Trainee Positions At Royal Melbourne Hospital

Royal Melbourne Hospital

VIC,
Australia

Contact Details

Nawaf Yassi
Nawaf.Yassi@mh.org.au
Phone : 03 9342 8448
www :

Positions

Training Positions : Four
Elective Training Positions : Variable - please contact unit directly
Fellowships : Variable - please contact unit directly

Core Position Descriptions
The Royal Melbourne Hospital is part of the state-wide neurology training program. Trainees who have been selected onto the program apply to work at Royal Melbourne Hospital through the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists (ANZAN) Match – details available through http://www.anzan.org.au/neurologytraining/recruitmentoftrainees.asp.

In 2024, RMH has 4 accredited advanced training posts in neurology. There are 4, quarterly rotations, comprising: general ward registrar, stroke registrar, epilepsy registrar and MS/Neuroimmunology registrar. During each rotation, there will be protected time to attend subspecialty clinics, a general outpatient clinic, and neurophysiology, as well as weekly Victorian Brain School and Monthly National Brain School teaching sessions. There are dedicated weekly EEG reporting sessions. Trainees play an integral role in the daily management of inpatients, but there is also a strong commitment to education. There is a 1 in 4 after-hours telephone on-call system for advanced trainees, with a dedicated neurology department basic physician trainee rostered in the hospital 24 hours on weekdays, and after 8:30pm on weekends.

Elective Position Descriptions
Each year varies in the number of elective/fellowship training positions the RMH Neurology department have available. The areas that may have positions on offer in 2025 are:
- Stroke (B Campbell/ B Yan)
- MS/neuroimmunology (T Kalincik / T Kilpatrick)
- Epilepsy (John-Paul Nicolo)
- Neurophysiology/Neuromuscular (L Kiers)
- Cognitive Neurology (A Brodtmann / N Yassi)
- Movement disorders (A Evans)
These posts are advertised between April - July each year on the RMH Careers website. They are often undertaken in the third training year (as non-core training) then move into a fellowship post FRACP. Often this culminates in a PhD. Interested candidates should make contact directly with the relevant head, as detailed above.

Hospital Information

The Department has a strong emphasis on general neurology with particular strengths in stroke, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, dementia and clinical neurophysiology. There is a Comprehensive Stroke Centre, which through collaboration with the Department of Radiology, formed the first Victorian State-wide Stroke Endovascular Centre. There is also a Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, a Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Research Unit and a Department of Clinical Neurophysiology. Other subspecialty interests include movement disorders, neuro-ophthalmology, neurogenetics and cognitive neurology. There are >30 neurologists appointed at the RMH and several clinical and research fellows. There are close links with the University of Melbourne, the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, and the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. There is a major emphasis on research and postgraduate education. Many members of the Department currently hold NHMRC research grants and/or fellowships.

There are close links with Neurosurgery and the two departments share a clinical neuroscience facility, including a high dependency unit and an epilepsy monitoring unit. In 2019, a new state of the art dedicated RMH stroke and neurology ward was opened, with 31 beds including 8 high acuity stroke beds.

There are 4 core advanced trainee positions as well as rotating junior medical staff, including 4 basic physician trainees, 2 neurology residents and 3 stroke Interns. There is a major interest in brain imaging and an active diagnostic and interventional neuroradiology program.

A year at RMH provides great exposure to common and unusual neurological conditions. The unit is busy, but stimulating, with a strong commitment to registrar training and support. We have an open and respectful Department and the RMH Neurologists pride themselves on support for their trainees. There are considerable opportunities to develop a research interest. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to visit the unit (please contact Ms Natalie Calderwood, PA to the Head of Unit, (03) 9342 8448.

Department Beds :
Thirty-five beds including eight high acuity stroke beds and a four bed video-telemetry unit; High Dependency Unit shared with Neurosurgery.

Department Clinics
General Neurology Clinics; Epilepsy Assessment Clinic; First Seizure Clinic; Stroke Follow Up Clinic; TIA Clinic; Headache Clinic; Neuro-Ophthalmology Clinic; Movement Disorders Clinic; Neuromuscular Clinic; Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Clinic; Neurogenetics Clinic; Botulinum Toxin Clinic, Neurophysiology clinic; Neuro-oncology clinic (PMCC)

Department Specialty Clinics
See Above

Department Meetings
Neuroscience Radiology (combined neurology and neurosurgery) weekly meeting, including monthly neuropathology sessions
Neuroscience seminars
Neurology Clinical Grand Rounds
Neurology Audit and Quality Assurance Meeting
Stroke Radiology, clinical rounds and research meeting
Epilepsy Review meeting
Neuro-Ophthalmology (monthly)
Formal neurophysiology training for advanced trainees
Weekly teaching program for trainees and various subspecialty meetings.
Neuromuscular pathology meeting (3 monthly).

Department Staff
Prof Bruce Campbell, Director of Neurology & Head of Stroke
Dr Belinda Cruse, Deputy Director, Neurophysiology/Neuromuscular Interest
A/Prof Nawaf Yassi, Deputy Director, Stroke and Cognitive Neurology Interest

Dr Hue Mun Au Yong, Epilepsy Interest
Dr Anna Balabanski, Stroke Interest
Prof Amy Brodtmann, Head of Cognitive Neurology
Dr Katherine Buzzard, MS and Neuroimmunology Interest
A/Prof David Darby, Cognitive Interest
Prof Stephen Davis, Director of Melbourne Brain Centre @ RMH, Stroke Interest
Dr Thanuja Dharmadasa, Neurophysiology & MND interest
Prof Geoffrey Donnan, Stroke Interest
Dr Angela Dos Santos, Stroke Interest
Dr Chris Dwyer, MS interest
A/Prof Andrew Evans, Head of Movement Disorders
Dr Anthony Fok, Neuro-ophthalmology Interest
Dr Chris French, Epilepsy interest
Dr Sarah Holper, Cognitive interest
Prof Tomas Kalincik, Head of MS
A/Prof Lyn Kiers, Head of Clinical Neurophysiology, Neuromuscular Interest
Dr Chris Kyndt, Cognitive Interest
Prof Trevor Kilpatrick, MS Interest
Dr Simon Li, Epilepsy interest
Dr Vivien Li, MS interest
Dr Mark Marriott, MS interest
Dr Mastura Monif, MS interest
Dr Jennifer Nagao, Movement Disorders and Headache Interest
Dr Felix Ng, Stroke Interest
Dr Jo-Lyn Ng, Stroke interest
Dr Ai-lan Nguyen, MS Interest
Dr John-Paul Nicolo, Epilepsy interest
Dr Andreas Pattichis, Epilepsy and Sleep Interest
Dr Prashanth Ramachandran, MS Interest
Dr Subahari Raviskanthan, Neuroophthalmology Interest
Dr Edrich Rodrigues, Neuromuscular interest, Neurophysiologist
Dr Izanne Roos, MS, Neuro-oncology and Headache Interest
Dr Angelos Sharobeam, Stroke interest
Dr Michael Valente, Stroke interest
Dr Cameron Williams, Stroke interest, Neurointerventionalist
Dr Joseph Wong, Stroke interest
Prof Frank Vajda, Epilepsy Research
Dr Christine Wools, Movement Disorders, Neurogenetics and Headache Interest
Prof Bernard Yan, Stroke Interest, Neurointerventionalist
Dr Raju Yerra, Epilepsy interest
Dr Alex Yeung, Movement Disorders interest
Dr Henry Zhao, Stroke Interest

Junior Staff Positions In Neurology
Advanced Trainees in Neurology x 4 Basic Physician Trainees x 4 JHMO x 2 (in Neurology) Intern x 3 (in stroke)

Trainee Responsibilities
1. To manage the neurology inpatients, in consultation with consultant
2. To attend outpatient clinics
3. To teach junior staff
4. To learn clinical neurology - history, examination, appropriate investigations, management
5. To develop the professional qualities required to become a consultant physician
6. To coordinate regular departmental meetings

Selection Criteria
As per the ANZAN selection process

Philosophy Of Training
The aim of the Neurology teaching program is to arm trainees with the required skills for the recognition, investigation, diagnosis and treatment of common and / or important neurological disorders. Trainees receive partial funding for and are expected to attend the annual ANZAN scientific meeting.

Neurology Training In State

Other Information
The Advanced trainee works approximately 43 hours per week, with the potential to take an afternoon off where possible. At present the after hours on-call workload is 1 night per week, 1 weekend in 4. Weekday afterhours on-call is a telephone on-call system, with a dedicated in-hospital neurology BPT 24-hours a day. Weekend afterhours involves a consultant led ward round on each day. A dedicated in-hospital neurology BPT is rostered overnight on the weekends from 8:30pm to 8:30am.