Seminar 30 July 2026

 

Associate Professor Stephen Martin, Head of General Practice, SMP Academic Unit of General Practice, interest and expertise in medical education, GP workforce, 'the craft of generalism' in medicine

 

Talk description: 

 

Telehealth has become rapidly established in all areas of clinical practice since the COVID-19 pandemic.  It has become an adjunct to face to face clinical care, but it presents unique challenges for communication.

 

Using a two year Educational Research Grant from the RACGP, we have studied how best to support GPs in telehealth consultations.  We have used a series of talk-aloud qualitative interviews with GPs, as well as an environmental scan of resources available for telehealth education in Australia to identify gaps in training.  We have used this information to create resources to support and facilitate peer group learning in general practice teams, both between GP supervisors and registrars, or amongst small groups of GPs at any stage of training. 

 

When we piloted and evaluated these resources we found that near peer learning in clinical practice is an effective and acceptable way to help clinicians with telehealth communication skills.  We have developed an education website (https://telehealthprofessionaldevelopment.com/) to support GPs, with sessions that help clinicians and practices explore the complexity of telehealth.  The site is freely available for use by interested clinicians. 

 

This project is an example of a detailed needs analysis leading to a practical and comprehensive educational resource for clinicians.  By anchoring the learning in small group guided discussions, it can be kept relevant for the diversity of Australian general practices and the communities they serve.

 

 

Dr Chris Dickie. Honorary Clinical Lecturer, Director Medical and Counselling, University of Canberra; President, General Practice Registrars Australia. Specialist General Practitioner and GP academic - research interest in health systems and workforce.

 

An overview of a national mixed methods study investigating prevocational doctors and the factors that influence their career choice.

 

 

Dr Ashvini Munindradasa, GP and Lecturer in the SMP Academic Unit of General Practice

Dr Daniel Mogg, GP and Lecturer in the SMP Academic Unit of General Practice

 

Australia faces a critical GP shortage by 2032. Prior quantitative studies highlight factors influencing GP career choice at specific stages. However, career decisions are also shaped by evolving professional identity. These dynamic interactions, particularly at key transition points, remain underexplored.  

We conducted a qualitative study to explore retrospectively how factors influencing GP career decisions evolve across an individual’s training journey. We used semi-structured interviews with Australian National University medical alumni who completed both medical school and GP training within the ACT and surrounds. This unique and consistent training pathway enabled thematic analysis of influences across career stages and transition points using inductive coding. 

We found that factors influencing GP career choice evolved over time, exerting varying “push” and “pull” effects while interacting with professional identity. Nascent aspirations unfolded into early tensions between hospital and primary care and then evolved as experience grew, with values of generalism and patient-centred care emerging as key motivators. Across all stages, feeling valued, trusted, and respected, often through relationships and role models, was consistently important. 

 

In person attendance is encouraged

 

Zoom: https://anu.zoom.us/j/82644534028?pwd=qob0WiR0kmaCiarayPiPGazaq3AdeQ.1 
Meeting ID: 826 4453 4028 | Password: 134364