Strengthening vertical integration of medical education in North West Tasmania: moving into the second stage
Prof Judi Walker, University of Tasmania, Australia
Ms Rose Moore, University of Tasmania & Postgraduate Medical Education Council of Tasmania, Australia*
Dr Corinne Ginifer, Postgraduate Medical Education council of Tasmania, Australia
The Postgraduate Medical Education Council of Tasmania (PMCT), the University of Tasmania’s Rural Clinical School (RCS) and the North West Area Health Service (NWAHS) are working together to strengthen the vertical integration of medical education at both the Mersey Community Hospital (MCH) and the North West Regional Hospital (NWRH).
A number of important strategic developments occurred in early 2010 that created a framework within which vertically integrated teaching and learning could be further championed. These developments included the strengthening and consolidation of teaching and learning approaches within the junior doctor (postgraduate) sector through the adoption of a cross-hospital approach to junior doctor employment, education, supervision and support.
At the same time, the Rural Clinical School further increased its student cohort and consolidated its student attachment program at both the MCH and NWRH. This increase created a heightened imperative for the vertical integration of teaching and learning in order to ensure both quality of delivery and an efficient use of a limited clinical teaching resource. These developments, which constituted a first stage, were supported by the appointment of dual focused staff involved with education in both the undergraduate and post-graduate sectors.
In mid 2010 work on the second stage began with the development of a PMCT/RCS co-authored teaching resource, the adoption of staff teaching and learning orientation processes that include discussion around vertical integration, the introduction of interns into the vertically integrated RCS assessment team, and the establishment of an RCS/PMCT Vertical Integration Task Group. This includes planning for a complementary teaching model for RCS students in 2011 that allows for greater use of the clinical teaching resource across both groups.
This initiative raises a number of challenging questions which will be highlighted in this PeArLS session.
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