Philip Truskett, RACS President — Philip Truskett inherits a substantial range of issues as he steps up to his new role as College President. Included among them, the professionalism of surgeons, the Building Respect Campaign, sustainability and the impact of surgical behaviour and practice on the health system more broadly, a focus on indigenous health, and process transparency.

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Spencer Beasley, Vice President, RACS — Sharing the load with Philip Truskett now is newly elected Vice-President Spencer Beasley. Based in Christchurch New Zealand, Spencer Beasley says his priorities include providing oversight to the Building Respect, Improving Patient Safety Campaign, relationship-building both within and outside the College, and numerous advocacy initiatives.

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Catherine Ferguson, Chair, Code of Conduct Working Party, RACS — Great weight has been placed on the revised Code of Conduct for all Fellows and Trainees of the College to help guide surgeons at all times in the way they behave and operate. And its recent update reflects a determination on the part of the College to keep the code relevant and contemporary as new issues emerge to challenge the high standards of the profession.

Catherine Ferguson led the working party charged with updating the code and she discusses why she believes a Code of Conduct is so important to the College and everything it stands for.

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Julian Smith, Immediate Past Chair, Professional Development and Standards Board, RACS — As surgeons move through their long careers, there are certain times when they may need additional support - be it as a young Fellow starting out, to mid-career dilemmas, to surgeons with a long career behind them, now starting to look at life beyond work.

Recognising this, the College has developed and launched a new Surgical Career Transitions Guide.

The Guide addresses common themes that surgeons experience at distinct phases in their working lives. And an important feature of the Guide is more than 200 video-interviews with surgeons, highlighting career challenges and pointing surgeons towards the strategies and resources that can help at each step along the way.

Julian Smith explains more about the Guide and the three career transition stages it focusses on in particular.

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Michael Gorton, College Solicitor — We’re all aware of the hackers and scammers that can play havoc with our computer systems. But how active are we in making sure that our files – all of them - are carefully protected from cyber attack?

It’s an issue on the mind of Michael Gorton as he considers the very sensitive nature of medical records and patient histories, and the obligations of surgeons to make sure their files are safe.

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Mark Kynaston, Smith Coffey Financial Management — During the past year, the Australian Tax Office has issued new guidelines as to how they intend to monitor tax compliance for professional practices. It’s a complex area, not widely understood even within the tax and accounting industry – but it’s one that should be of paramount importance to medical professionals.

Mark Kynaston of Perth-based tax and financial advisors, Smith Coffey — part of the Bongiorno National Network — uses the metaphor “swim between the flags” when referring to the assessment of Personal Services Income.