Educator Studio Sessions

Details of the 2020 Educator Studio Sessions (ESS) are available below. 

In addition, the Academy of Surgical Educators will hold a series of Special ESS via webinar to provide RACS Fellows with an opportunity to obtain CPD points. The format will be the same as our regular ESS, with topics relevant to RACS members, not limited to a surgical education focus. 

Registration is free. 

27 August 2020

• Time: 5.30pm - 6.30pm AEST
• Speaker: Mr Neil Price FRACS
• Topic: A Surgeon reflecting on Insight

About the topic:

As a Paediatric Surgeon, Neil hears comments made about the Insight of surgeons, trainees, even medical students who seem to be performing poorly or unprofessionally. This led him to wonder what exactly do we mean when we talk about Insight, and if it is so critical what are we doing to ensure surgeons have it?

About Mr Neil Price: 

Neil Price is the Board Chair of Paediatric Surgical SET. Neil is a practising Paediatric Surgeon at Starship Hospital in Auckland (NZ) and a professional teaching fellow in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. Neil is currently a PhD candidate in the Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education. Neil’s research focus is the concept of Insight as it relates to the practicing Paediatric Surgeon.

23 September 2020

• Time: 6.00pm - 7.00pm AEST
• Speaker: Mr Bryan Ashman FRACS
• Topic: Developing a spine surgery training program using EPAs

About the topic:

Spine surgeons begin their careers as either orthopedic or neurosurgeons. Most training programs in spine surgery around the world are based on surgical apprenticeships through fellowships at hospitals specializing in spine surgery, supplemented by continuing medical education activities. Very few of these fellowships have a curriculum or formal training program. 

The starting point for a curriculum planning process using entrustable professional activities (EPAs) begins with analyzing the professional work of the specialist medical practitioner. This analysis identifies the essential activities that can be entrusted only to those who have acquired the requisite abilities to work independently in a given healthcare context to achieve a desired outcome. In a training program, EPAs can be subdivided into entrustment milestones where trainees move from high levels of supervision to more autonomous levels as they are deemed to have gained the necessary competencies. 

A curriculum that focusses on the final level of autonomy, independent practice, which is the level at which spine surgeons perform their clinical activities was developed for AOSpine, the Spine Division of the AO Foundation

About Mr Bryan Ashman: 

Bryan is an orthopaedic surgeon working at Canberra Hospital since 1989. His main interest is spine surgery education and he is currently the chairperson of the AO Spine Education Commission, a division of the AO Foundation. He is a clinical associate professor in surgery at the Australian National University and a Fellow of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He has been an examiner in orthopaedics for the RACS.

This educational activity has been approved in the College's CPD program. Fellows who participate can claim one point per hour (maximum of two points) in Category 3 - Maintenance of Knowledge and Skills. For those with a RACS CPD requirement this activity will be automatically uploaded to your record.