Page 7 - ANZCP Gazette April 2021

Dear Colleagues,
Greetings from the Board. We hope 2021 is treating you well thus far and that many of the challenges faced in 2020 are behind us. Over the last year, we have proved to be a dynamic and resilient group, adapting to the uncertainty of the global pandemic on the health system, particularly as ECMO specialists. Thank you for the support and comradery you have shown during these extraordinary times.
At the end of 2020, Clarke stepped down as the Chair of the ABCP. Clarke has given so much time and energy to the Board and has a wealth of experience that I aim to draw throughout my tenure as Chair. The Board, and I’m sure the entire perfusion community, wish to thank Clarke for his tireless efforts in leading the Board over the past few years – we are so grateful to have had you guiding the education of perfusionists for so long. Clarke will stay on with the Board as the Course Coordinator and look to transition from that role as he approaches retirement. Annette Mazzone has taken on the Secretary role and is doing a stellar job so far; her high level of organisation and efficiency is obvious.
We have recently added two Kiwi’s to the Board – Alex Peterson and Ghaz Jabur – both bringing a great amount of experience and enthusiasm to the group. Alex is currently heading the University course project, consulting with the Medical University of South Carolina on our requirements and expectations of the Masters course. We are at the final stages of approval with this process and aim to transition to the MUSC course in September 2022. You all should have recently received an update on the progress. We welcome any queries that any of you may have.
The Autotransfusion Course, headed by Casey Edwards, is continuing to go from strength to strength. In February, we commenced the first course using the online learning platform. So far, everything is running smoothly and it has been a welcome decrease to the work that goes into managing the course. I would like to thank Casey for her time and effort in leading this and collaborating with the web developers to get the online platform operational. We have more improvements planned for the Autotransfusion course, with the aim to make it more interactive and engaging for students. We welcome any member who would like to refresh their Autotransfusion knowledge to try out the new online course, for free. Please contact autotrans@ anzcp.org to enrol into the May or September course.
Reminders for recertification have been distributed to everyone. The submission process is slightly different this year, with the Proforma, containing your clinical and educational activities, to be completed and uploaded to the online submission portal. This form should be able to be filled out with ease, as the fields auto-populate points allocated for each activity, making
it much easier for both the user and the administrator. We are hopeful that it will be a smooth process, however, understand that some of you may have issues with the new system. If you encounter any problems, please contact admin@anzcp.org and we will be able to assist you with your recertification. The Board acknowledge that the impact of COVID-19 caused unavoidable changes to the working conditions of many perfusionists. If you have been impacted and are finding it difficult to collect the required points for recertification please contact the Board and we will work with you to find a solution.
The first Structured Course in Clinical Perfusion (SCiCP) has commenced for 2021, with six new trainees. We look forward to educating and guiding the way for these motivated and enthusiastic budding perfusionists. A reminder that there will be an additional enrolment intake for the SCiCP course in May, as well as the usual September intake this year. At this stage, the final intake for the SCiCP course will be in February 2022, with a transition to the proposed MUSC Masters course in September 2022.
In February, four students underwent the CCP exams with the written components completed simultaneously in their home units and the viva component scheduled via a Zoom meeting. Thank you to Annette for organising a local surgeon and anaesthetist to be involved in the examination process, by all accounts it was a great experience for both the students and the examiners. Thanks also to Clarke and Andrea for coordinating the meetings and to all of the markers who have contributed to the process.
The Overseas Trained Perfusionist (OTP) pathway is continuing to be taken up by those eligible, and the whole process has been continuing to run well. We have recently made some slight changes to the OTP policy, which can be viewed on the ANZCP website. We look forward to recognising the qualifications of more OTPs in the future and welcome them to become Fellows of the College. As we grow in numbers throughout Australia and New Zealand, the recognition of the profession is increasing, particularly in New Zealand, where the Government is currently consulting industry experts to advise on the registration of clinical perfusionists.
As you can see, the Board have been very busy recently. There are a number of new projects we are working on, including a student liaison representative, who will be responsible for mentoring our trainees and ensuring they have the support they need during their traineeships. The Board meet on the first Thursday of every month – if you have any ideas or issues you would like to raise with the Board, please make contact and we’d be happy to discuss your thoughts.
ABCP REPORT
Jessica Cantrick CCP, FANZCP, ABCP Chair
APRIL 2021 | www.anzcp.org 4