The Thought Broadcast

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The RANZCP has recently stopped conducting OSCE examinations in the hope of diversifying the examination and assessment pathway. In this two part episode, recorded at the RANCZP 2023 annual congress in Perth, Dr Nick O’Connor, RANZCP Board Director and head of the RANZCP Education Committee, discusses these changes with Australasian Psychiatry’s Trainee Editor, Dr Ed Miller. The discussion ranges from the history of the RANZCP OSCE examinations, why the recent changes were enacted, and future directions for the centrally administered examinations.

Dr Nick O’Connor has been a RANZCP Board Director since 2017 and is Chair of the College’s Education Committee. In his day job, Nick is Clinical Lead of the Mental Health Patient Safety Program at the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission.

Music: https://freesound.org/people/ShadyDave/sounds/277375/ 

Logo: Sidonie Prentice

Disclaimer: 
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australian or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

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In this episode, we welcome and introduce Australasian Psychiatry’s two new Associate Trainee Editors for 2023 - Dr Ashna Basu and Dr Ed Miller. Ashna is a stage two trainee working in Sydney. Ed is a stage two trainee originally from Adelaide but now living in Auckland. Ashna and Ed discuss their backgrounds, what the interview and appointment process to the position was like, and how they look forward to contributing to both the podcast and the Australasian Psychiatry journal across 2023. Ashna and Ed are interviewed by Trainee Editor Oliver Robertson, Editorial Committee Member Michael Weightman and Deputy Editor Andrew Amos.

Music: https://freesound.org/people/ShadyDave/sounds/277375/ 

Logo: Sidonie Prentice

Disclaimer: 
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australian or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

Enjoying the podcast? Send us a text message

The second instalment from Dr Zoe Kristensen and Dr Theo McTigue shifts focus from training to treatment of trans and non-binary people. Treatment being discussed in the broadest sense of the word. With the authority of lived experience, Zoe and Theo offer a critique of psychiatry’s historical mistreatment of gender diversity, placing this in the sociocultural context of the day. They also summarise approaches to the treatment of mental illness within this vulnerable population across the globe. This conversation highlights the necessity of including their voices in creating a safer future. Zoe and Theo were interviewed by Associate Trainee Editor Michael Weightman and Trainee Editor Oliver Robertson at Congress 2022, Sydney.

There is now a support group for gender diverse trainees and fellows in RANZCP. They can be contacted via email on [email protected].

Music: https://freesound.org/people/ShadyDave/sounds/277375/ 

Logo: Sidonie Prentice

Disclaimer: 
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australian or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

Enjoying the podcast? Send us a text message

Dr Zoe Kristensen and Dr Theo McTigue are pioneers. As trans and non-binary people respectively, they are living, working, and training openly in psychiatry. In years gone by, and indeed even now, there are risks associated with this visibility. Zoe and Theo explore these in depth; being pathologized, excluded, and othered. They also speak to signals of change and of allies in unexpected places. This conversation should encourage trainees and fellows of any gender to ask, if they don’t know of any trans or non-binary trainees, why is that? Zoe and Theo were interviewed by Associate Trainee Editor Michael Weightman and Trainee Editor Oliver Robertson at Congress 2022, Sydney.

Music: https://freesound.org/people/ShadyDave/sounds/277375/ 

Logo: Sidonie Prentice

Disclaimer: 
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australian or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

Enjoying the podcast? Send us a text message

 Dr Pramudie Gunaratne is a newly appointed director of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP); the first ever from the trainee cohort. Representative of a new era in RANZCP governance, Pramudie has gone straight to work engaging stakeholders across the training region. Canvassing this trainee group has identified a deficit in trainee engagement and uncertainty around the proposed changes to trainee education. Listen as Pramudie articulates these concerns and plots various routes to a more trainee conscious future for the RANZCP. Pramudie is interviewed by interviewed by Associate Trainee Editors Michael Weightman and Bryan Bui, Deputy Editor Andrew Amos, and Trainee Editor Oliver Robertson.

Music: https://freesound.org/people/ShadyDave/sounds/277375/ 

Logo: Sidonie Prentice

Disclaimer: 
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australian or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

Enjoying the podcast? Send us a text message

A year since first release, The Thought Broadcast has discussed the Scholarly Project in detail. The aim of demystifying this learning goal has been perused, and perhaps achieved. This round table discussion revisits the lessons learned from our previous episodes on the Scholarly Project. Serving both as summary for regular listeners and an introduction for new ones. Leading the conversation is Trainee Editor Oliver Robertson, who is joined by Associate Trainee Editors Michael Weightman and Bryan Bui, along with Deputy Editor Andrew Amos.

Music: https://freesound.org/people/ShadyDave/sounds/277375/ 

Logo: Sidonie Prentice 

Disclaimer: 
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australian or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

Enjoying the podcast? Send us a text message

Starting her family in Europe, Dr Sonja Cabarkapa is taking an international approach to her psychiatry training. This requires a positive mindset and determination, both of which she employed when completing her scholarly project on profiling absconders from public and private wards in Australia. While Sonja has a global attitude to life and training, her research has a distinctly local focus. The idea forming in the aftermath of a critical incident, and the subsequent work driven by a desire to understand the factors contributing to its occurrence.  Sonja describes how research born of clinical experience comes naturally, that the skills required to complete a study are transferrable to exams, and the unexpected sense of comradery she found in more menial aspects of the work. Sonja is interviewed by Associate Trainee Editor Michael Weightman, Deputy Editor Andrew Amos and Trainee Editor Oliver Robertson.

Music: https://freesound.org/people/ShadyDave/sounds/277375/
Logo: Sidonie Prentice

Disclaimer: 
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australian or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

Enjoying the podcast? Send us a text message

Further exploring the fallout of the aborted November 2021 Audio-Visual Objective Structured Clinical Examination (AVOSCE), this episode of The Thought Broadcast considers the trainee perspective. The panel speaks to Dr Skye Kinder, a strong trainee advocate and former member of the Trainee Representative Committee (TRC).
Dr Kinder discusses the impact of the AVOSCE cancellation on trainees (especially women), perceptions of the College’s response, and constructive criticisms of the path forward around assessment. Dr Kinder also provides context behind the unprecedented mass resignation of TRC members, and identifies opportunities for enhancing the voice of trainees within the College in future.
Dr Kinder was interviewed on 17th December 2021 by Trainee Editor Oliver Robertson, and Associate Trainee Editors Bryan Bui and Michael Weightman.
Thanks to Deputy Editor Andrew Amos for acting as producer on this episode.

Music: https://freesound.org/people/ShadyDave/sounds/277375/
Logo: Sidonie Prentice

Disclaimer: 
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australian or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

Enjoying the podcast? Send us a text message

Following a series of podcasts exploring trainees’ experiences of the Scholarly Project assessment task, the latest episode of The Thought Broadcast shifts focus to the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). In response to the imbroglio arising from the failed delivery of the November 2021 audiovisual OSCE, we speak to Dr Nick O’Connor – RANZCP board member, and Chair of the Education Committee.
Dr O’Connor provides candid responses to questions relating to how and why the AVOSCE was abandoned, as well as updating listeners on alternative assessment pathways for affected candidates.
Dr O’Connor also addressed broader issues around bottlenecks in trainee progression to Fellowship and how the recently commissioned Australian Council for Education Research report may shape the future of RANZCP assessments.
Dr O’Connor is interviewed by Trainee Editor Oliver Robertson, Associate Trainee Editors Bryan Bui and Michael Weightman, and Deputy Editor Andrew Amos.
(Note: this interview was recorded on 10th December 2021, prior to the Australian Medical Council’s response to the RANZCP’s alternative assessment proposals).

Resources: https://doi.org/10.1177/1039856220984034
Music: https://freesound.org/people/ShadyDave/sounds/277375/
Logo: Sidonie Prentice

Disclaimer: 
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australian or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.

Enjoying the podcast? Send us a text message

Dr Alisha Thomson takes trainee welfare personally. Her journey from psychiatry trainee, to patient, to a career in medical administration, is the backdrop to her scholarly project looking at after-hours workflow and its impact on registrar well-being. Listen to Alisha speak passionately about her drive to build healthy and effective workplaces in Australian hospitals. She also highlights the novice investigator’s tendency for non-specific data collection and emphasises the benefits of experienced mentors. Alisha is interviewed by Associate Trainee Editor Michael Weightman, Deputy Editor Andrew Amos and Trainee Editor Oliver Robertson.

1. Thomson A, McDermott B. Psychiatry after-hours: factors impacting workload and workflow. Australasian Psychiatry. 2021;29(3):349-351. doi:10.1177/1039856220984034

Resources: https://doi.org/10.1177/1039856220984034
Music: https://freesound.org/people/ShadyDave/sounds/277375/
Logo: Sidonie Prentice

Disclaimer: 
This podcast is provided to you for information purposes only and to provide a broad public understanding of various mental health topics.  The podcast may represent the views of the author and not necessarily the views of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists ('RANZCP'). The podcast is not to be relied upon as medical advice, or as a substitute for medical advice, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement.  By accessing The RANZCP's podcasts you also agree to the full terms and conditions of the RANZCP's Website. Expert mental health information and finding a psychiatrist in Australian or New Zealand is available on the RANZCP’s Your Health In Mind Website.