Principles of rotations
Basic physician trainees' rotations in Victoria are determined by the RACP, the consortia of basic physician training and the individual employing health services.
The RACP dictates the amount of time that can or must be spent in various specialties and levels of training site, for accreditation of basic physician training. These guidelines can be found online.
The consortia of basic physician training, in conjunction with individual employing health services, are responsible for the allocation of available rotations to individual basic physician trainees on an annual basis. Rotation allocation is guided by the stated preferences of individual trainees and, as far as possible, equity in the distribution of relieving, night and rural rotations among all basic physician trainees within a consortium and within an employing health service. A consortium and an employing health service may also suggest or ask that a basic physician trainee work in one or more particular rotations for training purposes; for instance, if a trainee requires additional supervision, or to ensure that a trainee works in a wide range of medical specialties over the years of his or her basic physician training.
While the RACP work independently from consortia of basic physician training and employing health services, the RACP training guidelines allow a large degree of flexibility in the rotations that can be assigned to basic physician trainees, and the consortia and employing health services are obliged to allocate rotations to trainees that are useful for their training and/or provide accredited training time.
Rotations in the Greater Western Consortium
As in other Victorian consortia of basic physician training, all trainees can expect to be rotated to a rural health service for at least 3-months. In addition, the majority of trainees employed by Melbourne Health are seconded for one 3-month rotation to Western Health and vice-versa. These external rotations take place in the first half of the BPT2 year, and the second half of the BPT3 year, to minimise any disruption to trainee's formal studies in the months preceding the RACP Part 1 exam.
Speciality rotations available to Basic Physician Trainees in the Greater Western Consortium for the 2011 clinical year include:
- Cardiology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Gastroenterology
- General Medicine
- ICU (RMH)
- Aged Care
- Palliative Care
- Rehabilitation
- Oncology
- Wodonga (General Medicine)
- Ballarat (General Medicine & Medical Specialities)
