Basic Physician Training

Basic Physician Training in the Greater Western Consortium

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The Greater Western Consortium of Basic Physician Training (GWC) provides rotations at Western Health (Western Hospital, Sunshine Hospital, Williamstown Hospital) Melbourne Health (The Royal Melbourne Hospital), and Ballarat Health Service, with additional rural rotations to Wodonga Regional Health Service and Northeast Health Wangaratta 

Western Health offers a diversity of clinical experience through its three campuses involved in basic physician training.  Western Hospital is a tertiary referral hospital with a professional department of medicine.  Sunshine Hospital is a large, general hospital while Williamstown Hospital is smaller, community hospital - both provide a range of acute and subacute medical services.

BPT Training Activities at Western Health include:

  • Unit-based and departmental meetings, e.g. "Cardiology Updates" on Monday mornings, monthly Respiratory Grand Rounds, medical Grand Rounds on Friday mornings and twice-weekly clinical tutorials at Sunshine Hospital;
  • The medical HMO education program on Thursday lunchtimes, video conferenced between Western Hospital and Sunshine Hospital;
  • Short and long case tutorials and mock FRACP examinations in the months preceding the clinical exams.  In 2009, there were exchanges of trainees for these activities between Western Health, Melbourne Health and Ballarat Health Services to increase the range of patients encountered and to simulate real examination conditions more closely;
  • The RACP lecture series, received by video conference facilities in Western Hospital and Sunshine Hospital; and
  • The Consortium tutorial program for the written FRACP examinations.  For the 2009 examinations, this ran from November 2009 to February 2009.  All tutorials are video conferenced between all sites.

BPT Rotations at Western Health

While there is some intermixing of rotations, BPT2 and BPT3+ trainees at Western Health follow different rotation plans.

For BPTs doctors, internal rotations are predominantly in the medical specialties with a smaller number of rotations in General Medicine.  External rotations are to Melbourne Health, Ballarat Health Services and Wodonga Regional Health Services.  All trainees are required to complete a rural (Ballarat or Wodonga) rotation, a Relieving rotation and/or a Specialty Medicine Night rotation - but not all three - in a year.  Rural rotations are placed in the first half of the year to minimise disruption to formal FRACP examination preparation activities.

For BPT3 doctors, internal rotations are predominantly in General Medicine with a smaller number of rotations in the medical specialties.  external rotations are placed in the second half of the year to minimise disruption to formal FRACP examination preparation activities.

To ensure that Trainees are able to experience a broad range of internal medicine, rotations are available in the specialities listed below:
Cardiology
Respiratory Medicine
Nephrology
Neurology
Gastroenterology
General Medicine
ICU
Medical Assessment and Planning (MAPU)
Aged Care
Palliative Care
Rehabilitation
Oncology.

 With a variety of roations available, trainees are abel to experience a broad range of general and subspecialty medicine.  All basic physician trainees are required to undertake a rural, a relieving and/or a 'nights' rotation.  All rotations are distributed among trainees as equitably as possible.

For further information on the GWC please go to www.gwconsortium.com.au

For any enquiries please contact:     Lucy O'Brien, Manager Greater Western Consortium via (03) 8345 7195 or Lucy.OBrien@wh.org.au