ABSTRACT
Background: Over the previous 48 months the training landscape has been significantly disrupted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has compounded pre-existing challenges for trainees relating to training requirements, exams, service demands, and other personal circumstances. As a result, the need for advocacy and representation of trainees within the RANZCP has never been greater. However, opportunities for trainees to directly engage in College dialogue and decision-making remains limited. These limitations are out of keeping with contemporary processes for trainee representation across other specialty Colleges in Australasia. To progress these discussions further, we believe that trainees need to first have a seat at the table. Objectives: •• Deliver a trainee-led discussion with a focus on the RANZCP training pathway and associated trainee experiences;•• Describe the challenges faced by RANZCP trainees during the COVID-19 pandemic;•• Describe the challenges reasonably expected in a post-COVID-19 training landscape;•• Explore the role of trainee representation within the RANZCP. Methods: This session will utilise the representation of a diverse group of trainees, recognising that representation within the RANZCP currently takes many forms. The panel will consist of representatives from state-based Associations of Trainees (APTs), current and resigning members of the RANZCP Trainee Representative Committee (TRC), and individual trainee members. Conclusions: Trainees have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent disruptions to training and assessment. Although trainees are the future of the RANZCP, opportunities for trainees to engage in College dialogue and decision-making remains limited. Further engagement of trainee representation within the RANZCP is needed. It's time for trainees to have a seat at the table.
ABSTRACT
Background: Thoughts of suicide and self-harm among healthcare workers are an important concern for healthcare workers, their families and the patients they serve. Objectives: To identify risk factors for thoughts of suicide or self-harm, and predictors of help-seeking, among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Analysis of data from the Australian COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare Workers Study, a large national online survey of healthcare workers during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Findings: Overall, 819 of 7795 (10.5%) healthcare workers reported occasional or frequent thoughts of suicide or self-harm during a 2-week period. Odds were higher among healthcare workers who were male, younger and living alone, and among those with poor physical health, prior mental health (MH) conditions, increased income worries, increased alcohol use or who had friends or family members infected with COVID-19. Having dependent children was protective. Fewer than half of the healthcare workers who reported thoughts of suicide or self-harm sought professional support. The odds of help-seeking were lower among men than women, and lower among emergency department workers than those in community or primary care. Healthcare workers with thoughts of suicide or self-harm were more likely to seek support if they were younger or had prior MH concerns. Conclusion: More than 1 in 10 healthcare workers had thoughts of suicide or self-harm during the second wave of the pandemic in Australia, with certain groups more vulnerable. Low rates of help-seeking highlight ongoing barriers to healthcare workers receiving MH care, which must be urgently addressed.