Trainee Committee

The HKCA Trainee Committee conducted our 1st Annual Trainee Survey during May-June 2020. The focus was on training, learning opportunities, exam support, trainee’s welfare, workplace bullying and support during COVID-19. A total of 72 responses were received with a response rate 40%.

In summary, the majority of trainees in the survey agreed that they received high quality of teaching, while some wished for tutorials and educational activities more easily accessible for everyone. Most trainees understood the format and what is to be expected in exam, but a much smaller portion found sufficient guidance on what topics are covered in the curriculum.

Although the preparation of exam was severely affected due to the COVID pandemic, most trainees received adequate resources and support from departments during daily work. Some responses expressed wish for more trainee involvement in decision making for deployment to other specialties during the pandemic. Trainee welfare and quality of life were generally rated satisfactory or good.

The survey result was discussed in Board of Education meeting. Notably, up to 20% of trainees experienced bullying, workplace discrimination or sexual harassment. The issue has been brought up to College Council. Appropriate follow up measures to handle the issue and other similar situations in the future have been initiated. The full report of the Annual Trainee Survey 2020 is available here.

"The New Normal"

Due to the 3rd wave COVID 19 in Hong Kong, the College decided to change the 2020 second sitting examinations to online in order to keep College’s trainees, examiners and staff safe. The decisions were made in the consideration of numerous confounding factors, including the recent changes in Government’s restrictions and the practicality. To help the trainees and the administrative staff to get familiar with the online setting, an online Mock VIVA was held on 15 August 2020 and college staff set up a work station on the 5th floor lobby of the HKAM Building catering for this event.

Principles for CME/CPD Accreditation of Online Activities

With effective from 1st August 2020, CME points would be awarded to fellows who attend online CME meetings provided that the duration of online attendance must be more than 50% of total duration of the event. This arrangement is subjected to be reviewed regularly and the College reserves the right for the final decision.

In the last few months, webinars have replaced traditional face-to-face CME meetings which is the new normal we are all starting to get used to. The Academy has advised the Colleges that a reasonable degree of oversight should be in place for ensuring public accountability and the credibility of the Academy’s recognition of Fellows’ CME/CPD activities. The College had in-depth discussions among CMECPD Subcommittee, Board of Education and Council. Having an agreeable criterion was not easy in consideration of feasibility and justification, and hence it took a while to reach the resolution. The CME points of the webinars held in the first half of 2020 will be uploaded to iCMECPD within the next three months. We appreciate your patience.

RTHK Radio Interview

Prof Chi-wai Cheung, the President of the Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists was interviewed at Healthpedia on RTHK Radio One on 10 July 2020 . The interview covered the role of anaesthesiologists, Monitored Anaesthesia Care (MAC), the importance of pre-operative assessment, the myths of anaesthesia and the role of anaesthesiologists in pain medicine. To listen to the archive, please click here [part 2].

Education Sponsorship

We are pleased to announce the College Education Sponsorship Scheme which aims to enhance the quality of education within the Hong Kong College of Anaesthesiologists. It supports HKCA fellows who are pursuing enhancement of their knowledge and skills in areas such as curriculum development, examination and assessment, or faculty development for competency-based medical education, which are relevant to anaesthesia educational development within the College. This may be in the form of courses, workshops or videoconferences, but subject to panel assessment and the criteria stated in the document attached.

Successful applicants are required to fulfil the undertakings which contribute to the educational development activities within the College in the following 2 years after completion of the sponsored events. The maximum amount of financial sponsorship per applicant is $20,000, and the applicant should not have received any form of College sponsorship in the past 3 years.

We call for applications twice per year (Jan / July) with the application closing on 31 Dec and 30 Jun. Applicants should return the completed application form together with the course program/content to the HKCA secretariat.

For details, please refer to the attached documents. Both documents can also be downloaded in College website.

Survey on wellbeing

Your wellbeing is the College’s utmost concern in the face of current extreme challenging environment. The College is collaborating with Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists and you are encouraged to spend a few minutes to participate in a self-test questionnaire on the mental health. If you have already participated in this survey, it is unnecessary to participate again.
- Members or fellows at the Hospital Authority who wish to seek professional help may approach Oasis Service of HA
- Other fellows may seek assistance from the Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists

HKCA Souvenirs

To mark the College’s 30th Anniversary, a collection of accessories has been made. Should you wish to place an order, please complete the form here. For enquiries, please email us at office@hkca.edu.hk.

Certificates

The certificates of the following fellows have not been collected yet. To collect your certificate, please go to the College's Office during office hour.

FHKCA:
Li Ho Yin Adrian

DPM:
Mak Ho Kwong Peter

Link to previous TUOHY