As we approach the end of a truly busy and productive year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the highlights and share our progress as a College. I’m incredibly proud of the strides we have made together, and I hope you’ll take a moment to watch our highlights video for a more comprehensive wrap-up of the year.

Advocacy at the forefront

Advocacy remains a critical focus for us as we navigate an environment of unprecedented government intervention and regulatory change affecting our profession. One such issue is the Australian government’s push for expedited pathways for SIMGs. While we recognise the important role overseas trained surgeons play in plugging critical workforce shortages, we firmly believe a minimum of 12 months supervision is essential—particularly in technical specialties. We are working closely with other medical colleges, through our leadership within the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC), on this matter and developing our own expedited pathway to present as an alternative model to Ahpra.

You may have seen in the media the vocal stance we have taken in response to the current financial crisis within the private hospital sector. Our key arguments are that:
• the cost of providing care should be kept to a minimum
• hospitals should be fairly compensated for the service they provide
• access to surgical care should be universally available to all patients
• financial factors should not overshadow quality and safety considerations in surgery.

Global engagement 

While I’ve been heavily engaged in these critical initiatives, I enjoy taking part in meetings with peers, including the Rural Doctors Network and Australian College of Perioperative Nurses (ACORN) conference.

I’ve also had the privilege of travelling abroad, ensuring that RACS maintains a prominent presence among global surgical leaders. Some of my notable engagements included my trips to London to receive my Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) of England and Hong Kong where I was awarded a RCS of Edinburgh Fellowship Ad Hominem. Most recently I travelled to Manila for the Philippine College of Surgeons Annual Clinical Congress 2024.

As much as I enjoy meeting with other health leaders, it was a pleasure to return from the Philippines and get straight into teaching an EMST instructor course. Teaching our future trainers is something I am deeply passionate about, and it remains one of the most rewarding aspects of my role.

Financial sustainability

I am happy to say we continue to be on a firm financial footing and have been able to deliver a moderate surplus for 2024, as promised. Importantly, we’ve done this without needing to dip into our overdraft facility or raise fees for 2025—something we’re particularly proud of. It is reassuring to know we will continue on this path thanks to the financial oversight of our new skills-based Board. 

Council elections 

I want to thank each of you for your enthusiastic engagement during the Council elections. We received 21 nominations for the eight vacant positions, a clear indication of the level of interest in helping shape the future of our College. Congratulations to our new Councillors, and I look forward to seeing the great work that will come from this new leadership line up.

Expanding membership categories

Finally, as RACS continues to modernise and position the surgical profession for future success, we’ve taken important steps to expand membership categories and enhance inclusiveness. This effort aims to foster stronger connections, engagement and support to groups who have previously sat outside of our membership. We have already welcomed two groups to our membership —Trainees and vocationally registered International Medical Graduates (IMGs) in Aotearoa New Zealand who participate in our Maintenance of Professional Standards (MOPS)—and hope to add Specialist international Medical Graduates (SIMGs) on a pathway in the new year.

I want to wish you all a happy and safe holiday period. I look forward to working with you in 2025, as we continue to build on the successes of this year.

Associate Professor Kerin Fielding
President

 

 The EMST instructor course                                                               Wagga Wagga Base Hospital team