Basic Physician Training

The SWSLHD Physician Training Unit works within the Department of Medicine to facilitate the education and professional growth of medical registrars. The aim is to train high-quality medical professionals within the framework of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) to become qualified specialist physicians. Please visit www.racp.edu.au to find more information about the college.
The Unit has two levels of medical trainees under its supervision:

Basic Physician Trainees (BPTs)
Advanced Trainees (ATs)

Basic Physician Training (BPT)

The BPT training starts as early as Post Graduate Year 2 (PGY2), equivalent to Resident Medical Officer Year 1 (RMO 1). The RACP program encourages all medical officers with an interest in physician training to register with the college into the formal training program “Physician Readiness for Expert Practice (PREP). The BPT training program is three years in duration with the third year focused on formal examinations, including both a written and clinical exam.

The BPTs at Fairfield Hospital are assigned to work within specialist medical teams under the supervision of Staff Specialists and Visiting Medical Officers. The roles assigned to the BPTs can vary within departments including ward duty, consultation service and review of patients in the emergency department and outpatient clinics.
The range of specialty experience on offer at Fairfield Hospital includes:

Cardiology
Respiratory
Gastroenterology
Critical Care Medicine (Emergency Medicine, High Dependency and Anaesthetics)
Neurology
Endocrinology
Immunology/Rheumatology
Aged Care
Infectious Disease and Ambulatory Care
Palliative Care
Medical Admissions Unit (MAU)

SWSLHD Hospitals are unique in their training, without any rural or remote secondment; Medical Registrars rotate between Fairfield, Liverpool, Bankstown and Campbelltown Hospitals.

The Educational Program

The SWSLHD Physician Training Unit has an active educational program designed specially to train our BPTs to sit the FRACP Part 1 exams.

The Written Examination Program includes:

Sub-specialty lectures series: Held weekly in the year leading up to the written examination
Weekly journal club with intensive medical literature reviews directed at preparing for the written examination
Physician Education Program (PEP) lectures delivered via videoconference to the Hospital on a weekly basis
Active specialist involvement as Educational Supervisors and Professional Development Advisors
Allocated time off to attend a two-week intensive preparation course
Several written Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) trial exams
Intensive MCQ Review Series prior to the exam

The Clinical Examination Program includes:

Daily short cases
Dedicated weekend short cases with experienced physicians from all medical disciplines
Rostered long case roster
Individual BPTs have mentors assigned
'Scorpios' subspecialty-based short cases to demonstrate focused clinical examination
Long case Master classes
Arranged exposures with other hospitals (organised on an individual basis)

Dedicated Facilities

The SWSLHD Physician Training Unit can access the newly developed Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre part of the UNSW Clinical School to train in specific skills such as Advanced Life Support and bedside medical procedures.

The SWSLHD Physician Training Unit is located at Liverpool Hospital on Level 2 of the Clinical Services Building within the Medical Education and Research Precinct. It located alongside the UNSW Faculty of Medicine South Western Sydney Clinical School offices. Access is via Lift A from Entrance A of Liverpool Hospital.

Resident Medical Officer Room

There is also access to the Resident Medical Officers room which has study areas, overnight rooms and bathroom facilities.

Staff

The Physician Training Unit is run within the Department of Medicine at Fairfield Hospital. At Fairfield BPT Training is supervised by:

Dr Ibrahim Hanna		Dr Davin Prasetyo
Director of Physician Training 02 9616 8111		Deputy Director of Physician Training 02 9616 8111