Pre-vocational Training Committee, develop, coordinate and promote the Pre-vocational Training Program;
- promote a sense of professional responsibility and ethics among junior medical officers; and
- assist in the accreditation survey visits.
How to become Director of Clinical Training
The Director of Clinical Training is recruited and appointed by the hospital. Appointments are usually made for a three-year term with a maximum of two terms (six years) and are usually one or two sessions per week.
Qualities of a Director of Clinical Training
A Director of Clinical Training should be a practising clinician with educational interest, teaching skills, management skills, motivated and able to motivate others, good time management and conflict resolution skills.
Director of Clinical Training Experiences
Dr David Rosen, DCT at Royal Perth Hospital shares his experience:
In May 2002 I was appointed as one of two new DCTs at RPH. Broadly speaking, the DCT helps to achieve the mission of the Postgraduate Medical Council (PMC) which is responsible for the prevocational professional development of the JMO. In essence the DCT assists in defining the education, supervision and career development needs of JMOs, identifies and addresses the special needs of some JMOs, encourages consultants and registrars and other educators to supervise and educate JMOs in all aspects of patient care, provides JMOs with appropriate feedback and ensures that term descriptions are in place.
RPH has approximately 50 interns and many more prevocational RMOs and registrars. Since May of last year the Postgraduate Medical Education unit has expanded with the appointment of two DCTs (myself and Dr Simon Deehan) and this year with the appointment of an MEO (Medical Education Officer.) The third DCT, Dr Alistair Vickery supervises the rural GP training and Dr Richard Tarala as Chairman of the Post Graduate Medical Education Committee completes the team.
My main role is in the planning and development of JMO training and professional development activities for RPH JMOs. Weekly planning meetings with Richard Tarala and Helen Butterfield ensure we are across the relevant issues most of the time.
I meet regularly with JMOs and administration staff as part of the JMO medical liaison committee which effectively serves to quickly identify JMO training and professional development needs as they arise. I attend nearly all the formal weekly intern teaching sessions, assist in mid year intern interviews, and participate in the planning for intern orientation. In 2003 several new developments have been implemented. Skills training has come to the fore. Skills training is organised for small groups of interns taught by a variety of sub specialty consultants and registrars in addition to the ‘Sim Man’ advanced life support simulator which is organised by my colleague and DCT Dr Simon Deehan. A buddy system of RMOs allocated to all new interns was introduced at orientation 2003. I facilitated a Teaching on the Run workshop for registrars and RMOs with Professor Fiona Lake and Helen Butterfield. (A clear need for training the junior staff as teachers has been identified). Considerable time was allocated to JMOs with special needs, or those in difficulty. This comprises a diverse group of individuals who require additional support in training or professional development. It is immensely rewarding to assist junior colleagues chart a passage through difficult seas and watch them emerge better physicians as a result.
Being a DCT both in NSW and more recently in WA has provided me with some of the most rewarding experiences in my professional life. Not only because I enjoy working with JMOs but also because it brings me into contact with a diverse group of medical and other professionals which makes for a stimulating and challenging break from neurology and private practice.
Current Directors of Clinical Training in Western Australia
| Hospital | Name |
| Armadale-Kelmscott Memorial | Dr Callum Pearce |
| Bentley | Dr Poh-Kooi Loh |
| Bunbury Regional | TBA |
| Fremantle | Dr Helen Rhodes Dr Chris Kruk Dr Alan Scott |
| Hollywood Private | Dr Margaret Sturdy |
| Joondalup | Dr Stephen Richards |
| Kalgoorlie Regional | Dr Peter Barratt |
| Kimberley & Pilbara | Dr Iain Hague |
| Osborne Park | Dr Charles Inderjeeth |
| Port Hedland | Dr Farhat Mahmood |
| Royal Perth | Dr David Rosen Dr Alistair Vickery |
| Rural (GP Training Program) | Dr Denise Findlay |
| Shenton Park Campus | Dr Hannah Seymour |
| Sir Charles Gairdner | Dr David Blacker Dr Brendan McQuillan |
| St John of God, Murdoch | Dr Andrew Jan |
| St John of God, Subiaco | Dr Patrick Tan |
| Swan Districts | Dr Tim Bates |
| The Mount | Dr Geoff Dobb |
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