Basic Registrar Workshop - Ballina

Approaches to the sick child in general practice.

At the end of this session, the registrar will have:

• increased confidence in recognizing a seriously ill child
• increased confidence in assessing alertness in children
• increased ability to recognize signs and sounds of respiratory distress and impending respiratory arrest in children
• increased confidence assessing hydration and perfusion in children
• to change daily practice to include weighing children

Approaches to dermatology in general practice –common and uncommon but serious rashes.

At the end of this session, the registrar will have:

• Increased confidence with clinical assessment of patients presenting with skin lesions in general practice including:

1. history
2. examination
3. investigation

• Increased confidence in management of common skin conditions in general practice, and an approach to dermatology with an unclear diagnosis.

Devices for asthma and CAL – covering asthma, COPD and spirometry

At the end of this session, the registrar will have: 

• increased understand of the role of spirometry in general practice
• increased confidence in interpretation of spirometry 
• increase confidence in completing an asthma management plan
• increased familiarity with delivery devices in the management of airway diseases
• increased confidence in explaining the use of delivery devices to patients

Risk Management – communicating and other strategies to avoid litigation. Red flags in Women’s health.

At the end of this session, the registrar will have:

• gained confidence in how to reduce the risk of litigation
• a better understanding of best management for common women’s health conditions /problems including:  Abnormal PV bleeding - breast symptoms - the triple test approach for breast lumps - pap smear abnormalities - skills in taking a pap smear and antenatal shared care
• learned about other high risk areas for litigation

Overview of program and an approach to learning – including learning styles and learning plans

At the end of this session, the registrar will have:

• Identified their preferred learning style 
• An understanding of the purpose of the Learning Planner
• An appreciation of how to make effective use of the Learning Planner

Workcover, medical certificates and other legal minefields

At the end of this session, the registrar will have increased skills in:

• Clinically managing injured workers with common conditions e.g. lower back pain
• Administrative aspects e.g. billing, certificates, and report writing
• Knowing the GPs role as coordinator of care, referring and liaising appropriately with others to achieve best outcome and rehabilitation of injured workers

Introduction to consulting skills in general practice and role plays –usually incorporate “difficult consults “

At the end of this session, the registrar will have:

• increased confidence with consulting skills
• increased awareness of differences between consultation in general practice setting compared to that in the hospital 
• increased awareness of barriers to effective communication within a general practice consultation
• increased confidence with strategies to assist in overcoming some of the barriers to effective communication in the general practice consultation including:

1. Use of open ended questions
2. Listening without interrupting at the start of a consultation 
3. Clarification of patient’s agenda

Chronic Disease Management – Diabetes, Renal Disease, Heart failure & COPD – an introduction only. (Does not cover CDMPs.)

At the end of this session, the registrar will have gained:

• increased confidence in ability to use evidence based medicine in the management of diabetes
• increased confidence in ability to use evidence based medicine in the management of COPD 
• increased confidence in the ability to use evidence based medicine in the management of heart failure 
• increased confidence in the ability to use evidence based medicine in the management of renal failure 
• increased ability to develop a management plan for 12 months for a new patient with a chronic disease/s 
• improved skills in communicating the management plan to the patient

Dealing with diagnostic uncertainty

At the end of this session,

• the registrar will have increased confidence in dealing with diagnostic uncertainty

Smoking cessation strategies

At the end of this session, the registrar will have an increased: 

• awareness of smoking related morbidity and mortality in the Australian population
• awareness of addictive potential of nicotine, and severity of withdrawal symptoms in most current “quitters” 
• awareness of evidence for smoking cessation interventions in general practice
• confidence in identification of smokers within general practice setting
• confidence in identification of smoker who is ready to quit
• knowledge in use of Nicotine Replacement therapies
• knowledge of other pharmacological treatments to assist patients to stop smoking and how to prescribe them
• awareness of resources to assist patients in stopping smoking eg NSW Quitline

*Please remember that the basic workshop is designed as an introduction to General Practice and focuses largely on the differences between hospital and community medicine.