Training Manual 2020

PRE-SET
TRAINING MANUAL
2020
INDEX
WELCOME........................................................ 4
MR MICHAEL HII ................................................................................ 5
MR SIMON BANTING.......................................................................... 6
PROF PETER CHOONG....................................................................... 7
DR TEAGAN FINK................................................................................. 7
DR ALISON BROWNING...................................................................... 7
PRE-SE T SURGICAL COMMIT TEE 2020 ............. 8
SURGICAN UNITS STAFF MEMBERS.................12

ST VINCENT'S HOSPITAL SURGICAL HEADS OF UNIT................. 13
ST VINCENT'S HOSPITAL SURGICAL DEPARTMENTS................. 13
SURGICAL RESIDENTS AND UNACCREDITED
REGISTRARS...................................................................................... 14
ST VINCENT'S HOSPITAL TEACHING

PROGRAMS. . ...................................................16
WEEKLY SURGICAL EDUCATION..................................................... 17
SURGICAL ESSENTIALS FOR RESIDENT PROGRAM..................... 18
REGISTRAR READY........................................................................... 19
GENERIC SURGICAL SCIENCES EXAM PREPARATION
COURSE ............................................................................................. 19
GENERAL SURGERY TRAINING....................................................... 19
WET SKILLS LABORATORY
ST VINCENT’S HOSPITAL CLINICAL

SCHOOL. . ........................................................20
WELCOME FROM ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR TSE........................... 21
STUDENT TEACHING PROGRAM.................................................... 22
PAGE 2 PRE-SET TRAINING MANUAL 2020

RESEARCH AT ST VINCENT’S HOSPITAL........... 4
RESEARCH COORDINATOR................................................................ 5
ST VINCENT’S PRE-SET SURGICAL SOCIETY RESEARCH
SCHOLARSHIPS.................................................................................. 6
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES............................................................. 7
ST VINCENT’S HOSPITAL SURGICAL FORUM..... 8
SE T APPLICATIONS AT ST VINCENT’S.............12
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICATION AND
SELECTION......................................................................................... 13
GENERAL TIMELINE FOR SET APPLICATIONS.............................. 13
SET SEMI-STRUCTURE INTERVIEW PRACTISE............................. 14
SET INTERVIEW PRACTISE CLUB................................................... 15
ST VINCENT’S PRE-SE T SOCIE T Y

SOCIAL CALENDAR.........................................16
TIME OUT GALA BALL...................................................................... 17
WELLBEING NIGHT........................................................................... 18
SURGICAL LUNCH............................................................................. 19
PREVIOUS SURGICAL SOCIE T Y

COMMIT TEES . . ................................................24
PRE-SET COMMITTEE 2019............................................................. 25
PRE-SET TRAINING MANUAL 2020 PAGE 3

WELCOME
mr michael hii
SUPERVISOR OF PRE-SET TRAINING
W elco me t o p re-S ET t raining at St Vincent ’s

H o sp it al 2020.
I’m really lo o k ing fo rw ard t o a b ig y ear, w o rk ing o n

the g ains w e’v e mad e in t raining and mo v ing fo rw ard
w i th so me key ch ang es. Lo o k ing b ack , 2019 w as a
strong g ro w t h y ear. Th e p re-S ET p ro g ram mo v ed
forward , h as b eco me slo w ly mo re ent rench ed in t h e
cu l tu re and w e’v e t w eaked t h e fo rmat o n t h e b ack
of s ome grea t fe edba ck from su rgeo ns and t rainees. I feel it h as g ro w n in ut ilit y,
but we were a l so ke en to si m pl i fy som e o f t h e p ro cesses t o make t h e t each ing easier
to fit around the w orkda y. We ha d so lid successes aro und ap p licat io n t ime w it h 15
St Vinc ent ’s tra i n e es obta i n i n g SET int erv iew s and 7 w ere o ffered ( and accep t ed )
advanc ed tra i n i n g posi ti on s. Thi s w a s an o ut st and ing result fo r us.
There are som e sm a l l bu t m ea n i n gfu l ch ang es p lanned fo r 2020 w h ich I h o p e w ill

amplify wh a t w e a re doi n g i n the pre-S ET sp ace. S o me o f t h ese includ e inco rp o rat ing
the ‘ s enior fe l l ow ’ rol e i n to the pre-S ET co mmitt ee fo r ad d it io nal exp ert ise and
s uppor t, a g rea te r em pha si s on SET i n t erv iew p rep arat io n, and t h e ad d it io n o f a seco nd
s uper vis or of pre -SET tra i n i n g. I’m a l s o really excit ed ab o ut o ur inaug ural St Vincent ’s
Surgic al Gam e s. Thi s w i l l be a grea t w ay t o learn and t est sk ills and a fun w ay t o
c ompare op era ti n g a bi l i ty ou tsi de of t h e st ressful o p erat ing t h eat re env iro nment .
I want to tha n k Tea ga n for her fa n ta sti c w o rk in 2019. S h e really g av e 100% t o h er ro le

as c hief resi de n t a n d ra n a fa n ta sti c h ig h o ut p ut co mmitt ee. O f co urse, I ack no w led g e
that it ’s real l y n ot possi bl e to ru n su ch a fant ast ic t each ing and so cial p ro g ram w it h o ut
a s trong pre -SET com m i ttee. I w i sh Teag an and all t h e t eam fro m 2019 all t h e b est fo r
this new yea r.
Finally, I’ d l i ke to re m i n d you tha t the t raining p ro g ram is larg ely d esig ned b y t rainees
for trainees. A l ot of the best su ggestio ns fo r imp ro v ing t h e st ruct ure h av e co me fro m
our j unior doctors. I con ti n u e to stro ng ly enco urag e all o f y o u t o co mmunicat e w it h
us either vi a you r com m i ttee, you r chief surg ical resid ent o r d irect ly w it h my self. We
are ver y en thu si a sti c a bou t i n corpora t ing furt h er sug g est io ns and id eas t o co nt inue
to improve.
I really hop e tha t you e n joy you r tra i ning exp erience at St Vincent ’s and I lo o k fo rw ard
to wor king w i th m a n y of you pe rson a lly.

WELCOME
MR SIMON BANTING
HEAD, DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY
W elcome to the surgical training program of 2020.
We continue to work on improving the success rates of SET

applications, with further advancement in research; interview
training and improved rostering to fulfil the RACS requirements.
Alison Browning has been appointed as Chief Surgical Resident.
Alison and her team continue to advance the formalised teaching
sessions.
Surgical training at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne continues to go from strength to strength, and
we look forward to welcoming you to be part of this program.

WELCOME
PROFESSOR PETER CHOONG
Sir Hugh Devine Chair of Surgery
Head, University of Melbourne Department of
Surgery
S t V i n c e n t ’s H o s p i ta l , M e l b o u r n e
W elcome to the Department of Surgery at St. Vincent’s

Hospital. This is a major hub of the University of Melbourne
surgical network. Exciting opportunities exist here to pursue a
career in academic surgery, to do research, to learn how to teach
or simply to push yourself to discover more about surgery as a
resident, registrar or fellow. All of this is aimed at making you a
better doctor and giving your patients better outcomes.
With a strong tradition of surgery dating back to the founding of the Royal Australasian College of
Surgeons just a few metres from the Hospital, St. Vincent’s is a key training hospital for all surgical
specialities. The University of Melbourne Department of Surgery provides an extra layer of support for
all surgical aspirants and can help you build a strong career in surgery with advice, mentorship and
supervision from world class surgeons.
The Department of Surgery offers higher degree research opportunities for many specialty disciplines
including Honours, Masters and Doctorate level research. Discover where your passion lies by
spending a few moments with senior surgeons discussing course directions and opportunities. The
Melbourne Medical School now offers guidance about the Academic Clinician pathway and how this
can be developed through your resident and registrar journey.
The University of Melbourne Department of Surgery is a broad network of surgical departments

situated at 6 major sites around Melbourne, namely St. Vincent’s Hospital, Royal Eye and Ear Hospital,
Royal Melbourne Hospital, Western and Sunshine Hospital, Austin and Repatriation Hospital, Northern
Hospital. These departments drive research that covers the majority of surgical specialties. Themes
include but are not limited to bioengineering and medical devices, tissue engineering, basic biology,
cancer, outcomes and prognostic factors, epidemiology and hospital services research, surgical
technique and health economics. Research in the Department of Surgery emphasises a collaborative
multidisciplinary approach that combines quantitative and qualitative aspects.
The door is always open in the Department of Surgery at St. Vincent’s to discuss your future career in
surgery whether it is a small project, a higher degree, a career move or just simply to stay connected.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me or stop me in the corridor if you wish to open up a conversation of
how the Department of Surgery can help you.

WELCOME
Dr TEGAN FINK
Chief Surgical Resident 2019
A s the outgoing Chief Surgical Resident I wish to share

a big congratulations on your appointment as a pre-
SET surgical trainee at St Vincent’s Hospital in 2020 and
welcome to the team!
It has been a privilege to lead an inspiring team of

ten executive committee members and I want to say a
big thank you to all of you for making the dream work,
together we have achieved some incredible heights in
2019! A huge thank you also to Mr Michael Hii, the Supervisor of Pre-SET Training. It is under
his guidance and support that we get to take so many leaps and initiatives in developing our
surgical training program year after year. Mr Hii’s championship of our mission and goals cannot
be underestimated.
The St Vincent’s Melbourne Pre SET Surgical Society (SVM PSSS) is in its fourth year and has
developed a unique educational, social and professional development training program for pre-
vocational doctors, one that no other health system has established. At the heart of St Vincent’s
is an empowering cultural of excellence and education, and I encourage you to take part in the
strong educational programs that the SVM PSSS hosts each year, as well as mentor and teach
University of Melbourne medical students through the tutoring program.
As the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons competencies highlight, it is not sufficient to be

technically sound trainees; we must nurture our scholar, education, professionalism, leadership
skills, and most importantly our sense of community as we journey through each stage of surgical
training. With SET applications more competitive than ever it is imperative that St Vincent’s
trainees foster the development of comprehensive attributes in order to stand out from the sea of
applicants, and the SVM PSSS will help get you there.
Surgical training is a demanding career pathway and it is essential that we build relationships
with our colleagues in a relaxed and social environment. Always remember that you are not alone
in the struggles and challenges of training, with the Executive Committee and Chief Surgical
Resident available to talk anytime.
I look forward to seeing what Dr Alison Browning, Chief Surgical Resident in 2020 and her
committee achieves next year, it is a great source of pride to know the SVM PSSS is in such capable
hands and promises to remain a sustainable program for years to come. I encourage all of you to
actively take part in all aspects of the pre-SET surgical training program at St. Vincent’s and you
will be sure to do well in your career progression.
Best of luck!

WELCOME
DR ALISON BROWNING
Chief Surgical Resident 2020
A s the incoming chief surgical resident, I would like to

celebrate our returning surgical doctors and welcome
our new doctors to St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. Having
worked across a number of health networks before coming
to St Vincent’s in 2019, I can see how the pre-SET society is a
strong asset to junior doctors at St Vincent’s Hospital, and I
am privileged to have the opportunity to lead the committee
as Chief Surgical Resident in 2020.
2020 will be the fourth year for this society, and we are looking forward to sustaining a number of
our previously successful programs, expanding or honing others, and hoping to bring a number of
new initiatives to pre-SET trainees at St Vincent’s Hospital in the year to come.
Exciting new programs we are launching in 2020 include a SET Interview Club, to help applicants
improve interview technique, and the inaugural St Vincent’s Surgical Olympics, an opportunity for
junior doctors to demonstrate their surgical skills (and potentially win a prize!).
Ongoing changes to Surgical HMO Teaching will occur in 2020, with the overarching goal to make
teaching simpler to attend. Registrar Ready will run as a single day program in 2020 in early
February, to help prepare any juniors stepping into new roles, and provide a refresher for others
looking to expand their non-technical skillset.
Our GSSE course will again run twice in 2020, condensed into a single weekend program.
Excitingly, our 2019 team have been in the process of securing RACS accreditation for this course,
demonstrating the quality of programs we are able to offer at St Vincent’s Hospital.
To complement our strong academic program, we will also be continuing our calendar of social
events from 2019, with a Surgical Wellbeing Evening planned for the middle of the clinical year,
the Time Out Ball and society brunch.
Alongside our structured programs, the pre-SET society also intends to act as a first port of call for
any junior doctors that may be struggling with surgical terms and the complexities of work at St
Vincent’s Hospital. I would like to welcome anyone with concerns to approach me or members of
our committee for assistance in accessing the right support or person.
Finally, I hope that 2020 brings you many exciting professional opportunities, and substantial
growth in your clinical skills. I look forward to seeing the ongoing impressive work of pre-SET
surgical doctors at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne!

PRE-SET SURGICAL
SOCIETY COMMITTEE
2020
Supervisor of Pre-SET Training Chief Surgical Resident
Mr Michael Hii Alison Browning
Medical Student Teaching Secretary

Henry Badgery Aaron Kovacs
Treasurer HMO Teaching

Mahima Tellambura Nadishi Athulathumadi
HMO Teaching Registrar Ready/SET Interview

Anu Nalasooriya Sarah Adamson
Research Promotions/IT
Alex Yip Dan Thompson
GSSE Program Support GSSE Program

Ashleigh Cargill Jo Tan
Social Intern Representative

Jade El-Mohamed Adrienne Lui

SURGICAL UNIT KEY STAFF MEMBERS
ST VINCENT'S HOSPITAL
HEADS OF UNIT
UNIT NAME C O N TA C T
Breast Surgery Ms Caroline Baker 9417 4666
Cardiothoracic Mr Andrew Newcomb 9231 2151
Colorectal Surgery Mr Rodney Woods 9895 7100
Endocrine Surgery Mr Stephen Farrell 9231 3976
Hepatobiliary and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery Mr Simon Banting 9416 2246
Head and Neck / Ears, Nose and Throat Surgery A/Prof Bernard Lyons 9895 0400
Neurosurgery Mr Peter McNeill 9231 3650
Orthopaedic Surgery Professor Peter Choong 9231 3980
Plastic Surgery Mr Timothy Bennett 9412 8850
Urology Mr Jeremy Goad 9419 4715
Vascular Surgery Mr Mark Westcott 9419 8766

SURGICAL DEPARTMENTS
BREAST SURGERY Neurosurgery
HOU Ms Caroline Baker HOU Mr Peter McNeill
First Name Last Name First Name Last Name

Caroline Ba ke r C h ris Th ien
Ch ristina Foley * Davi d O e hme *
J oc elyn Li ppey C h ung Carlo s
Patr ic k Ha yes Krist ian B ulluss
Rana Dh illo n
C o l o r e c ta l S u r g e ry S mit h Paul
HOU Mr Rodney Woods
H an Tiew
First Name Last Name Wang Yi-Yuen ( Ian)
Bas il D'Sou za Wang Yi-Yuen
Eugene On g
James Ke ck
ENDOCRINE SURGERY
HOU Mr Stephen Farrel
M icha el Johnston*
Ric hard Brou w er First Name Last Name
Rodney Woods C hr i s t i n a Fo le y *
Jane H ard ing
Cardiothoracic Surgery St ep h en Farrell
HOU Mr Andrew Newcomb
Jaso n Ta n
First Name Last Name Tracey Lam
Alexand er Rosa l i on S uren Jay aw eera
Andrew N ew com b
Gavin Wri ght
Jay Bha ska r
J im Dimitriou*
Kr is hna Bha gw a t * Team Supe rvis o r s
Mic hael Yii
Naveed Al a m
Nic k Rou bos
Shoane Ip

SURGICAL DEPARTMENTS
H e pat o b i l i a ry a n d U G I S u r g e ry Orthopaedic Surgery

HOU Mr Simon Banting HOU Prof Peter Choong
First Name Last Name First Name Last Name

Adr ian Fox A lt ay A lt unt as
B rett Kn ow l e s A nit a B o eckst einer
Mar yann John son A nt h o ny B o no mo
Matthew Rea d A ud i W id j aj a
Mic hael Hi i C laud ia Di B ella
Sa l en a Ward* Dirk Van B av el
S imon Ba n ti n g Elang o S elv araj ah
Francis Ma
G erard Po w ell
* Tea m S u pe r vis ors G rant Pang
James St o ney
Lach lan B att y
M i c hae l Do o le y *
Pet er C h o o ng
O sama Elsew aisy
Ro g er B ing h am
S ush il Pant
Vik k i P liat sio s

SURGICAL UNITS
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery

The thoracic unit within the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery is a very busy quaternary referral
unit specializing in minimally invasive thoracic surgery. This consists of multiport and uniportal
video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS or thoracoscopic surgery) and robotic VATS, which is performed
on public patients at St Vincent’s Private Hospital.
Department of Breast Surgery

Our unit is small, with only 3 fractional consultants but we are on a mission to grow! The workload
is combined with Endocrine Surgery and General Surgery so you are exposed to a wide variety of
acute and non-urgent benign and malignant surgical conditions. We work collaboratively with
Plastics, Oncology and Radiotherapy and run a comprehensive MDM prior to the weekly clinic
to optimise breast cancer management. We have 2 interns, an accredited registrar and a Fellow
position so there is lots of teaching but also lots of theatre time, with 3 ½ theatre lists per week.
We have a strong connection with St Vincent’s BreastScreen, an ongoing interest in neo-adjuvant
therapy and a commitment to immediate reconstruction. Our research capacity will grow with the
rollout of our new database in late 2018. Come and join us!
D e p a r t m e n t o f H e p a t o b i l i a r y, O e s o p h a g o G a s t r i c a n d B a r i a t r i c
Surgery
The upper GI/ HPB unit perform surgery for malignant and benign disease of the foregut. In 2019
we will have 3 HPB surgeons and 4 Upper GI surgeons in the unit. The unit treats a full range of
benign and malignant pathologies and this includes a service for bariatric surgery.
Our oncology service has grown steadily over the last few years and in 2019 we are excited to have
a full-time Oncology/ ERAS nurse join our unit. The bariatric side of our unit is emerging and we
aim to have a high volume of service over the next few years. We have 2 residents on our unit at
any one time and strongly encourage those with an Upper GI/ HPB interest to work with us. We now
have an active research program and enjoy working with junior medical staff to develop research
projects.
Department of Neurosurgery
The Neurosurgery unit at St Vincent’s hospital covers the full spectrum of neurosurgical disorders,
except for limited exposure to Neurotrauma. Specialist interests include surgery and interventional
techniques for cerebral aneurysms and AVM’s, surgery for tumours of the skull base, surgery
for pituitary tumours, surgery for epilepsy and functional disorders (Deep Brain Stimulation),
management of malignant brain tumour, surgery for low-grade glioma, surgery for spinal disorders
including minimal access surgery, treatment of spinal degenerative disease and spinal metastases.
It is a unit with high surgical throughput.

SURGICAL UNITS
Department of Plastic Surgery
Clinical Heads: Eldon Mah (sarcoma), Angela Webb (breast), Sophie Ricketts (head and neck), Tony
Berger (hand) and Jo Gunn (Maxillofacial).
Research Subcommittee: Damien Grinsell (chair); members - Sophie Ricketts, Ramin Shayan,
Wayne Morrison.
Mentors: Angela Webb, Jamie Burt, Tim Bennett, Eldon Mah, Michael Lo.
The Plastic Surgery unit is very broad in its clinical responsibilities and appeal, ranging from skin
cancer to hands and maxillofacial surgery as well as combining with other units to provide intricate
and technically demanding reconstructions in the challenging areas of Breast, Head and Neck,
Sarcoma, Colorectal and Neurosurgery. The unit embraces anyone with an interest in our activities
and encourages medical student electives, medical observerships, mentorships and any junior
doctors interested in getting involved in research pursuits. There is a strong teaching culture with
opportunities to work clinically at either intern, HMO 2/3, unaccredited/accredited registrar or
fellow level. There are structured teaching sessions and themed monthly academic afternoons
attended by all levels.
D e pa r t m e n t o f E a r , N o s e a n d T h r o at S u r g e ry
St. Vincent’s Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Head and Neck Unit is one of the major Head and Neck
Oncology Services in Australia. The Unit is renowned and a tertiary referral centre for complex head
and neck cancers in particular Skull Base and Paranasal Sinus cancers. The unit receives referrals
from many regional centres especially Ballarat, Geelong and Bendigo and interstate referrals from
Albury Wodonga and Tasmania. The Unit is noted for its Endoscopic skull base surgery and Robotic
procedures. Acoustic neuroma surgery is also performed. The Unit performs many combined
procedures with Neurosurgery and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The Unit does provide
general ENT services including all the usual nasal ear and throat procedures.
The Unit is well supported by onsite Radiation Oncology and Oncology services. We also have an
excellent speech pathology service and Head and Neck nurse coordinators to help with patient care
pathways and Rehabilitation. The Unit has 9-10 surgery sessions per week. The Unit runs a weekly
Head and Neck MDM and teaching ward round and a monthly Tuesday morning Skull Base Tumour
MDM.

PRE-SET DOCTORS
RESIDENTS
HMO2
LAST Name FIRST Name LAST Name FIRST Name

Ar k Ja sm i n e Pe e rb ux M uh ammad
Ca pla sh G a ya tri P hil l ips Ely se
Ca rgi ll Ashl ei gh Ric hardson A my
Che n Yu w ei Shae A lv in
Che n Mon i ca Shaf ik C h rist o p h er
De v Ha m a n ji t Tan Emma
Fi she r Ca m pbe l l Tsai H ao - H suan
H i n ksm an Ma tthe w Vankatag iri Pad ma ( Pam)
H o wle tt-Jans en Yn e z W hitc hurc h M ax
J e ffr i e s Le e Yip A lexand er
J o shi Shu bhu m
Ko o Me l ody
La i dla w Ma rk
La m Wi n ston
Li m Sa m a n tha
Ma nji Ja m i l
Me ske ll Da vi d
Mo lla h Ta ha
Ng Mi che l l e
Nguye n Ha n Tha o

PRE-SET DOCTORS
RESIDENTS
HMO3+

Ada mso n Sa ra h Nie Yu Feng
At hula t hm ud ali N a di shi Pratishthananda Po ng k w an
Ba la so o r i ya An u ra dha Pry c e M it ch ell
Ca la ndro Da n i e l Q in S h ane
Ce r utt i Sophi e Sac ks B rett
Cho n g- H a lli d ay Am a n da Sc hul tz St ep h en
Cho o ng Wa i Keon g Se m O oi Carl
Cho y Au dre y Sing h H arsh
Co ma n da r i Rodol fo Sisk Lo uis
De Fa r i a Al fre do Struk A d am
Ea t o n Phi l i ppa Te l ianidis St acey
Fe m a n do Di l ha ra h Te l l am b ura M ah ima
Fra n ci s Sa m Vasim al l a M o ses
Ko v a cs Aa ron Vodanovic h Do mag o j
Li Si m on Wrig ht Timo t h y
Lo o Ye w Loon g Wy nne Dav id
Ma st e r s Thom a s Yaftian N ima
McLe n n a n Da n i e l Yao A ng ela
Mu r phy Be n Yap Kiry u

surgical
consultants
Unaccredited General Surgery
NEUROSURGERY
Registrars

Alni mr i Fe ra s B uc k M ad eleine
Ba dge r y He n ry B oaz Kim
Ba ppa yyav Sha n eel Ng uy e n Lana
Bro wni ng Al i son G ol de nb e rg Yo ni
Cha e Ra pha el
Cha i V i ctor
UROLOGY
Che n Re u be n
Chi a M a rc
LAST Name FIRST Name
El- Mo hamed Ja de
Tan J o - Ly nn
J o bso n Da l e
Ku m a r Shi re en
Le e Adel e VASCULAR SURGERY
Na e e m M yra
Ro bli n M a di son LAST Name FIRST Name
S ha r m a Sa n ja n a Coc c o A nt h o ny
Ye Xi n Ta o Thom pson Daniel
ORTHOPAEDICS PLASTIC SURGERY

H u ssa i ni M u qta si d H al l Co urt ney
Nga n Ca the ri n e Lu Dav id
EAR, NOSE AND THROAT
LAST Name FIRST Name

Ba i rd Sa m a n tha
Ba n t i ng Jon a tha n

ST VINCENT'S HOSPITAL TEACHING
PROGRAMS
WEEKLY SURGICAL
EDUCATION
T hes e w e ekl y tea chi n g sessi on s aim t o ed ucat e p re-S ET t rainees acro ss v ario us
s urgic a l spe ci a l i ti es, a n a e sthe ti cs and p erio p erat iv e med icine t o fo st er w ell
rounded kn ow l edgea bl e pre -SET tra inees. To p ics w ill co v er t h e inv est ig at io n and
managemen t of com m on , a n d u n commo n b ut serio us co nd it io ns.
The teac hi n g se ssi on s a re i n ten de d t o b e int eract iv e and fo cus o n p rep aring
res idents to be com e com pe te n t regist rars. Th e exact fo rmat is up t o t h e co nsult ant
or regis tra r tea chi n g the se ssi on , i t m ay b e ent irely d iscussio n b ased o r case- b ased .
The dis c ussi on w i l l a ddre ss on e or mo re o f anat o my, p at h o p h y sio lo g y, o p erat iv e
s urger y, c l i n i ca l a ssessm en t a n d decisio n- mak ing .
Weekl y from Feb ruary t o N o v emb er, excep t w h en t h e

FREQUENCY
Su rgi ca l Essent ials Pro g ram ( S ER P ) is o n.
Se ssi on s will b e mainly h eld in t h e DO C b uild ing ,

LOCATION
Leve l 2 .
A n u m ber o f t h ese sessio ns are sp o nso red and t h e

CATERING
food i s a l w ay s p ro v id ed
TIME Wedn e sda y 17:45 ( sh arp ) - 18:45
Edu ca ti on O fficers
COORDINATORS
Dr Na di shi A t h ulat h mud ali and Dr A nu B alaso o riy a

WEEKLY SURGICAL
EDUCATION [cont'd]
T I M E TA B L E
P l ea s e se e update d ti me tabl e thro ugho ut the year as the pro gram develo ps .
C u r re n t l y the monthl y the me s are as fo llo w s :
DATE TIME CATEGORY TOPIC
1 3/4/20 1745-1830 Perioperative Periop Hematology

2 3/11/20 1745-1830 Perioperative Periop Endocrinology
3 18/3/20 1745-1830 Perioperative Periop Renal
Peripheral + Central Art lines; USS-Guided
4 25/3/20 1745-1830 Clinical Skills
cannulas
5 4/1/20 1745-1830 Perioperative Periop Gastroenterology
6 4/8/20 1745-1830 Radiology CT Scans: Acute surgical interpretation skills
7 15/04/20 1745-1830 Radiology MRI Scans: Acute surgical interpretation skills
8 22/04/20 1745-1830 Clinical Skills USS workshop: Bedside and Emergency
9 29/04/20 1745-1830 Research Study question, design and bias: PEARLS
RCTs, Systematic reviews and critical appraisal:
10 5/6/20 1745-1830 Research
PEARLS
11 13/5/2020 1745-1830 Research Statistics: PEARLS
Orthopedics: Plastering, Relocation and
12 20/05/20 1745-1830 Clinical Skills
Reduction
13 27/5/20 1745-1830 Surgical Upper GI Emergencies
14 6/3/20 1745-1830 Surgical Vascular Emergecnies
15 6/10/20 1745-1830 Surgical Neurosurgical Emergencies
16 17/6/20 1745-1830 Clinical Skills General Surgery: Laprascopy Skills
17 24/6/20 1745-1830 Surgical Urological Emergencies
18 7/1/20 1745-1830 Surgical Cardiothoracics Emergencies
19 7/8/20 1745-1830 Clinical Skills Urology: Guidewire IDC and suprapubic catheters
20 15/7/20 1745-1830 Perioperative Periop Pain and Addiction Medicine
21 22/7/20 1745-1830 Perioperative Cardiorespiratory risk assessment for anaesthesia
22 29/7/20 1745-1830 Perioperative Periop Infectious diseases

23 8/5/20 1745-1830 Clinical Skills Cardiothoracics: Chest drain insertion
24 8/12/20 1745-1830 Perioperative Periop Geriatrics
25 19/8/20 1745-1830 Surgical General Surgery: Breast Endocrine
26 26/8/20 1745-1830 Surgical General Surgery: Colorectal

SURGICAL ESSENTIALS
FOR RESIDENTS (SERP)
T he Surgi ca l Essen ti a l s for Resi dent s ( S ER P ) Pro g ram is a series o f int eract iv e
prac tic a l w orkshops focu si n g on fund ament al surg ical sk ills acro ss a v ariet y o f
s urgic al s p e ci a l ti e s. Topi cs i n cl u de lap aro sco p y and ch est t ub e insert io n. Th o se w h o
attend a mi n i m u m of 4 x 1 .5 hou r s essio ns w ill b e p ro v id ed a fo rmal cert ificat e o f
c ompletion . Du e to l i m i te d spa ce i n l ab s and t h e need t o p ro v id e p ract ical reso urces,
regis tratio n a n d com m i tm e n t to thi s p ro g ram is req uired and t h ere exist s a w ait ing
lis t for each sessi on . If du e to u n fo reseen circumst ances y o u are unab le t o att end
after registeri n g for the progra m pl ease co nt act Rach el G reen as early as p o ssib le.
FREQUENCY Mon thl y, fro m M arch t o N o v emb er
Cl i n i ca l Edu cat io n and S imulat io n Lab o rat o ry -

LOCATION
3 rd Fl oor Build ing C ( H ealy W ing )
TIME We dn e sda y 17:45 - 19:00
Ra chel G re en
COORDINATORS
Me di ca l Educat io n O fficer
Pleas e note: La bora tory Se ssi on s limit ed t o 20 p laces – Reg ist rat io n Essent ial.
For m ore i n form a ti on pl ea se co nt act rach el. g reen@sv h a. o rg . au

REGISTRAR READY
I n 20 2 0 , Re gi stra r Rea dy w i l l b e co nd ensed int o a sing le d ay p ro g ram t o run o n

Feb ru a ry 8 . The pu rpose of this p ro g ram is t o o ffer new reg ist rars and o t h er j unio rs
doc tors tha t m a y be steppi n g up int o mo re senio r ro les t h e o p p o rt unit y t o p ract ise
key cl i n i ca l ski l l s a n d u pski l l in no n- t ech nical d o mains.
The progra m for 2 0 2 0 i s a s fol l o w s:
• How to Ma n a ge a Tea m ( t aug h t b y an Up p er G I Fello w )

• Su tu ri n g (ta u ght by SET reg ist rars/ fello w s fro m d ifferent surg ical
speci a l ti e s)
• Su rgi ca l Dressi n gs (ta u g h t b y a P last ics S ET reg ist rar)
• Su rgi ca l Dra pi n g (ta u gh t b y S ET reg ist rars/ fello w s)
• Pe ri opera ti ve M a n a ge ment o f t h e S urg ical Pat ient ( t aug h t b y a Perio p
Physi ci a n )
• G i vi n g Effecti ve Fe edback ( t aug h t b y Univ ersit y o f M elb o urne C linical
Edu ca tor)
• In form ed Con se n t (ta u g h t b y an H P B Fello w )
• Keepi n g you r hea d a bo v e w at er
FREQUENCY On ce y early, 8t h Feb ruary
LOCATION St V i ncent ’s C linical S ch o o l, 23 Reg ent St reet , Fit zro y
TIME 0 8 :3 0 – 17:30
Sa ra h A d amso n
COORDINATORS
Re gi s t rar Read y Co o rd inat o r

GSSE EXAM
PREPARATION
H ave y ou pl a ce d Robbi n s, G a n o ng ,
Wes t ’s, Rohe n s a n d La sts i n fro nt
of you to stu dy a n d fe l t com pl et ely
We w ill g rat efully b e assist ed b y senio r
st aff at St Vincent 's H o sp it al, w h o w ill
run exp ert lect ures o n imp o rt ant t o p ics.
over whelmed? Wel l , the St V i n cen t ’s Pre- In 2020, t h e co mmitt ee is ant icip at ing
SET Surgica l Soci e ty i s he re to hel p. t h is G S S E Prep arat io n Co urse w ill b e
accred it ed b y t h e Ro y al A ust ralasian
The Generi c Su rgi ca l Sci e n ce s Ex a m is Co lleg e o f S urg eo ns.
mandator y for en tra n ce i n to a l l su rg ical
s pec iality tra i n i n g progra m s. Pre v io us Th e co urse is p rimarily aimed at surg ical
s urgic al re si den ts ha ve fou n d t h e resid ent s sitt ing t h e up co ming G S S E,
anatomy com pon en t the m ost e n joy ab le b ut w e inv it e med ical st ud ent s, int erns
and eas iest to stu dy, how e ve r o ft en and resid ent s p ursuing crit ical care and
phys iolog y a n d pa thol ogy a re u n fa miliar med ical p at h w ay s t o also att end g iv en
and c hallen gi n g. t h e imp o rt ance o f t h ese t o p ics in all
sp ecialt y examinat io ns.
We have desi gn e d a n i n te n si ve t w o -
day educa ti on progra m to ki ck-st art We h o p e t h at t h o se att end ing t h is
thos e diffi cu l t su bjects. The l ectu res are ed ucat io n sessio n g ain useful
bas ed on su bje cts tha t ha ve the grea t est info rmat io n t h at ensures t h ey are
weight in the ex a m , thu s the hi g h est successful in sitt ing t h e G S S E.
yield for you r stu dy. M orn i n g tea , l unch
and c our se pre pa ra ti on m a te ri a l w i ll b e
provided.
FREQUENCY Ea ch tw o- d ay p ro g ram w ill run t w ice p er y ear. A s

the ‘ki cksta rt ’ t o y o ur st ud y, it w ill run 2- 3 mo nt h s
ou t from th e J une and S ep t emb er exams t o p ro v id e
en ou gh ti m e fo r co nt inued st ud y
LOCATION St V i n ce n t ’s C linical S ch o o l, 23 Reg ent St reet , Fit zro y
TIME 0 8 :3 0 - 1 7 : 30
Target G SSE : June
Da y 1 Su n day 14t h M arch
Da y 2 Su n day 15t h M arch
Target G SSE : Se pte m b e r

Da y 1 Sa tu rd ay 25t h J uly
Da y 2 Sa tu rd ay 26t h J uly
Jo- Lyn n Ta n and A sh leig h Carg ill

COORDINATORS
i n fo.gssestv @g mail. co m

GSSE EXAM
PREPARATION
[cont'd]
COURSE Day 1 P H Y SI O LO GY
OVERVIEW Ce l l ular p rincip les o f med ical p h y sio lo g y
Re sp irat o ry p h y sio lo g y
Re n a l p h y sio lo g y
Ca rd io v ascular p h y sio lo g y
Ce l l ular resp o nses t o st ress and t oxins
N eop lasia
Sta ti st ics
M i cro b io lo g y
Day 2 PATH O LO GY
G a stro int est inal p h y sio lo g y
Ha emo st asis and t h ro mb o sis
Acu te inflammat io n and innat e immunit y
B ce ll immunit y
T ce ll immunit y
An ti b io t ics
En do crine p h y sio lo g y
Pha rmaco lo g y
REGISTRATION https :/ / w w w. faceb o o k . co m/ SVM P S S S /

GENERAL SURGERY
LECTURE SERIES
T he teachi n g se ssi on s a re i n te n d ed t o b e int eract iv e and fello w sh ip fo cussed .

A lthough the ta rget a u di en ce i s SET t rainees, p re-S ET t rainees are enco urag ed t o
attend.
The exac t form a t i s u p to the con su lt ant and may b e ent irely d iscussio n b ased o r
c as e-bas ed . The con su l ta n t m a y pre pare a h and ful o f slid es aro und w h ich t o b ase t h e
dis c uss ion. The di scu ssi on w i l l a ddress o ne o r mo re o f anat o my, p at h o p h y sio lo g y,
operative su rgery, cl i n i ca l a sse ssm ent and d ecisio n- mak ing .
Alloc ated regi stra rs a re ex pecte d to c o nt act t h e co nsult ant ch airing t h eir sessio n 1- 2
weeks in adva n ce . A re m i n de r w i l l come fro m t h e senio r reg ist rars in t h e w eek b efo re
the tutor ia l . The con su l ta n t w i l l a sk th e reg ist rar t o p rep are a b rief p resent at io n ( 15-
20 minute s) on a spe ci fi c a spect of th e t o p ic, e. g . rev iew anat o my, p at h o p h y sio lo g y,
s urgic al m a n a gem e n t, prese n t l a n dm ark p ap er.
LOCATION Cl i n i ca l Educat io n Dep art ment , Lev el 3, H ealy W ing
TIME 7 a m Tu e sda y M o rning s
COORDINATORS G en e ra l Su rg ical Dep art ment

WET SKILLS LAB
O ve r the l a st 4 yea rs, su rgi ca l t rainees

at St V i n cen t ’s Hospi ta l hav e b een
invite d to pa rti ci pa te i n l i v e- animal,
as lap aro sco p ic ch o lecy st ect o my, small
b o w el resect io n and ant erio r resect io n.
adva n ce d l a pa roscopi c w orksh o p s. Th ese O n each co urse, 2 t rainees h av e b een

s kills l a bs ha ve been ru n a t the Univ ersit y allo cat ed p er st at io n, and each st at io n
of Me l bou rn e Vete ri n a ry Cl i n i c & H o sp it al h as h ad a p ro ct o r. Th is h as meant o ur
in Werri be e a n d a se l e ct gro up o f 6 t rainees h av e an int ensiv e w o rksh o p and
trainees pa rti ci pa te i n thi s sm all g ro up, h av e b een ab le t o acco mp lish and learn
inten si ve w orkshop i n l a p aro sco p ic mo re t h an o n o t h er co mp arab le co urses.
s urg ery. The progra m w i l l run 2 t imes In ad d it io n t o acq uiring t ech nical
a yea r, da tes a re sti l l to be finalised . sk ills, t h anks t o o ur ind ust ry p art ners ,
t h e t rainees h av e b een exp o sed t o
In an era of i n crea si n gl y com pl ex surg ery, t h e lat est surg ical d ev ices, includ ing
the w orkshop ha s provi de d t rainees a ad v anced elect ro surg ical and st ap ling
vital opportu n i ty to l ea rn a nd p ract ice d ev ices. Th e ind ust ry rep resent at iv es
adva n ce d l a pa roscopi c ski l l s p rio r t o h av e also att end ed t h ese lab s t o
putti n g them i n to pra cti ce i n t h e real ed ucat e t h e t rainees in t h e t h eo ry and
wor l d. De spi te a dva n ces i n tech no lo g y, p ract ical usag e o f t h ese d ev ices .
laparoscopi c tra i n i n g si m u l a t o rs, ev en
high- cost “vi rtu a l - rea l i ty” trainers, d o Th e w o rksh o p s h av e b een ext remely
not su ffi ci en tl y si m u l a te o p erat ing w ell receiv ed b y t h e p art icip ant s
on rea l ti ssu e s. Thi s yea r w e h av e run and w ill co nt inue t o b e a h ig h lig ht
two w orkshops, a n d thi s ha s g iv en o ur in t h e surg ical t raining St Vincent ’s
trainees the u n pre ceden ted op p o rt unit y H o sp it al. Th e w o rksh o p s h av e b een
to acqu i re a dva n ced l a pa rosco p ic sk ills g enero usly sp o nso red b y M ed t ro nic /
whilst opera ti n g on rea l , l i vi ng t issue Co v id ien, and w o uld no t b e p o ssib le if
in a porci n e m ode l . The y ha v e h ad t h e it w ere no t fo r t h eir o ng o ing sup p o r t
oppo rtu n i ty to pra cti ce the i r l a p aro sco p ic and ent h usiasm fo r surg ical t raining .
s kills i n cl u di n g di sse cti on , su t uring and
s tapl i n g, a n d pe rform ope ra t io ns such

CLINICAL SCHOOL
WELCOME
T he D oc tor of M edi ci n e cou rse a t St Vincent ’s C linical S ch o o l, Th e Univ ersit y o f

Melbourn e i s a 4 - yea r gra du a te p ro g ram. St ud ent s are p laced in t h e h o sp it al
s etting full - ti m e for the l a st three y ears o f t h e co urse w it h a o ne- d ay p lacement in
year 1. The Cl i n i ca l School u ti l i zes v ario us t each ing p lat fo rms and w e enco urag e
teac hing from con su l ta n ts to regi st rar/ resid ent s. It remains t h e p remier t each ing
hos pital at the M el bou rn e M edi ca l Sch o o l, Th e Univ ersit y o f M elb o urne.
There will be opportu n i ti es i n 2 0 2 0 fo r a select numb er o f H M O surg ical resid ent s/

regis trar s to fu rther thei r ski l l s a s t ut o rs and t each ers. Th e C linical S ch o o l h as an
ac tive s urgi ca l stu de n t ’s soci ety a n d t h ro ug h t h e st ud ent lead ersh ip g ro up, M r N av eed
Alam (s urgi ca l m en tor) a n d M r Mi ch ael H ii – p re-S ET sup erv iso r t h ey run annually
an innovati ve su rgi ca l e du ca ti on pro g ram w h ich sit s alo ng w it h t h e co re t each ing
programs . The form a ti on of the re sid ent ’s so ciet y alo ng w it h t h e ap p o int ment o f
the c hief su rgi ca l re si den t ha s a l l ow ed fo r st ro ng links b et w een t h e st ud ent ’s and
res ident ’s soci e ty. The progra m i n 2019 w as w ell receiv ed b y t h e med ical st ud ent s
with the s u pport of the Stu den t Tea ch ing Co o rd inat o r o n t h e resid ent ’s co mmitt ee.
Res ident an d regi stra rs w i l l a ssi st i n t each ing in t h e fo llo w ing

• s urgica l l a b se ssi on s a n d si m u lat io n p ro g rams – resid ent and reg ist rar led
• s emin a r progra m – re gi stra r i n vo lv ement w it h co re p resent at io ns o v erseen b y
c onsu l ta n t con te n t ex perts
• prog ra m su pport – ski l l s tra i n i ng sup p o rt as req uired fro m t h e surg ical
s tuden ts' soci e ty
In addition to be l ow, a bu ddy m en tor sy st em w ill b e ro lled o ut t o sup p o rt senio r
s tudents wi th a n i n te rest i n su rgery.

Tea chi n g w ou l d be e n vi sa g ed t o o ccur fro m Feb ruary t o O ct o b er each y ear. Th e
progra m i s a progra m i n i ti at ed b y A / Pro f J ust in Tse ( C linical Dean) and Dr M ich ae l
Hi i (pre-SET su pe rvi sor).
For fu rther i n form a ti on on t h e C linical S ch o o l and M D co urse p lease g o t o t h ese

w ebsi te l i n ks
http://m dhs- stu dy.u n i m e l b. ed u. au/ d eg rees/ d o ct o r- o f- med icine/ o v erv iew
A/Prof Justin Tse | Direct o r o f M ed ical St ud ent Ed ucat io n

St V i n ce nt 's C linical S ch o o l, Dep art ment o f M ed ical Ed ucat io n ,
M elb o urne M ed ical S ch o o l

STUDENT TEACHING
COORDINATOR
T he Pre-SET Su rgi ca l Soci e ty ha s p ro v id ed a sup p lement ary t each ing p ro g ram

to Melbou rn e Un i versi ty M edi ca l St ud ent s at St Vincent ’s H o sp it al since 2018.
Teac hing is a pi vota l pa rt of bei n g a d o ct o r; t h e w o rd 'd o ct o r' co mes fro m t h e lat in
' doc ere' - to tea ch. Thi s progra m has receiv ed p o sit iv e feed b ack fro m St Vincent 's
Clinic al School stu den ts a n d i s a n excellent o p p o rt unit y fo r Pre-S ET d o ct o rs t o
c ontinue in the grea t tra di ti on of m ed ical ed ucat io n. Th e p ro g ram is ev o lv ing and
has rec eived posi ti ve feedba ck from st ud ent s as an excellent o p p o rt unit y fo r t h em t o
rec eive ex tra su rgi ca l tea chi n g a n d m ent o rsh ip w h ile d ev elo p ing relat io nsh ip s w it h
their future col l ea gu e s.
For pre-SET doctors, tea chi n g m e di c al st ud ent s p ro v id es many b enefit s. Teach ing
medic al s tu de n ts i s a w on de rfu l w a y o f mak ing a meaning ful co nt rib ut io n t o t h e St
Vinc ent' s edu ca ti on en vi ron m e n t, dev elo p imp o rt ant ment o ring and t each ing sk ills,
c ons olidate thei r ow n kn ow l e dge a n d t o sup p o rt ap p licat io ns fo r surg ical t raining
programs (i n pa rti cu l a r gen e ra l su rg ery ) . Th e t each ing p ro g ram includ es lect ures,
tutor ials a n d pra cti ca l w orkshops su ch as sut uring , k no t t y ing , w o und manag ement ,
his tor y and ex a m i n a ti on ski l l s a n d p last er cast ap p licat io n.
Applic atio n s for Pre -SET tra i n e es to be a t each er in t h e St ud ent Teach ing Pro g ram w ill
open in earl y 2 0 1 2 , w i th the sel e cti o n b eing b ased o n p rio r exp erience, ent h usiasm
and s urgica l spe ci a l i ty i n terest. Tea ch ing t akes p lace w eek ly o n Tuesd ay ev ening s.
In addition to regu l a r tu tors for the co urse o f t h e y ear, w e also enco urag e o ne- o ff
involvemen t, i n pa rti cu l a r for speci a lt y sp ecific sessio ns.
As A/ Prof Tse ha s m en ti on ed, w e w o rk clo sely w it h t h e St Vincent ’s C linical S ch o o l

and the St V i n cen t ’s Cl i n i ca l School S urg ical S o ciet y. We also sup p o rt t h e M elb o urne
Medic al School Con fe ren ce w i th pra ct ical w o rksh o p s.
Dr H e nry B adg e ry
St ud ent Teach ing Co o rd inat o r
St V i n cen t's M elb o urne Pre-S ET S urg ical S o ciet y Co mmitt ee

STAR
TRAINING DAY
T he Sup port Tea m Acti on Respon se ( STA R ) Pro g ram h as b een running at St Vincent ’s H o s p i t a l
Melbo u rn e si n ce i ts e sta bl i shm ent in 1997. It is a 24/ 7 p eer sup p o rt p ro g ram f o r St
Vinc ent ’s sta ff ex peri en ci n g a cri ti cal incid ent o r o t h er p erso nal and / o r w o rk relat ed st re ss o r s
to reac h ou t for tra i n ed su pport. Th e p ro g ram is st affed b y 100 v o lunt eers annually. Ju n i o r
medic al sta ff ca n be ex pose d to crit ical incid ent s at w o rk o n a reg ular b asis, and o ft en f i n d
thems elves rea chi n g ou t to col l ea gues and p eers fo r sup p o rt . In ad d it io n t o w o rk p lace s t re ss
j unior do ctors a l so fa ce te n u ou s 1 2 mo nt h w o rk ing co nt ract s, full t ime w o rk , exam and s t u d y
c ommitm en ts, pe rson a l a n d profe ssio nal ch alleng es.
A s s uc h the SV M PSSS a dvoca te d f o r an ad d it io nal t raining d ay fo r j unio r med ical sta ff t o

under take Cri ti ca l Stress In ci den t Manag ement Peer Training . O n S at urd ay 29t h o f J une 2 0 1 9

RESEARCH AT ST VINCENT'S HOSPITAL
RESEARCH
CO-ORDINATOR
S t Vinc ent ’s Hospi ta l ha s a n i n ve sted int erest in p ro v id ing research o p p o rt unit ies and
s uppor t for Pre SET Doctors. It i s ofte n useful t o first email co nsult ant s in y o ur ch o sen
f i eld of s tudy re ga rdi n g prospe cti ve re search o p p o rt unit ies t h at may b e av ailab le. Th e Pre-
S ET Surgic al Soci ety i s a l so i n ve sted i n sup p o rt ing resid ent s in t h eir research asp irat io ns.
Fu r ther infor ma ti on i s provi de d be l ow ab o ut t h e launch o f o ur inaug ural surg ical research
s c holar s hips . For fu rther hel p or a ssi sta nce reg ard ing research o p p o rt unit ies fo r y o ur field ,
pleas e feel free to con ta ct m e on a l ex a n der. y ip @sv h a. o rg . au.
Alex Yi p
Res earc h O ffic e r
alexander.yip@ svha .org.a u

St Vincent’s
Pre-SET Surgical Society
Research Scholarship
Recipients 2020
OBJECTIVE
The St Vinc en t ’s Me l bou rn e Pre SET Surg ical S o ciet y ( SVM P S S S ) is co mmitt ed t o sup p o rt ing
our s urgic al re si den ts i n a tta i n i n g their g o als and career asp irat io ns. Research is a crit ical
c omponent i n the su rgi ca l fi el d how ev er, it may also b e a maj o r financial und ert ak ing .
We s trongly bel i eve tha t fi n a n ci a l ba r riers sh o uld no t p rev ent resid ent s fro m eng ag ing in
s urgic al resea rch ra ther, i t shou l d be v iew ed as an ad j unct t o clinical p ract ice.
In 2020, SV M PSSS w i l l offer four re searc h sc hol arships t o p ro v id e financial sup p o rt ,

eac h totallin g to AUD$500. The scho larsh ip w ill b e aw ard ed t o fo ur resid ent s t o att end
the 2020 Royal Aus tralas ian Colleg e of Surg e ons ( RACS) A nnual Sc ie ntif ic Cong re ss
( ASC) .
The s ec ond schol a rshi p w i l l be a w a rded t o o ne resid ent t o att end any othe r inte rnational
surgi ca l conferenc e of th eir c h oos ing ( he l d e ithe r dom e stic al l y or inte rnational l y )
fro m 1 J u ne 2019 onw ard s . The va l u e o f t h is sch o larsh ip w ill b e up t o $2000.
This doc umen t ou tl i n es the pri n ci pl es and select io n crit eria und erly ing all asp ect s o f t h is
proc ess , incl u di n g a ppl i ca ti on , sel e ct io n and allo cat io n o f fund s.
ELIGIBILITY
• All c ur ren t fi n a n ci a l m em be rs of t h e SVM P S S S as o f 26 M ay 2020 may ap p ly.
• Applic an ts m u st be cu rre n t em p lo y ees o f St Vincent ’s H o sp it al M elb o urne ( SVH M )
for the fu l l 2 0 2 0 /2 0 2 1 m edi ca l y ear. If ap p ly ing fo r a co nference ret ro sp ect iv ely,
applic an ts m u st ha ve been a n SV HM emp lo y ee at t h e t ime o f t h e co nference.
• Applic an ts m u st be a su rgi ca l PGY 2+ and no t current ly p art ak ing in an accred it ed
training progra m .
• Applic an ts m u st dem on stra te su ccessful accep t ance o f ab st ract and co nfirmat io n o f
either a ve rba l or poster prese n ta tio n at t h e 2020 R AC S A S C o r an int ernat io nal surg ical
c onfere n ce he l d from 1 Ju n e 2 0 1 9 o nw ard s.
• Res earch m u st be rel e va n t to a n y surg ical sp ecialit y, includ ing b asic surg ical sciences
and s urgi ca l e du ca ti on .
• Applic an ts m u st n ot ha ve recei ved o r h ad access t o p rio r fund ing fo r t h eir research
proj ec t throu gh other m ea n s e.g. fro m surg ical unit s, sch o larsh ip s, sp o nso rs, et c.
• Cur rent a n d pa st com m i ttee m e m b ers o f t h e SVM P S S S are elig ib le t o ap p ly
• Cur rent a n d pa st Chi ef Su rgi ca l Resid ent s are elig ib le t o ap p ly

St Vincent’s
Recipients 2020
[cont'd]
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
• E ac h re sea rch schol a rshi p a m ou nt s t o a t o t al o f up t o AUD$2, 000.
• The schol a rshi p m u st be pu t toward s t h e co st o f co nference reg ist rat io n, t rav el t o an d
from the con fe ren ce , a ccom m od at io n and meals.
• A pplica n ts m a y a ppl y for both sch o larsh ip s.
• Both schol a rshi ps m a y be w on o n mo re t h an o ne o ccasio n.
• In the eve n t there a re n o a ppl i cant s, SVM P S S S reserv es t h e rig h t t o no t d ist rib ut e t h e
s c hola rshi p fu n ds for thi s ca l end ar y ear.
• The su cce ssfu l reci pi en ts a re exp ect ed t o fulfil cert ain o b lig at io ns t o t h e SV M
PSSS. These obl i ga ti on s a re out lined b elo w und er ‘Req uirement s o f t h e successfu l
rec ip i e n ts’. Whe re the su cce ssf ul recip ient s fail t o meet ag reed req uirement s, t h e y
may b e requ e sted to re tu rn fu n d s t o t h e SVM P S S S .
• Sc hola rshi ps w i l l be pa i d i n the fo rm o f a reimb ursement ( w it h receip t ev id ence) afte r
obliga ti on s ha ve been m et.
APPLICATION PROCESS
A pplic ati on s for both schol a rshi ps w ill o p en in Feb ruary and clo se at 11:59p m o n S und a y
29 May 2 0 2 0 . La te a n d/or i n com pl e t e ap p licat io ns w ill no t b e co nsid ered .
Applications are submitted via this Google form (https://goo.gl/forms/d9keDybsS5sgcHzG3),

and s upporti n g docu m e n ta ti on m ust b e emailed t o t h e SVM P S S S Research O fficer a t
alexander.yi p@ svha .org.a u . Su ppor t ing d o cument at io n includ es:
• Evid e n ce of con fi rm a ti on of eit h er a v erb al o r p o st er p resent at io n at t h e 2020 R AC S
A SC or re l e va n t i n te rn a ti on a l surg ical co nference.
• A c opy of the su bm i tted a bstra ct as p er t h e 2020 R AC S A S C ab st ract g uid elines ( h tt p s: / /
as c .su rge on s.org/ca l l - a bstra ct s/ ) i. e. p urp o se, met h o d o lo g y, result s, co nclusio n ( n o t
exce edi n g 1 ,7 5 0 cha ra cte rs a n d sp aces) .
SELECTION PROCESS
Following ea ch a ppl i ca ti on dea dl i ne, t h e SVM P S S S Research O fficer w ill rev iew
applic ation s to con fi rm the a bove elig ib ilit y crit eria. S ub seq uent ab st ract s w ill b e d e-
identified a n d a dju di ca te d by Mr M ich ael H ii ( Pre S ET S up erv iso r) and Dr Teag an Fink
(Chief Su rgi ca l Resi den t) on a m eri t b asis. A s such , SVM P S S S co mmitt ee memb ers w ill
be eligibl e to a ppl y. Me ri t w i l l be g iv en fo r:
• Invi ted keyn ote prese n ta ti on s > v erb al p resent at io ns > p o st er p resent at io ns.
• If the w ork ha s a l so be en pu b lish ed .
• If the a ppl i ca n t i s the fi rst a u t h o r.

St Vincent’s
Recipients 2020
[cont'd]
I n the event the Chi ef Su rgi ca l Resi den t h as ap p lied fo r a sch o larsh ip, t h ey w ill b e exclud ed
f rom the voting proce ss, a n d a n a l te rn a te SVM P S S S co mmitt ee memb er ( w h o h as no t ap p lied
f o r the s c holarshi p) w i l l be se l e cte d to a d j ud icat e. Th e C h ief S urg ical Resid ent and Research
O ffic er will be the on l y com m i ttee m e m b ers w it h access t o ap p licant d et ails.
S cholar s hip reci pi en ts w i l l be a n n ou n ce d at t h e 2 0 2 0 Su rgi c al B all.
Requirements of the successful recipients

Th e s uc c ess ful a ppl i ca n ts m u st:
• Attend th e 2 0 2 0 R ACS ASC or re l e va nt int ernat io nal surg ical co nference.
• U s e s c hol a rshi p fu n ds tow a rds the co st o f co nference reg ist rat io n, t rav el t o and fro m t h e
c onference, a ccom m oda ti on a n d m eals. SVM P S S S reserv es t h e rig h t t o req uest ev id ence
of rec eipt s.
• Ac knowledge su pport provi ded b y SVM P S S S t h ro ug h t h is sch o larsh ip e. g .
ac knowle dgem e n t sta tem e n t a n d l o g o o n o ral slid es and / o r p o st er.
• Agree to su bm i t a form a l 4 0 0 - w ord rep o rt and p h o t o g rap h t o t h e Research O fficer ab o ut
the RACS ASC or rel e va n t i n te rn a tio nal surg ical co nference, and h o w t h is sch o larsh ip
ass is ted the m . Thi s form a l report w i ll t h en b e p ub lish ed in t h e SVM P S S S w eek ly surg ical
email, inte rn et pa ge, a n d the 2 0 2 0 Pre S ET t raining manual.

RESEARCH
OPPORTUNITIES
D e pa r t m e n t o f H e pat o b i l i a ry D e pa r t m e n t o f P l a s t i c a n d
and Upper GI surgery Reconstructive Surgery
The U pp e r G I a n d Hepa tobi l i a ry Unit h av e Th e P last ic S urg ery unit h as a d ed i c a t e d
numerou s opportu n i ti e s for ju n i or med ical st aff research sub co mmitt ee w h ich is
to par tic i pa te i n cl i n i ca l resea rch. resp o nsib le fo r lo g g ing and mo nit o r i n g
current p ro j ect s as w ell as st imulat ing a n d
The unit ru n s a n ex te n si ve prospe ct iv e d at ab ase enco urag ing j unio r d o ct o rs t o b e inv o l v e d .
whic h c urre n tl y con ta i n s short, m ed ium and We h av e clinical research p ro j ec t s i n
long-ter m i n form a ti on for ove r o ne t h o usand p ro g ress acro ss all o ur main clinical a rea s ,
patients . The re a re n u m erou s p o ssib ilit ies ie H and s, M ax fax, B reast , S arco ma, H ea d
within thi s for ra pi d tu rn over proj ect s o r mo re and N eck and sk in cancer. Th e ch a i r i s
extens ive a rti cl e s. Al on gsi de this, t h ere are M r Damien G rinsell. Th e sub co mm i tt e e
numerou s prospe cti ve tri a l s cu rrent ly running also links t h e clinical unit act iv it ies wi t h
inc luding ra n dom i sed con trol l ed t rials w h ich t h o se o f o ur lab o rat o ry research arm a t t he
are open for col l a bora ti on from t h e j unio r O ’B rien Inst it ut e. Th e Direct o r is M r Ra m i n
medic al sta ff. S h ay an.
The U ppe r G I a n d HPB u n i t emp lo y a full- Department of Neurosurgery

time res ea rch coordi n a tor to a ssi st in running Trainees int erest ed in und ert ak in g a
proj ec ts , ethi cs a ppl i ca ti on s, da ta co llect io n, research p ro j ect w o uld b e w elco m e t o
other log i sti cs a n d w ri ti n g. For 2 018 t h ere w ill ap p ro ach t h e Direct o r o f N euro su rg e r y
be at lea st fortn i ghtl y resea rch m eet ing s h eld ( Pet er M cN eill) in t h e first inst ance who
Monday a t 1 2 :3 0 pm . Thi s m eeti ng is ch aired w o uld t h en int ro d uce cand id at es t o t h e
by Mr Mi cha el Hi i a n d a tte n de d by mo st o f t h e ap p ro p riat e sub sp ecialist ( s) if t h a t i s
c ons ulting su rge on s, a s w el l a s o ur full- t ime relev ant t o t h e enq uiry unless t h e p ro je c t
res earc h a ssi sta n t, Lyn n Chon g, o ne M ast ers is o f a mo re g eneral nat ure and ap p li c a b l e
Student an d 3 MDR P stu de n ts from t h e Univ ersit y acro ss t h e unit as a w h o le. Trainees n e e d
of Melbo u rn e . t o b e mind ful o f t h e t ime req uired t o s e t
up and co mp let e research p ro j ect s.
The res ea rch grou p w el com es a n d enco urag es
c ontr ibuti on s from ju n i or m edi c al st aff and
offer s a w i de ra n ge of projects, ra n ging fro m case
repor ts al l the w a y throu gh to ra n do mised t rials.
For j unio r m edi ca l sta ff l ooki n g t o co mp let e
higher de grees, a ppropri a te su perv isio n can
be ar ran ge d (a l on g w i th pa rt- ti me w o rk ) fo r
thos e inte rested i n foregu t re sea rch . Fo r mo re
infor mati on on w ha t re sea rch oppo rt unit ies are
available , con ta ct Mr Michael Hii o n
Mic hael.hi i @svha .org.a u or Ly nn C ho n g o n
lynn.c hon g@ svha .org.a u .

RESEARCH
OPPORTUNITIES
Department of Orthopaedics
Th e Depar tmen t of Orthopa edi cs i s t h e Th e b asic science and eng ineering science
oldes t dedic a te d orthopa e di c depa rtm ent t h emes are d iv id ed int o ( i) Tissue eng ineering
i n Aus tralia and i s a n a ca de m i c di vi si o n o f o f cart ilag e and skelet al muscle t o
t h e U niver s ity of M el bou rn e De pa rtm ent o f inv est ig at e no v el w ay s t o t reat o st eo ch o nd ral
S u rger y. It has a stron g tra di ti on i n a ca de mic and neuro muscular inj uries using smart
and profess ion a l l ea dershi p w i th 3 of it s mat erials, st em cells and 3D b io p rint ing
previous heads of depa rtm en t ha vi n g hig h er ( ii) A d v anced fab ricat io n o f imp lant s using
degrees (Tom Ki n g MD, Ha rry Crock MD, Pet er lat est t ech no lo g ies in 3D manufact uring in
C hoong MD), 4 su rgeon s bei n g N a tio nal co llab o rat io n w it h t h e S ch o o l o f A ero sp ace
D irec tor of O rthopa e di c Tra i n i n g (Brend an and A d v anced M anufact uring Eng ineering
D ooley, J onath a n Ru sh, Ke vi n Ki n g, Pet er R M IT, ( iii) Dev elo p ment o f Limb Ro b o t ics
C hoong) and 7 pre vi ou s m e m be rs of st aff in co nj unct io n w it h t h e M elb o urne S ch o o l
being Pres ident of the Au stra l i a n Orthopa ed ic o f Eng ineering w h ich is fo cused o n
A ss oc iation (Tom Ki n g, Kevi n Ki n g, Bre nd an d ev elo p ing sp ace- ag e neuro p ro st h eses,
D ooley, J onatha n Ru sh, John Ba tten , J o h n ( iv ) Dev elo p ment o f smart d ev ices fo r h and
O wen, Peter Ch oon g). The cu rre n t Cha i r o f t h e d eliv ery o f b io - scaffo ld s and cells at t h e
AOA Res earc h Com m i ttee a n d Co- Cha i r of t h e t ime o f surg ery in co nj unct io n w it h t h e
S cientific Advisory Com m i tte e of the V i cto rian Int ellig ent Po ly mer Research Inst it ut e,
O r thopaedic Tru st i s Professor Pete r Choo ng . Univ ersit y o f Wo llo ng o ng , ( v ) Dev elo p ment
o f new met h o d s fo r rap id exp ansio n o f cell
Th e D epar tmen t of Orthopa edi cs pu rsues cult ures using nano t ech no lo g y in co nj unct io n
res earc h that i s dra w n together by t h e w it h S w inb urne Univ ersit y o f Tech no lo g y,
A d vanc ed L imb Re con stru cti on Progra m me. ( v i) Dev elo p ment o f B o ne S ub st it ut es fo r
Th is inc ludes cl i n i ca l a n d ha rd sci e n ce (b asic reco nst ruct ing skelet al d efect s in co nj unct io n
and engineer in g) resea rch. w it h t h e Q ueensland Univ ersit y o f Tech no lo g y,
( v ii) Dev elo p ment o f ro b o t ic- assist ed surg ery
Th e c linic al resea rch the m e s a re di vi de d int o in o rt h o p aed ics and o rt h o p aed ic o nco lo g y in
( i ) O r thopaedic On col ogy w hi ch l eve ra g es a co llab o rat io n w it h t h e St ry ker Co rp o rat io n.
bone and s oft ti ssu e da ta ba se to i n vestig at e
t h e behaviour a n d ou tcom e s of a w i de va riet y Th e O rt h o p aed ic Lab o rat o ries o n 3rd F lo o r
of tumour s as w e l l a s the ou tcom e s a ft er H ealey W ing is t h e fo cus fo r t h e b asic research
moder n multi di sci pl i n a ry trea tm en t; ( ii) t h emes. Th e new ly inaug urat ed A d v anced
A rthr itis Surgery resea rch w hi ch l e ve rag es B io fab ricat io n Facilit y o n t h e 1st F lo o r,
a unique hig h fi del i ty joi n t re pl a cement Dep art ment o f S urg ery, C linical S ciences
regis tr y to ex pl ore the dri ve rs of pa tient - B uild ing unit es t h e st akeh o ld ers o f t h e
related outc om e s, hea l th econ om i cs of j o int A d v anced Limb Reco nst ruct io n Pro g ramme
replac ement su rgery a n d the e ffecti ve ness v ia p lat fo rms o f t ech no lo g y t h at includ e
and effic ienc y of cl i n i ca l a n d i n sti tu tio nal b io react o rs, mo lecular b io lo g y, st em cell
proc ess es rel a ted to joi n t repl a cement b io lo g y, ad v anced b io p rint ing .
s urger y.

RESEARCH
OPPORTUNITIES
Department of Orthopaedics
[cont'd]
The NH M R C Ce n tre for Resea rch Exc ellence int o J o int Rep lacement S urg ery is sit uat ed o n t h e
2nd F loor, De pa rtm en t of Su rgery, C linical S ciences B uild ing and b ring s t o g et h er researc he r s
in the fie l d of a rthri ti s su rge ry
res earc h.
There are a m pl e opportu n i ti es

for undergra du a te stu de n ts
(Biomedici n e, Sci en ce ),
pos tgradua te stu de n ts (Doctor of
Medic ine), re si den ts, re gi stra rs
and s urg eon s to pa rti ci pa te i n
vibrant a n d hi ghl y su ccessfu l
res earc h u n der the su pe rvi si on
and mentorshi p of dri ven a n d
profess ion a l resea rche rs. The re
are a wi de va ri e ty of topi cs i n
the them es de scri be d a bove for
dedic ated resea rch.
Pleas e c o n ta ct the fol l ow i n g i f yo u are int erest ed in und ert ak ing research t h ro ug h t h e
D epar tmen t of Orthopa edi cs
Prof Peter Choong p ch o o ng @unimelb. ed u. au

h tt p :/ / find anexp ert . unimelb. ed u. au/ d isp lay / p erso n 2 2 6 6
Ms Claudia Di Bella claud ia. d ib ella@unimelb. ed u. au

h tt p :/ / find anexp ert . unimelb. ed u. au/ d isp lay / p erso n 1 6 9 3 7 4
D r Michelle Dowsey mmd o w sey @unimelb. ed u. au

h tt p :/ / find anexp ert . unimelb. ed u. au/ d isp lay / p erso n 3 4 3 5 3 8

RESEARCH
OPPORTUNITIES
Department of Ear, Nose and
T h r o at S u r g e ry
M any oppor tuni ti e s ex i st for cl i n i ca l re sea rch p ap ers w it h a larg e d at ab ase o f clinical mat erial.
No ac tive bas ic re sea rch sci en ce i s cu rrent ly b eing und ert aken b ut any med ical g rad uat es
i nteres ted in un de rta ki n g thi s w ou l d be enco urag ed t o co llab o rat e w it h p art ner inst it ut es
s u c h as the Parkvi l l e Com pre he n si ve Ca ncer Cent re o f w h ich St Vincent ’s is a memb er and
St. Vinc ent ’s Insti tu te of M edi ca l re sea rch . Int erest ed p art ies sh o uld co nt act A / Pro f Ly o ns o r
Department of urology
M r L ih-Ming Won g i s a u rol ogi st a t St W it h t h e sup p o rt o f t h e Dep art ment o f S urg ery
V i nc ent ’s . H is su bspeci a l ty i n terest i s i n uro - at St Vincent s and M ed ical execut iv e, t h e
o n c ology and cu rren tl y, he i s the su pe rv iso r uro lo g y unit is p leased t o o ffer t h e M ast ers o f
f or urology SET tra i n i n g a t St V s. M i n g h as S urg ery fo r int erest ed resid ent s. Co mmencing
p revious ly c ompl e te d Ma sters of Su rg ery in 2018, resid ent s w ill b e o ffered t h is 2- y ear
a nd D oc tor of M edi ca l Sci e n ce postgra du at e p ro g ram. In t h e first y ear, resid ent s w ill b e
d egrees . immersed in full- t ime research w it h t h eir
ch o sen unit b ut also p art o f t h e j unio r resid ent
The urology un i t a t St V s con si sts o f 8 surg ical ro st er t o sup p lement t h eir inco me
u rologis ts with 2 regi stra rs, a sen i or re si d ent w it h w eekend and ev ening co v er sh ift s. Th e
a nd inter n. We ha ve ope ra ti n g l i sts on 4 d ay s seco nd y ear is p lanned t o b e clinical w it h
a week. A wide spectru m of ca ses i n cl u d ing ro t at io ns d esig ned t o sup p o rt p o t ent ial
c omplex open a n d l a pa roscopi c su rg ery, fut ure sp ecialt y ap p licat io ns. A p p licant s w ill
e n dos c opic proce du re s, a n d l i thotri psy is b e select ed b y a C V, referee and int erv iew
p er for med. The w e ekl y fl ex i bl e cystoscopy list p ro cess. O p p o rt unit ies w ill exist t o ext end
i s ver y popular a m on g ju n i or m edi ca l offi cers t h e M ast ers o f S urg ery t o a Do ct o r o f M ed ical
a nd medic al s tu den ts. Mu l ti pl e cl i n i cs g iv e S cience o r P h D.
t he oppor tunity for ju n i or m edi ca l sta ff to see
p a tients indep en de n tl y bu t i n a su pe rvised
s etting.
The urology u n i t ha s a stron g resea rch

i nteres t and e n cou ra ge s ju n i or m edi ca l
s t aff of all level s to be i n vol ve d. Re si den ts,
a long with fin a l yea r m e di ca l stu de n ts
t hrough the s chol a rl y se l e cti ve progra m,
h ave been s uccessfu l i n ha vi n g their
a bs trac ts pres en te d a t sta te, n a ti on a l a n d
i nter national level .
M r Li h-M i n g Wo n g
Uro lo g y Co nsult ant

RESEARCH
OPPORTUNITIES
Department of
Cardiothoracic Surgery
The unit ha s m u l ti pl e on goi n g cl i n ical research t rials, includ ing St ab leM at es ( R CT o f sub l o b a r
s urger y v ersu s stereota cti c a bl a ti ve b o d y rad io t h erap y [ S A B R ] fo r lung cancer in p at ien t s a t
high r is k from l obectom y) a n d DUR AT IO N ( a lo ng it ud inal st ud y o f circulat ing t umo ur D NA
before an d a fter l u n g ca n cer rese ct io n) . We w ill also b e o p ening an R CT o f VAT S p leuro d e s i s
ver s us Pleu rX ca the te r i m pl a n ta ti on and o t h er st ud ies o f malig nant p leural effusio ns in 2 0 2 0 .
In 2020, i n a ddi ti on to ou r re sea rch d at ab ases, t h e Dep art ment o f Card io t h o racic S urg er y wi l l
c ontinue to m a i n ta i n a regi stry of u nassig ned research o p p o rt unit ies as t h ey arise w it h i n t he
depar tmen t. The se re sea rch opportu nit ies are av ailab le fo r inco ming Pre-S ET t rainees w h o a re
ros tered to the u n i ts, or othe r i n te rest ed j unio r d o ct o rs w h o w ish t o d ev elo p t h eir res ea rc h
s kills and pu rsu e a n i n te rest i n ca rd io t h o racic surg ery.
Pleas e do n ot he si ta te to con ta ct Laura Cast led en ( laura. cast led en@sv h a. o rg . au) , S h a r n e l
Chatwor thy (sha rn e l .cl a tw orthy@ svh a. o rg . au) o r Jane M ack ( j ane. mack @sv h a. o rg . au) .
A/ Pro f Gavi n Wr i g h t
Direct o r o f S urg ical O nco l o g y
g av in. w rig h t @sv h a. o rg . a u

St Vincent’s Hospital Surgical
Forum
St Vinc ent ’s H o spi ta l a n d the Un i versi ty o f M elb o urne h o st an annual S urg ical Fo rum. N o w in
i t s eighth year, the the m e of the 2 0 2 0 fo rum w ill b e ‘ E n han c i n g Pe r f o r m an c e ’. It is h eld
on the 13th to 15th of July 2020 i n th e M ed ical Ed ucat io n Cent re o f t h e H ealy W ing at St
V inc ent ’s H os pi ta l Me l bou rn e.
Th ere will be p rese n ta ti on s from i n vi te d sp eakers and v ario us surg ical unit s. Th e Div isio n
of Surger y U nit Au di ts a re he l d i n con j unct io n w it h t h e fo rum each mo rning . Th e Vel l a r
Fou n dation Lec t ure , a l on g w i th the H ugh D ev i n e G u est Orati o n and C l a reb ro u g h G u est Orati o n
are inc or porated i n to the progra m ea ch y ear. Th e Peter Ry a n Pr i ze fo r t h e b est research
pres entation from ju n i or m edi ca l sta ff w ill also b e aw ard ed at t h is fo rum, and a p laq ue
c o mmemorating the a chi eve m e n t w i l l h ang in t h e Dep art ment o f S urg ery at St Vincent ’s
H os pital.
Th e key s oc ial eve n t of the foru m i s the annual Fo rum Dinner h eld o n M o nd ay 13t h J uly 2020
at the Woodward Cen tre, Un i versi ty of Me lb o urne. A ll are enco urag ed t o att end .
A program will be forw a rded a s soon a s it b eco mes av ailab le. Fo r furt h er info rmat io n, p lease
c o ntac t Ms Toni Ardi n o a t su rgery- offi ce @unimelb. ed u. au.

SET APPLICATIONS AT ST VINCENT’S
To ass is t St V i n cen t ’s pre -SET tra i nees w it h p lanning t h eir S urg ical Ed ucat io n and Tra i n i n g
(SE T) appl i ca ti on s w e ha ve pu t toge t h er a b rief summary o f key info rmat io n acro ss t h e R AC S
s pec ialiti es. Thi s i n form a ti on ha s b een co llat ed fro m t h e R AC S w eb sit e ( w w w. surg eo ns . o rg )
and the a ccre di ted spe ci a l i ty w ebsit es. P lease no t e t h at w h ilst ev ery effo rt w as ma d e t o
ens ure the i n form a ti on a n d key da t es w ere co rrect as o f t h e t ime o f p rint ing Decemb er 2 0 1 9 ,
it is impo rta n t to re gu l a rl y check t h e R AC S w eb sit e and y o ur relev ant sp ecialit y w eb si t e t o
ens ure yo u a re a w a re of u pda te d select io n crit eria and key clo sing d at es fo r t h e y ea r y o u
intend to a ppl y.
Pleas e direct a n y qu e ri es to SETen q uiries@surg eo ns. o rg
RACS COMPETENCIES
The College a i m s to fa ci l i ta te sa fe , co mp reh ensiv e surg ical care o f t h e h ig h est st and a rd t o
the c omm u n i ti es w e serve. To m eet t h is st and ard , co lleg e t raining and d ev elo p ment p ro g ra m s
as pire to certi fy spe ci a l i st su rgeon s w it h t h e fo llo w ing co mp et encies:
Collaboration and Teamwork

Communication
Health Advocacy
Judgement - clinical decision making
Management and leadership
Medical expertise
Professionalism and Ethics
Scholarship and Teaching
Technical expertise
RACS DOMAINS
Thes e c om pe te n ci es w i l l be dem on st rat ed t h ro ug h clinical sk ills, p at ient care and p ro fess i o n a l
j udgemen t a cross fi ve dom a i n s
Co g n itive: a cqu i si ti on a n d u se o f k no w led g e t o reco g nise and so lv e real- life p ro b lem s
I n teg rativ e: a ppra i sa l of i n ve sti g at iv e d at a ag ainst p at ient need s in clinical reaso n i n g ,
manage com pl ex i ty a n d u n ce rta i n ty, ap p licat io n o f scient ific k no w led g e in p ract ice
Psych omotor: procedu ra l kn ow l e d g e, t ech nical sk ill, manual d ext erit y, and ad ap t ab ilit y
Rel ational: the a bi l i ty to com m unicat e effect iv ely, acco unt ab ilit y, w o rks w it h o t he r s ,
c ons ultat i ve , resol vi n g
A ffective / moral: Se l f- a w a re n e ss, e t h ical, crit ically reflect iv e, resp o nsib le, h ealt h y, saf e

General Requirements
for SET Application
and Selection
• Res idenc y or ci ti ze n shi p of Au stra l i a and N ew Zealand
• General (u n con di ti on a l ) m e di ca l re g ist rat io n in A ust ralia o r N ew Zealand
• Suc c ess ful com pl eti on of R ACS Ha n d H y g iene Learning M o d ule
• Suc c ess ful com pl eti on of R ACS Let ’s O p erat e w it h Resp ect eM o d ule
• Suc c ess ful com pl e ti on of the G e n e ral S urg ical S ciences Examinat io n ( G S S E) at t ime o f
applic atio n
• Suc c ess ful N a ti on a l Pol i ce Check
General Timeline
for SET Selection 2020
(for 2021 commencement)
O p ens: 6 January 2019 ( 12. 00 no o n A EDT )
Sta g e 1 Selecti on re gi stra ti on
C lo ses: 3 Feb ruary 2019 ( 5. 00p m A EST )
O p ens: 26 Feb ruary 2019 ( 12. 00 no o n
Sta g e 2 Selecti on a ppl i ca ti on A EDT )
C lo ses: 25 M arch 2019 ( 12. 00 no o n A EDT )
22 A p ril 2018 - 20 M ay 2018
Sta g e 3 Ref e ree reports col l e cte d
( 5. 00p m A EST )
Sta g e 4 Sem i -Stru ctu red In tervi e w s J une / J uly 2019
Sta g e 5 Annou n cem e n t of offers N Z on ly 1 J uly 2019
Annou n cem e n t of offers AUS a nd
Sta g e 6 27 J uly 2019
bi-na ti on a l progra m s

SET APPLICATIONS AT ST VINCENT’S
Cardiothoracic Surgery
In 2018 three Tra i n e es w e re a ppo int ed int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2019
In 2019 thi rte en Tra i n ees w e re a p p o int ed int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2019
MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
Minimum of tw o 1 0 - w eek rota ti ons in a surg ical t erm w it h in t h e last 5 y ears
Minimum of 1 0 w e eks i n a ca rdi o t h o racic surg ery t erm w it h in t h e last 5 y ears
Compete n tl y i n se rt a chest dra i n
Compete n tl y ha rvest a l on g sa pheno us v ein
Compete n tl y ha rvest a ra di a l a rtery
SELECTION CRITERIA
Str uc tu re d Cu rri cu l u m V i ta e 2 0 %
Str uc tu re d Re feree Re ports 3 0 %
Semi-Stru ctu re d In tervi e w 5 0 %
KEY DATES
Invitati on to i n te rvi e w se n t a t l ea st 10 d ay s p rio r t o t h e int erv iew d at e
Inter vie w s hel d i n Me l bou rn e on 21st J une 2020
General Surgery - Australia

In 2018 , 1 2 0 Tra i n ees w e re a ppoi nt ed int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2019
In 2019 , 1 0 3 Tra i n ees w e re a ppoi nt ed int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2020
Completi on of Procedu ra l Ski l l s and Pro fessio nal Cap ab ilit ies Fo rm
Minimum of 2 6 w e eks i n G en e ra l S urg ery ro t at io n
Minimum of 8 w eeks i n Cri ti ca l Care ro t at io n ( t rauma, IC U, H DU, ED, CT S , v ascular, b u r n s ,
anaes the ti cs, tra n spl a n t/HPB, cri t ical care unit )
E ac h of the a bove ski l l s a n d rotat io ns v erified o r und ert aken b et w een 1st Decemb er 2 0 1 6
until th e cl osi n g da te of a ppl i ca ti o ns
SELECTION CRITERIA
Semi-Stru ctu re d G en e ra l Su rgery Panel Int erv iew 40%
KEY DATES
Inter vie w offers m a de betw e en 1 st and 5t h o f J une 2020
Inter vie w s he l d a cross Au stra l i a n s t at es o n a v ariet y o f d at es in J une/ J uly, w h ich are av ai l a b l e
from M a rch 2 0 2 0 vi a the w ebsi te at g eneralsurg eo ns. co m. au
Pleas e di rect sel e cti on e n qu i ri e s in w rit ing t o : select io n@g eneralsurg eo ns. co m. au

NEUROSURGERY
In 2018 s even Tra i n ees w e re a ppoi n ted int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2019
In 2019 ten Tra i n ees w e re a ppoi n ted i n t o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2020
Specific Eligibility Criteria

Minimum of 2 4 w orki n g w eeks i n n e u ro surg ery w it h in t h e last 3 y ears
SELECTION CRITERIA
Str uc tured Cu rri cu l u m V i ta e 1 5 %
Neuros urger y An a tom y Ex a m i n a ti on 3 0 %
Str uc tured Referee Re ports 3 0 %
Semi-Str uc tured N eu rosu rge ry In tervi e w 25%
KEY DATES
Neuros urger y An a tom y Ex a m i n a ti on he ld in Sy d ney ( A us) o n Tuesd ay 16t h A p ril 2020 at
12 noon A E DT
Inter views he l d i n Me l bou rn e (Au s) on Frid ay 24t h J uly 2019
Orthopaedic Surgery - Australia

In 2018 thir ty Tra i n ees w e re a ppoi n ted int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2019
In 2019 fifty- n i n e Tra i n e es w e re a ppoi nt ed int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2020
All applic ants w i l l be a l l ow e d a m a x i m u m o f t h ree att emp t s at select io n int o t h e AOA Training
Program.
Specific Eligibility Criteria

Minimum of 2 6 w orki n g w eeks i n ortho p aed ic surg ery w it h in t h e last 2 y ears at P GY 3+
Suc c ess ful c o m pl eti on of a sta te- l i cen sed Rad iat io n S afet y Co urse
SELECTION CRITERIA
Semi-Str uc tured Pa n el In te rvi e w 7 5 %
KEY DATES
Inter views he l d on Sa tu rda y 1 3 th Ju n e 2019
Pleas e direc t se l e cti on e n qu i ri e s to: select io n@ao a. o rg . au

O t o l a r y n g o l o g y, H e a d a n d N e c k S u r g e r y
In 2018 si x teen Tra i n ees w e re a pp o int ed int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2019
In 2019 el e ve n Tra i n ees w e re a pp o int ed int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2020
Minimum of 1 0 w e eks of OHNS wit h in t h e last 3 y ears
Minimum of 2 0 w e eks of ‘Su rge ry in G eneral’ w it h in t h e last 3 y ears
Minimum of 8 w eeks of a n em e rg ency d ep art ment ro t at io n
Minimum of 8 w eeks of a n i n te n siv e care unit ro t at io n
SELECTION CRITERIA
Semi-Stru ctu re d Pa n el In te rvi e w 40%
KEY DATES
Inter vie w offers se n t n o l a ter tha n 10 b usiness d ay s p rio r t o t h e d at e o f int erv iew s
Inter vie w s hel d on Sa tu rda y 1 3 th J une 2020
O ffer s to su ccessfu l a ppl i ca ti on s will b e mad e o n 27t h J uly 2020
Pa e d i at r i c S u r g e ry
In 2018 on e Tra i n e e w a s a ppoi n ted int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2019
A pplic ati on s to pa edi a tri c su rge ry w ere clo sed fo r t h e 2020 int ake.
Minimum of 2 6 w e eks of su rgery w it h in t h e last 4 y ears
Minimum of 1 0 w e eks of pa e di a tr ic surg ery w it h in t h e last 6 y ears
Completi on of Procedu ra l Ski l l s and Pro fessio nal Cap ab ilit ies Fo rm
SELECTION CRITERIA
Str uc tu re d Cu rri cu l u m V i ta e
Str uc tu re d Re feree Re ports
Semi-Stru ctu re d In tervi e w
KEY DATES
Inter vie w s hel d on Sa tu rda y 2 7 th J une 2020
O ffer s to su ccessfu l a ppl i ca ti on s will b e mad e o n 27t h J uly 2020

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Australia
In 2018 s even teen Tra i n ees w e re a ppoi nt ed int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2019
In 2019 four teen Tra i n ees w e re a ppoi n t ed int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2020
Commenc ing i n 2 0 2 0 a l l a ppl i ca n ts w i l l b e limit ed t o t h ree elig ib le att emp t s.
MINIMUM Eligibility Criteria

8 weeks of em e rgen cy or cri ti ca l ca re (I C U) at P GY 1+ lev el
10 weeks of p l a sti c a n d recon stru cti ve surg ery w it h in t h e last 5 y ears at P GY 1+ lev el
26 c ontinuous w e eks of “Su rgery i n G e neral Ro t at io n” w it h in t h e last 5 y ears at P GY 2+ lev el
SELECTION CRITERIA
Str uc tured Cu rri cu l u m V i ta e 2 0 %
Semi-Str uc tured In tervi e w 4 5 %
Inter view rati o ca ppe d a t three a ppl i ca nt s t o o ne av ailab le S ET p o st in 2019
Pleas e direc t se l e cti on e n qu i ri e s i n w rit ing t o : ed ucat io n@p last icsurg ery. o rg . au
Urology Surgery
In 2018 nine te en Tra i n ees w e re a ppoi nt ed int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2019
In 2019 twenty Tra i n ees w e re a ppoi n ted int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2020
The eligibilit y cri teri a a re su bje ct to ch ang e o n an annual b asis. Th e Co lleg e h as g eneric
eligibility c r i teri a w hi ch a l l a ppl i ca n ts t o any S ET Pro g ram must sat isfy. In ad d it io n t o t h e
gener ic eligi bi l i ty cri teri a a ppl i ca n ts t o t h e S ET Pro g ram in Uro lo g y must also sat isfy t h e
s pec ialty s peci fi c e l i gi bi l i ty cri te ri a .
The applic ation process for those re gi s t ered o p ens o n 26 Feb ruary 2020. During t h is t ime
regis tered ap pl i ca n ts w ho a re el i gi bl e w ill h av e access t o t h e o nline ap p licat io n fo rm fro m
the U SANZ websi te
Pleas e direc t se l e cti on e n qu i ri e s to:

https :/ / www.u sa n z.org.a u /hel pde sk- se t - uro lo g y - ap p licat io ns/

Vascular Surgery
In 2018 ei ght Tra i n ees w e re a ppo int ed int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2019
In 2019 tw e l ve Tra i n e es w e re a pp o int ed int o t h e S ET Pro g ram t o co mmence in 2020
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
8 weeks of G e n e ra l Su rgery w i thi n 5 y ears p rio r t o ap p licat io n
16 weeks of Va scu l a r Su rge ry w i th in 5 y ears p rio r t o ap p licat io n
8 weeks of ICU w i thi n 5 yea rs pri o r t o ap p licat io n
SELECTION CRITERIA
Semi-Stru ctu re d Va scu l a r Su rgery Panel Int erv iew 40%
Inter vie w ra ti o ca pped a t three a p p licant s t o o ne av ailab le S ET p o st in 2020
Pleas e di rect sel e cti on e n qu i ri e s t o : v ascular. select io n@anzsv s. o rg . au
SET Semi-structure
interview practise
A for mal i n te rvi e w pra cti se e ve n i n g w ill b e h eld in a similar fo rmat t o 2019. Th is w ill b e he l d i n
O utpatien t Cl i n i cs a t St V i n cen t ’s Ho sp it al and w e w ill ask surg eo ns fro m St Vincent ’s H o s p i t a l
to par tic ipa te . The a i m w i l l be to pra ct ice an int erv iew in a semi- aut h ent ic env iro nment , id ea l l y
with c onsu l ta n ts w ho a re n ot fa m i l iar t o t h e t rainee. We w ill co nt inue t o d ev elo p a q ue s t i o n
bank pr ior to thi s to m a x i m i se the accuracy o f t h e simulat io n.
Fur ther d eta i l s w i l l be provi ded cl o ser t o t h e d at e.
SET Interview
Practise Club
In 2020, a n e w i n i ti a ti ve to hel p SE T ap p licant s h o ne t h eir int erv iew sk ills w ill b e int ro d u c e d
at St Vince n t ’s Hospi ta l Me l bou rn e.
Interes te d tra i n e es w ho a re i n ten d ing t o ap p ly fo r S ET in 2020 w ill h av e t h e o p p o rt un i t y t o

regis ter t o be pa rt of thi s progra m . Fo rt nig h t ly int erv iew q uest io ns and p ract ise p art ner s h i p s
will be e m a i l e d to pa rti ci pa n ts, to aid w it h reg ular p ract ise and ro t at io nal exp erience a n d
expos ure to di fferen t cra ft grou ps and sk illset s.

ST VINCENT’S PRE-SET SOCIETY
SOCIAL CALENDAR
We know s urgica l tra i n i n g ca n be dem a n d ing . A s such , it is an imp o rt ant p art o f t h e St Vincent ’s
p re-SET Surgica l Soci ety to fa ci l i ta te a st ro ng sense o f co mmunit y and p eer sup p o rt fo r o ur
j unior s urgic al tea m . Ou r soci a l eve n ts p ro v id e t h e p erfect p lat fo rm t o unw ind , d eb rief and
s t rengthen relati on shi ps w i th pe ers a n d co lleag ues.
Fe el free to c on ta ct m e w i th a n y qu e sti on s o r sug g est io ns reg ard ing so cial ev ent s fo r t h is y ear
o n j ade.el-moha m ed@svha .org.a u
Dr Ja d e E l - M ohamed
S oc ial O ffic er
TIME OUT GALA BALL

The larges t s oci a l eve n t on ou r ca l en da r w as t h e Ti m e
Out B all. In 201 9 w e hosted the l a rge st numb er o f
a ttendees to date a t the w on de rfu l ven u e o f A u79 in
A bbots ford. Gu e sts en joyed fre e fl ow i n g b ev erag es,
s u bs tantial c ana pe s a n d l i ve e n terta i n m ent b efo re a
p ar ty bus whiske d u s a w a y to the Em erso n in S o ut h
Ya r ra. The ball i s the hi ghl i ght of ou r social calend ar
a nd was a grea t ce l e bra ti on for tra i n e es w h o h ad
rec ently s uffered throu gh the Ju n e G SSE.
The 2020 Time-Ou t G a l a Ba l l i s pl a n n ed for Sat u rd ay

the 27th of June - m a ke su re you m a rk it in y o ur
c alendar !

wellbeing night
O ne o f t h e mo st w ell receiv ed ev ent s o f 2 0 1 9
w as t h e Do ct o r ’s Wellb eing Ev ent “ Fi es t a at
Fo n d a” . Th is ev ent reach ed cap acit y w i t h 5 0
att end ees and w as sp o nso red in it s en t i re t y
w it h sp ecial t h anks t o t h e Ko o y o ng G ro u p. A
g enero us b ar t ab and M exican feast se t t h e
st ag e fo r key no t e sp eaker M r Eric Levi wh o
sp o ke ab o ut h o w t o nav ig at e t h e su rg i c a l
j o urney w it h g race, g rit and so me g o o d l u c k .
In 2020 t h e Do ct o r ’s Wellb eing nig h t wi l l

co incid e w it h t h e end o f ro t at io n fo r su rg i c a l
resid ent s and reg ist rars o n Fr i d ay t he 3 1 s t
o f J u ly.
In 2019 w e h o st ed
the
SURGICAL LUNCH
“A n n u a l
Su rg i c a l Lu n c h ” i n
t h e fo rm o f a b o tt o mless b runch at Jamu in R ich m o n d .
A tt end ees enj o y ed b o tt o mless ch icken rib s, b ao s a n d
d ump ling s as w ell as b o tt o mless b ev erag es. Th e ev en t wa s
p art ially sub sid ised b y t h e so ciet y and w as a w o nd e r f u l
excuse t o unw ind esp ecially fo r t h o se h av ing co mp l e t e d
t h e O ct o b er G S S E.
In 2020 w e w ill h o st ano t h er b o tt o mless b runc h o n

Sat u rd ay t he 1 0 t h o f Oc t o b e r - b e sure t o sav e - t he -
d at e.

PREVIOUS SURGICAL SOCIETY
COMMITTEES
PRE-SET COMMITTEE
2019






PRE-SET COMMITTEE
2018






PRE-SET COMMITTEE
2017







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PRE-SET

PROF PETER CHOONG....................................................................... 7

PRE-SE T SURGICAL COMMIT TEE 2020 ............. 8

SURGICAN UNITS STAFF MEMBERS.................12

ST VINCENT'S HOSPITAL SURGICAL DEPARTMENTS................. 13

SURGICAL RESIDENTS AND UNACCREDITED

ST VINCENT'S HOSPITAL TEACHING

SURGICAL ESSENTIALS FOR RESIDENT PROGRAM..................... 18

GENERIC SURGICAL SCIENCES EXAM PREPARATION

GENERAL SURGERY TRAINING....................................................... 19

WET SKILLS LABORATORY

ST VINCENT’S HOSPITAL CLINICAL

STUDENT TEACHING PROGRAM.................................................... 22

PAGE 2 PRE-SET TRAINING MANUAL 2020

ST VINCENT’S PRE-SET SURGICAL SOCIETY RESEARCH

ST VINCENT’S HOSPITAL SURGICAL FORUM..... 8

GENERAL TIMELINE FOR SET APPLICATIONS.............................. 13

SET SEMI-STRUCTURE INTERVIEW PRACTISE............................. 14

SET INTERVIEW PRACTISE CLUB................................................... 15

ST VINCENT’S PRE-SE T SOCIE T Y

PREVIOUS SURGICAL SOCIE T Y

PRE-SET COMMITTEE 2018............................................................. 26

PRE-SET COMMITTEE 2017............................................................. 27

PRE-SET TRAINING MANUAL 2020 PAGE 3

W elco me t o p re-S ET t raining at St Vincent ’s

I’m really lo o k ing fo rw ard t o a b ig y ear, w o rk ing o n

There are som e sm a l l bu t m ea n i n gfu l ch ang es p lanned fo r 2020 w h ich I h o p e w ill

I want to tha n k Tea ga n for her fa n ta sti c w o rk in 2019. S h e really g av e 100% t o h er ro le

PAGE 4 PRE-SET TRAINING MANUAL 2020

W elcome to the surgical training program of 2020.

We continue to work on improving the success rates of SET

PRE-SET TRAINING MANUAL 2020 PAGE 5

W elcome to the Department of Surgery at St. Vincent’s

The University of Melbourne Department of Surgery is a broad network of surgical departments

PAGE 6 PRE-SET TRAINING MANUAL 2020

A s the outgoing Chief Surgical Resident I wish to share

It has been a privilege to lead an inspiring team of

As the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons competencies highlight, it is not sufficient to be

PRE-SET TRAINING MANUAL 2020 PAGE 7

A s the incoming chief surgical resident, I would like to

PAGE 8 PRE-SET TRAINING MANUAL 2020

Medical Student Teaching Secretary

Treasurer HMO Teaching

HMO Teaching Registrar Ready/SET Interview

GSSE Program Support GSSE Program

Social Intern Representative

PRE-SET TRAINING MANUAL 2020 PAGE 9

Cardiothoracic Mr Andrew Newcomb 9231 2151

Colorectal Surgery Mr Rodney Woods 9895 7100

Endocrine Surgery Mr Stephen Farrell 9231 3976

Hepatobiliary and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery Mr Simon Banting 9416 2246

Neurosurgery Mr Peter McNeill 9231 3650

Orthopaedic Surgery Professor Peter Choong 9231 3980

Plastic Surgery Mr Timothy Bennett 9412 8850

Urology Mr Jeremy Goad 9419 4715

Vascular Surgery Mr Mark Westcott 9419 8766

PAGE 10 PRE-SET TRAINING MANUAL 2020

First Name Last Name First Name Last Name