INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER
Issue 4, May 2014
Welcome to the fourth edition of the Royal College of
Physicians of Edinburgh International Newsletter.
From the President
I am delighted to have taken up post as President of the
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) and
look forward to working with many of you to address the
challenges facing the medical profession internationally,
including the shortage of trained doctors.
In my first week as President, I flew to Australia as part of
a pre-arranged visit studying emergency and acute care,
and took the opportunity to meet our Fellows there in a
Roll Signing Ceremony.
of Internal Medicine. It was an honour for the RCPE
to be involved in this highly educational event and I
wish to offer my personal thanks to the organisers.
You can read more on the event overleaf and at:
http://www.internalmedicine-jo.com
I would like to thank all those working with the RCPE in
supporting the MRCP and enabling Edinburgh to be the
largest MRCP examination centre in the world.
I hope to see the continued expansion of our educational
opportunities for our international Fellows and
Members, and look forward to working alongside you in
the coming years.
Professor Derek Bell
President, RCPE
Left: Professor Bell with Dr James Williamson, signing the College Roll.
Right: Professor Bell with Australian OSRA, Dr Roger Warne.
At this traditional ceremony, I had the pleasure of meeting
Dr Roger Warne, the College’s Overseas Regional Adviser
for Western Australia and the Northern Territory, who
has been a regular visitor to the College in Edinburgh,
attending the popular Edinburgh International Course
in Medicine of the Older Adult and other symposia. You
can read more about our educational events at:
http://events.rcpe.ac.uk/
Our Journal continues to consolidate its position as
a high-quality, open-access international publication
of value to all with an interest in medicine. The newly
appointed editorial team will be continuing this work,
both in print and online. We encourage all our Fellows
and Members to submit cross-specialty material of
clinical, educational and historical interest for our
international readership.
In April, Dr Nicki Colledge, RCPE Director of Education,
and a faculty arranged by Dr Arun Chaudhuri represented
the College at the 12th International Jordanian
Conference of Internal Medicine, a collaborative
event between the RCPE and the Jordanian Society
Health Systems and Services in Canada
It has been said that Canada is a great country but needs
editing! With a population of over 35 million, delivering
care across the world’s second largest country is both
fascinating and challenging. Alberta Hospital, for
example, has a referral area encompassing thousands of
square kilometres. The sheer size of the system means
that, despite an expectation of equal, comprehensive
and timely care, the system is perpetually stressed.
While most Canadians are polite and reasonable,
they are losing patience with a system that addresses
too many problems with ever-increasing top-down
administration.
That being said, Canadian practitioners are generally
content (well, as content as doctors ever are!). This is
fortunate as it is difficult to move between jurisdictions
– healthcare is provincially rather than federally
administered. Each province requires a laborious and
eye-wateringly expensive licence. Qualified overseas
practitioners who chase the ‘Canadian dream’ are
also greeted with re-examination and voluminous
paperwork: wimps need not apply! French language
proficiency is only expected in Quebec and New
Brunswick – though fluency in ice hockey is required
nationwide!
Canadian
Medical
Education
mirrors
other
Commonwealth systems and also trains many family
physicians whose goal is primary care and prudent
gatekeeping. Depending on your optimism or pessimism,
it can be said to combine the best or worst of American
and British healthcare systems. This helps explain a
hybrid system where doctors are self-employed but
the system is public, and where ethical dilemmas rely
upon debate rather than imperatives. Ultimately the
Canadian system is a fascinating, complex compromise
that should not work but seems to manage well… much
like Canada itself.
Professor Peter G. Brindley
MD, FRCPC, FRCP(Edin)
Consultant and Professor, Critical
Medicine, University of Alberta, Canada
Care
and papers. It was an honour to have Princess Basma
opening the ceremony. In her speech she mentioned
the valued relationship between Edinburgh and Jordan.
Dr Nicki Colledge, Director of Medical Education RCPE,
addressed the conference on behalf of the President of
the College and stressed the continued commitment of
RCPE to establish strong educational links with Fellows
and Members across the world to share learning and
provide training opportunities in the United Kingdom
through the MTI scheme.
The conference was a resounding success and attracted
a distinguished audience of 531 delegates from 17
countries, including Jordan, neighbouring Arab
countries, Ukraine and India. Lectures were interactive
and feedback was very positive. There were plenty of
opportunities for networking and sharing of knowledge
during lunch and coffee breaks. RCPE Fellows enjoyed
wonderful hospitality from the Society of Internal
Medicine in Jordan which is rich in its historical sites
that go back to different civilisations.
12th International Jordanian Conference of
Internal Medicine
Monday 21 - Thursday 24 April 2014 // Amman, Jordan
At the invitation of the Jordanian Society of Internal
Medicine, RCPE sent a faculty of speakers to the 12th
International Jordanian Conference of Internal Medicine
in April this year. The conference was held under the
Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Basma
Bint Talal. The Conference was organised by Dr. Nayef
Abdallat, MD, FRCP (Ed), President of the Jordanian
Society of Internal Medicine. The Chairman of Scientific
Committee Professor Ghnaimat (RCPE OSRA), the
meeting directors and RCPE Fellow Dr Arun Chaudhuri
prepared a thorough and comprehensive scientific
programme covering all subspecialties of Internal
Medicine.
Dr Nicki Colledge (RCPE Director of Education, left) and the conference
audience in Amman, Jordan (right)
It was a memorable experience for the Fellows to visit
Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world, and to
spend one night in the beduin camps in spectacular
Wadi Rum. RCPE honours our strong academic links
with Jordan and is looking forward to further future
developments.
Dr Arun Chaudhuri
Consultant Physician, Dundee & IDG, RCPE
MSc in Internal Medicine – Scholarships
Dr Nicki Colledge (RCPE Director of Education, left) with Professor
Mohammed Ghnaimat (RCPE OSRA, centre), greeting HRH Princess
Basma Bint Talal (right)
The conference featured plenary lectures by renowned
local and regional speakers in conjunction with 13
Fellows from RCPE, as well as workshops, posters
The MSc in Internal Medicine is an on-line distance
learning course, completed part-time over three
years. It is delivered by the University of Edinburgh, in
partnership with the RCPE. With a clinical curriculum
which complements the syllabus for MRCP (UK), the MSc
in Internal Medicine is aimed at doctors in their early
careers. With a studentship spanning 35 countries, the
programme is delivered online with tutor support and
guidance.
RCPE offers scholarships for entry to the programme.
Jose Humphreys, an MSc (Internal Medicine) student
from Antigua and Barbuda, was successful in attaining
an RCPE Scholarship for this:
“I started on the programme in September 2012 and cannot
fully express the depth and width of exposure I have been
privy to. Coming from a small developing country where
access to quality postgraduate medical education is limited
and/or unreachable by most, I have been truly fortunate to
be a part of this programme.
When I look back just a year ago, I can confidently assert
that I am better prepared today than I was then and the MSc
(Internal Medicine) programme offered by the University of
Edinburgh and the RCPE has given me a new lease on life by
providing me with this excellent opportunity to realize and
appreciate my dreams. I look forward to starting another
exciting year. Thank you!”
The application process for 2014 entry is now open
and closes on 30 June 2014. Further details about the
scholarships for this can be found on our web pages at:
www.rcpe.ac.uk/education-support/msc-internal-medicine
Further details on the MSc itself can be found on the
University website. If you would like to discuss the
course, please email: [email protected]
Webstreaming
Since announcing free access to our live webstreams for
all international delegates, we have been delighted to
welcome 7 new sites hosting our education programme:
• University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
• Nyala Teaching Hospital, Nyala, Sudan
• HKU-Shenzhen Hospital, Hong Kong
• UCSI University, Kuala Trengganu, Malaysia
• Kurdistan Board for Medical Specialities, Arbil, Kurdistan
• Patan Hospital and Patan Academy of Health Sciences,
Lalitpur, Nepal
• Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi,
Pakistan
Our colleagues around the world are able to participate
in our events by emailing questions for speakers and
discussing on social media, leading to a truly international
atmosphere here at the College in Edinburgh.
If there is presently no webstreaming site near you and
your hospital or university may be interested in linking
to our events for free, please contact Bryony Jackson
([email protected]) for more information.
Audiences at our webstreaming sites in Hong Kong (top left), Pakistan
(Lahore top right, Karachi bottom left), and Sudan (bottom right)
Online Education Portal
http://learning.rcpe.ac.uk
The RCPE Online Education Portal continues to provide
valuable and varied educational material to keep all our
Fellows and Members up to date, wherever they may be.
New content is added every month.
We are increasing the number of symposium lectures
available and have recently launched our new
Challenging Cases section. If you have a challenging
or interesting case you would like to submit to the
portal then contact our Online Education Manager, Siân
Jarman ([email protected]).
Interactive Specialty Modules, with articles, cases,
quizzes, and self-assessment allow you to gain a
completion certificate for each module.
All new lecture material is now accessible on mobile
and tablet devices, including iPhone and iPad, and we
are working to convert older material to these more
accessible formats.
Don’t miss out - log on at http://learning.rcpe.ac.uk
using your College username and password. If you need
a reminder of your username and password, please
email: [email protected]
PACES in Myanmar
On Monday 25th of November 2013, at precisely 9am, a
bell rang in New Yangon General Hospital to signal the
start of the first day of the MRCP(UK) PACES examination
in Myanmar.
There has been a long standing relationship between the
RCPE and Myanmar and a steady increase in the number
of candidates sitting the various parts of MRCP(UK).
A written centre has been established in Yangon for
several years, but candidates wishing to sit PACES were
required to travel out of the country, most recently to
reserved places in centres in India.
memorable by the attendance of nobel laureate Daw
Aung Sang Suu Kyi, who spoke passionately of her
desire to develop healthcare in the country and warmly
thanked the Federation, MRCP(UK) and the visiting team
for bringing the PACES examination to Yangon.
Professor Nyunt Thein, former Professor and Head of
Department of Medicine at the University of Yangon,
has been a strong advocate for the development of
the examination in Myanmar and a frequent visitor to
Edinburgh, often to examine in PACES at the Clinical
Skills Assessment Centre, and the establishment of
the new centre in Yangon owes much to his personal
enthusiasm, energy and commitment.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi greets Dr Deepak Dwarakanath (RCPE Secretary)
Medical training and education is in renaissance in
Myanmar with many young graduates seeking to
emulate the high standards of knowledge, clinical
skills and practice of their predecessors. The MRCP(UK)
examination will help to support trainees in medicine to
attain those aims and the new Yangon General Centre is
undoubtedly set to flourish in coming years.
The visiting team of UK examiners with local clinicians
After discussions with MRCP(UK) Associate Medical
Director Dr Lawrence McAlpine in 2012, and a fact
finding visit by the RCPE in 2013, a pathfinder visit and
mock examination took place in July 2013. It was clear
that all the elements of a successful centre were already
in place. The physical facilities in New Yangon General
were excellent, a large patient database had been
constructed, and sufficient supporting medical, nursing
staff and lay people to act as surrogates identified.
The first three-day examination in November 2013 was
an outstanding success. The visiting team of six UK
examiners worked with eleven local clinicians over the
three days of the examination. 45 candidates appeared,
of whom around one half passed.
Hospitality was gracious and plentiful – visiting
examiners were met personally at the airport by
Professor Thein and his team, and treated to wonderful
local cuisine, a boat trip on the Irrawaddy river, and a
visit to the magnificent Golden Shwedagon Pagoda. The
visiting team met with Dr Pe Thet Khin, Minister of Health,
and the official Federation dinner was made particularly
Dr Andrew T Elder, FRCP(Edin)
Consultant in Acute Medicine of Older
Age, Edinburgh, and Chair of The Clinical
Examining Board (PACES) of MRCP(UK)
Update on Medical Training Initiative (MTI)
The trainees who are in placements in the UK continue
to do well, and a number of new training vacancies
are expected to become available shortly. We would
particularly welcome CVs from trainees interested in
gaining up to two years of higher-specialty training
in Acute Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes,
Geriatric Medicine, and Renal Medicine. There may
also be opportunities in Cardiology, Rheumatology and
Gastroenterology.
We don’t yet know about Respiratory Medicine, Clinical
Oncology and Medical Oncology – please keep an eye
on our website for updates if you/your trainees may be
interested in these specialties.
Information about MTI is available on our website at:
www.rcpe.ac.uk/careers-training/medical-training-initiative
http://learning.rcpe.ac.uk

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