Basic physician training in Western Health
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 professorial department of medicine. Sunshine Hospital is a large, general hospital while Williamstown Hospital is a smaller, community hospital - both provide a range of acute and subacute medical services.
Basic physician training activities in 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 (Padua Room) and Sunshine Hospital (Seminar Room); Short and long case tutorials and mock FRACP examinations in the months preceding the clinical exams. In 2010, 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 (Padua Room) and Sunshine Hospital (Seminar Room);
- The Consortium tutorial program for the written FRACP examinations. For the 2010 examinations, this ran from November 2009 to February 2010. Nearly all tutorials were held at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and video conferenced to the Western Hospital (both Footscray and Sunshine Campuses); and
- ALS refresher course for those BPT’s doing a rural term as medical registrars. Course involves some didactic teaching, hands-on equipment familiarization, and cardiac arrest simulations.
The Director of Physician Training of Western Health is Dr John Mulder. Contact via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Basic physician trainee rotations in Western Health
While there is some intermixing of rotations, BPT2 and BPT3 trainees at Western Health follow different rotation plans. For BPT2 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 Service and Wodonga Regional Health Service. 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 the 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 to Melbourne Health, Ballarat and Wodonga. All trainees are required to complete a rural rotation and/or a Relieving rotation in the year. Rural rotations are placed in the second half of the year to minimise disruption to formal FRACP examination preparation activities.
Basic physician trainees in Western Health should direct workforce enquiries to Stephanie Faragher at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Administration Officer Greater Western Consortium.
