Training and learning

Queensland Health understands that continuing professional development  and medical education is critical to maintaining the high standards expected from the medical profession and offers a generous Professional Development Assistance package to all Senior Medical Officers and Staff Specialists (Fellows).

The Queensland Health professional development package includes an allowance to the value of $20,000 pa, which will be paid as a fortnightly allowance.  The package also includes 3.6 weeks (accrued) professional development leave per year for a maximum of 10 years.

This generous professional development package directly supports participation in continuing professional development (CPD) activities.

Queensland Health also provides a number of excellent internal training and development (and teaching) opportunities for all medical staff.  A number of programs have been developed or made available in the workplace and through external training providers. Queensland Health also has a number of education and development centres and services for domestically and internationally trained medical officers.

For example, the Queensland Health Skills Development Centre (SDC) is one of the most comprehensive skills development centres in the world.  Opened in 2004, it has a complete suite of virtual reality and simulation training equipment.  Located in the campus of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in Brisbane, the SDC provides doctors and other healthcare professionals with tools and training to improve their skills and enhance the quality of patient care.
A number of self-directed, flexible, online e-learning programs are available online through the SDC to all Queensland Health staff including Evidence Based Medicine (EBM).  SDC also have a wide variety of specific courses for the field of emergency medicine which include:

• Advanced Cardiac Life Support Training (ACLS)
• Acute and Complex Medical Emergencies (ACME)
• Emergency Crisis Resource Management (ECRM)
• Emergency Events Management (EEM)
• Emergency Technical Skills Course for Doctors (ETecS)

Click for further information about theSkills Development Centre and otherlearning and development centres within Queensland Health.

Education, training, development and teaching occurs on a daily basis in our emergency departments and can include:

• Rotation opportunities to practice in other medical units
• Opportunities to teach emergency medicine resident medical officers
• Teaching ward rounds
• Education sessions on:
  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) 
  • Acute and Complex Medical Emergencies (ACME)  
  • Emergency Crisis Resource Management (ECRM)
  • Emergency Events Management (EEM)
  • Emergency Technical Skills Course for Doctors (ETecS)
• SMOs are actively involved in education through scenario and simulation teaching
• SMOs have one non clinical time to focus on quality/audit/research/educational or supervisory roles
• Visiting lectures, seminars
• Teaching on the Run – SMOs are involved in informal ‘on the floor’ teaching of junior staff
• Telehealth – voice and video conference facilities

IT systems that are in common use across our Emergency Departments include:

• Emergency Department Information System (EDIS) – online patient management record system
• AUSLAB – online pathology
• AUSCARE – computerised results review system for AUSLAB
• Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) – online radiology
• Hospital Based Corporate Information System (HBCIS) – corporate information system containing patient, clinical and administrative data