Health System

Job-ready clinical trial interns

The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Alliance, or VCCC Alliance for short, is a Victorian partnership of 10 research, academic and clinical institutions looking at improving cancer outcomes for patients.

The VCCC Alliance SKILLED clinical trial internships program is a pathway for scientists to build role-specific clinical trial knowledge, experience and in a clinical trials unit through theoretical and on-the-job training. The internship program is a 40 week intensive program to get science student interns job ready for clinical trial assistant and study coordinator internship roles.

Warning signs of substance abuse and addiction

Tara Hurster, is the CEO of The TARA Clinic and a psychologist who started working within the area of addiction in 2010. The TARA clinic, short for Therapeutic Addiction Recovery Assistance, recently started offering online programs to overcome and recover from addiction.

Tara spoke with Australian Health Journal about the early warning signs of anxiety and stress in health staff and executives, including irritability, changes in sleep patterns and diet leading to more serious mental health decline. These behaviours and symptoms increase the risk of substance abuse that could take the form of excessive smoking, drinking alcohol and drug use, porn, sex and gambling.

Belonging in a medical device company

Edith de Boer is the HR Director for Zimmer Biomet in Australia and New Zealand. Her career originally was in telecommunications and consulting in Europe. After leaving The Netherlands, Edith worked into the Australian medical research industry, before moving into a human resources role at Zimmer Biomet. Edith spoke to Australian Health Journal about her role and the organisation.

Student nurse placements in primary health care

With an urgent need to manage increasing rates of chronic disease, an ageing population, and a rapidly-ageing primary health care nurse workforce, Australia desperately needs more primary health care nurses to enter the workforce before the current generation retires and cannot pass on its skills.

Most nurses start their career in a hospital. Historically, it was difficult for universities and tertiary education providers to arrange placements for student nurses in primary health care. However, the APNA Student Nurse Placement Program provides student nurses with a foot in the door to a career in vibrant primary health care settings such as general practice or community health to perform supervised activities.

Jack Lancaster, Evolution Surgical

Continuing the Australian Health Journal, People In Health Care series is Jack Lancaster, the CEO of Evolution Surgical, an Australian owned company established in 2014, specialising in spinal fusion implants and custom instrumentation.

Jack talks about how the company works closely with surgeons to design custom solutions manufactured to surgical requirements, and ultimately, to the benefit of the Australia patient.

Nuclear medicine funding a win for men with prostate cancer

Australian men with higher risk prostate cancer now have access to a nuclear medicine scan to help detect and treat metastatic disease, after it was listed on the Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS) from 1st July 2022.

In 2021 over 18,000 Australian men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, resulting in over 3,000 lives being lost – and making prostate cancer Australia’s second most common cause of cancer death in men.

Australian Health Journal spoke with AANMS President Associate Professor Sze Ting Lee and Dr Geoff Schembri on the MBS listing and the efforts to get it listed.

Sharing the same goals in value-based procurement

Value-based procurement (VBP) is a journey, not a sprint. It’s about putting the patient at the centre of quality affordable healthcare through changes in procurement practices for medical technologies. Patient outcomes drive value and sustainability, not just price. The bigger picture indicates that VBP will create system cost saving through benefitting patients, rather than trying to attain the reverse – a win-win outcome.

Values in Workplace Culture

Professor Sabe Sabesan, is the Clinical Dean of the Townsville Regional Medical Training network incorporating the Townsville Hospital and Health Services and the Townsville Clinical School of the James Cook University and the director of the department of Medical oncology at the Townsville Cancer Centre, Townsville Hospital.

The Professor recently wrote, “Workforce wellness and engagement have become buzzwords in healthcare settings since there is an intimate relationship between staff wellbeing and performance of the healthcare system. Wellness initiatives such as wellness champions and wellness committees have been set up in response to emerging workforce mental health issues. These are largely reactive rather than being proactive in addressing or preventing the root cause of mental health issues.”

Budget22 A mixed dose of health outcomes

Australian Health Journal met with a number of industry heads after the budget on their journeys so far in lobbying for change, their achievements, some of the disappointments and their thoughts on the road ahead, with an election round the corner.

Being Part of the New Health Frontier

In November last year, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport delivered its bipartisan report “The New Frontier: Delivering better health for all Australians” on the approval processes for new drugs and novel medical technologies in Australia.

Australian Health Journal spoke to some of the industry bodies who were part of the Inquiry, for their comments on the process, the report and hopes in the recommendations being implemented.

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