SURGICAL NEWS THE ROYAL AUSTRALASIAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS VOL 16 NO 7 AUGUST 2015 WOMEN IN SURGERY How far have we come? p18 COLLEGE ELECTIONS Why nominate? 08 40 YEAR ANNIVERSARY The Australian Cranio-Facial Unit 1975-2015 24 SURGICAL NEWS AUGUST 2015 1 The Section of Academic Surgery presents… CALL FOR ABSTRACTS Awards for best oral presentations Surgical Research Society Annual Scientific meeting Friday 13 Do you have an November 2015 interest in surgical Sydney Present your research? original Abstracts are open to research medical students, Trainees, Fellows For further Registration $100 information visit: for SAS Members www.surgeons.org/ $130 for non- academic-surgery members Abstract submission NO MEMBER Now Open JOINING FEE! For more information contact: [email protected] 2 SURGICAL NEWS AUGUST 2015 post op 12 page Winter lifestyle Winter Lifestyle POST-OP feature inside CONTENTS 12 page lifestyle section 7 REGULAR PAGES 4 PD Workshops 10 Surgical Snips 27 Curmudgeon’s Corner 28 Case Note Review 55 Dr BB Gloved 16 Regional News 56 46 Correspondence to Surgical News should be [12] Focus on the EAG sent to: [email protected] Letters to the editor should be sent to: EAG member Judith Potter [email protected] T: +61 3 9249 1200 F: +61 3 9249 1219 [16] Difficult Conversations W: www.surgeons.org Considering end of life choices ISSN 1443-9603 (Print) / ISSN 1443-9565 (Online) [20] New Resources Surgical News Editor: David Hillis The library supplies the latest texts © 2015 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons [22] Desert Surgeon All copyright is reserved / The editor reserves the right Dr Ollapallil Jacob to change material submitted / The College privacy policy and disclaimer apply - www.surgeons.org / [44] Medico-Legal The College and the publisher are not responsible for errors or consequences for reliance on information in Informed consent this publication. Statements represent the views of the author and not necessarily the College. Information is ON THE COVER: [46] Successful Scholar not intended to be advice or relied on in any particular More options for cancer patients circumstance. / Advertisements and products Women in Surgery, p18 advertised are not endorsed by the college. The [60] Victorian Audit of advertiser takes all responsibility for representations and claims. / Published for the Royal Australasian Surgical Mortality College of Surgeons by RL Media Pty Ltd. ACN 081 735 The first eight years 891, ABN 44081 735 891 of 129 Bourverie St, Carlton Vic 3053. SURGICAL NEWS AUGUST 2015 3 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS & ACTIVITIES Communication, Collaboration, Management and Leadership, Online registration form is available now (login required). Scholarship and Teaching, Communication,Royal Australasian College of SurgeonsScholarship and Teaching,A Guide to Medical Expertise, JudgementActive Learning and Decision Making, Inside ‘Active Learning with Your Peers 2015’ booklet are professional Technicalwith Your Expertise,Peers 2015 Professionalism, HealthProfessional DevelopmentAdvocacy, Activities Communication, Medical Expertise, Judgement development activities enabling you to acquire new skills and knowledge and Decision Making, Technical Expertise, Professionalism, Health Expand knowledge and learn new skills and reflect on how to apply them in today’s dynamic world. Collaboration, Management and Leadership, Scholarship and Teaching, Communication, Scholarship and Teaching, Medical Expertise, Judgement and Decision Making, Technical Expertise, Professionalism, Health Advocacy, Communication, Medical Expertise, Judgement and Decision Making, Technical Expertise, Academy Forum 2015 talk about death and dying professionally with empathy 12 November – Sydney to patients and their families. In this four hour workshop, The Academy of Surgical Educators is proud to present you’ll work in a safe learning environment with a trained the 2015 Academy Forum to be held on Thursday 12 actor to replicate ‘real-life’ conversations. November at the Amora Hotel in Sydney from 6.30pm – Clinical Decision Making 10.00pm. 8 September - Christchurch This year’s topic will focus on People, Process and Performance: Human Factors. The evening will be This three hour workshop is designed to enhance a convened by Associate Professor Stephen Tobin, participant’s understanding of their decision making Dean of Education and Professor Spencer Beasley, process and that of their trainees and colleagues. The Chair, Academy of Surgical Educators and will feature workshop will provide a roadmap, or algorithm, of how preeminent thought leaders discussing progressive the surgeon forms a decision. This algorithm illustrates topics in medical education. Attendees will enjoy a three the attributes of expert clinical decision making and was course meal and drinks whilst enjoying three quality developed as a means to address poor clinical decision presentations on Human factors. making processes, particularly as a guide for the supervisor dealing with a struggling trainee or as a self Presenters at this year’s forum include: improvement exercise. • Mr Phillip Truskett, FRACS - Chair, Training in Professional Skills (TIPS); Supervisors and Trainers for SET (SAT SET) • Professor Francis Lannigan, FRACS - Chair, Non- 10 September – Canberra Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) and Safer Australian Surgical Teamwork (SAST); and This course assists supervisors and trainers to effectively fulfil the responsibilities of their very important • Mr Werner Naef - Director, Kalher Communications roles. You can learn to use workplace assessment tools Oceania such as the Mini Clinical Examination (Mini CEX) and The Academy Forum is an annual event for all interested Directly Observed Procedural Skills (DOPS) that have and will include the presentation of the Academy Reward been introduced as part of SET. You can also explore and Recognition Awards. The presentations will be strategies to help you to support trainees at the mid-term recorded and made available to all Academy members meeting. It is an excellent opportunity to gain insight on the learning management system. Academy into legal issues. This workshop is also available as an members are $100 and non-members are $125. To eLearning activity by logging into the RACS website. register online refer to the Academy website page. For further information please contact [email protected]. Acute Neurotrauma Communication Skills for Cancer 24 September – Cairns Clinicians: Discussing Death and Dying Surgeons will gain the skills to deal with cases of 5 September - Melbourne neurotrauma in the rural setting, where the urgency of When a patient’s cancer cannot be cured, health a case or difficulties in transporting a patient demand professionals are often required to deliver difficult news rapid surgically-applied relief of pressure on the brain. and discuss challenging topics around death and dying. Importantly, the workshop teaches these skills using This communications module from Cancer Council equipment typically available in smaller hospitals, Victoria is designed to equip clinicians with the tools to including the Hudson Brace. Participants will develop 4 SURGICAL NEWS AUGUST 2015 September – November 2015 a capacity to accurately evaluate whether on-the-spot ACT treatment, using the procedures learned, is required. 10 September They will also learn to perform, through demonstration Supervisors and Trainers for SET, Canberra and practice on human cadaveric material: a burr-hole 2 December procedure with Hudson Brace, craniectomy, craniotomy Clinical Decision Making, Canberra and tap-shunt procedure. NSW Foundation Skills for Surgical Educators 16 November Foundation Skills for Surgical Educators, Sydney 16 October – Hobart 17 November Supervisors and Trainers for SET, Sydney The Foundations Skills for Surgical Educators is a new NZ course directed at those undertaking the education and 8 September training of surgical trainees and will establish the basic Clinical Decision Making, Christchurch standardsexpected of our surgical educators within 9 October the College. This free one day course will provide an Keeping Trainees on Track, Auckland opportunity for you to identify personal strengths and 16-17 October weaknesses as an educator and explore how you can Critical Literature Evaluation and Reasearch (CLEAR) influence learners and the learning environment. The Course for Consultants, Sydney course aims to improve your knowledge and skills about 17 October teaching and learning concepts and looks at how these Foundational Skills for Surgical Educators principles are applied. QLD 24 September Acute Neurotrauma, Cairns 29 September AMA Impairment Guidelines 5th Edition: Difficult Cases, Brisbane 23 October Contact the Professional Finance for Surgeons, Brisbane 31 October Development Department Keeping Trainees on Track, Adelaide on +61 3 9249 1106 TAS by email [email protected] 16 October or visit www.surgeons.org Foundation Skills for Surgical Educators , Hobart - select Health Professionals VIC then click on Courses & Events 5 September www.surgeons.org/ Communication Skills for Cancer Clinicians: Discussing for-health-professionals/ Death and Dying, Melbourne register-courses-events/ 9 October professional-development Clinical Leadership Group Forum, “Surgery and the frail older person”, Melbourne 31 October Communication Skills for Cancer Clinicians: Breaking Bad News, Melbourne 26 November Keeping Trainees on Track, Melbourne Global sponsorship of the Professional