Professional Development for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
UNE Partnerships has successfully delivered a range of professional development workshops to Fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.
The program was customised through consultation with the College and industry representatives, ensuring learning outcomes addressed the workplace issues faced by surgeons. Its focus was to develop health management skills through building a broader understanding of leading and managing public and private organisations.
The College provided two levels of CPD points to its members through either attending the workshops or enrolling in UNE Partnerships’ Advanced Diploma of Management, a nationally accredited qualification.
The initial workshop “Leadership in a Climate of Change” encouraged a journey of self-discovery by undertaking a psychometric behavioural profiling exercise, indicating an individual’s preferred leadership style. Engaged group discussions identified alternative leadership styles, the value of emotional intelligence, demonstrating a range of appropriate management styles that enhance workplace relations. According to Professor Clifford Hughes, CEO of the Clinical Excellence Commission in New South Wales, who enrolled in the program and attended the first workshop, “I was mightily impressed with the way the presenter worked with a group of clinicians, not known for their ready acceptance of some of the issues raised. It was great fun, and my only regret was not being able to attend all three days. The informal discussions illustrated the way in which the presenter engaged each of the group and developed their enthusiasm, including me. More importantly, I think there is still a lot to learn.”
The second workshop “Providing Strategic Direction” focused on developing the skills and knowledge to create and implement an organisational strategy. A podcast from the College solicitor, Michael Gorton, on managing risk in litigious times (downloaded from the College website) provided a great springboard into applying risk management and strategic planning in a changing environment. A series of models and tools were explored to ensure that strategic planning, whether in a hospital setting or smaller practice, addresses the needs of the internal and external environments. The workshop was rounded out by looking at business planning in a surgical environment.
“Sustaining your business” was the final workshop concentrating on operational issues in developing and managing a business, financial management perspective of a hospital and the broader health service delivery environment. Merrilyn Smith, Manager of Professional Development for the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons said “the biggest value for surgeons in this workshop was the exploration of the language, thoughts and priorities of hospital administrators. Surgeons learnt strategies for ‘selling’ a new idea to a hospital administrator through the development of a business case. They were challenged to do this by telling a story about the problem; identifying the positive impact and costs of a new solution as well as the outcomes of doing nothing. The concept that people experience a predictable emotional cycle from anger through to acceptance when new initiatives are introduced into a workplace was new and created much discussion about common sources of resistance to change. It was an enriching professional development experience for all who attended.”
John Ross, facilitator for the series of workshops, said the people who have undertaken the program have become more confident and capable in business to complement the incredible skills they have as surgeons.
The success of these workshops has guaranteed another intake for 2010.
