Trainee Positions At Royal Hobart Hospital

Royal Hobart Hospital
Department of Neurology
Level 3C
Liverpool St
Hobart TAS
TAS, 7000
Australia

Contact Details

Dr Dean Jones
rhh.neurology@ths.tas.gov.au
Phone : (03) 6166 8323
www :

Positions

Training Positions : Three
Elective Training Positions : Two: Fellowship position below plus Extra Unaccredited Registrar position
Fellowships : One: Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular/Neurophysiology

Core Position Descriptions
Each core trainee/registrar will receive an excellent grounding in clinical neurology, through responsibilities in:

a) inpatient care of 5-10 neurology patients, and in combination with a registrar from general medicine, 8-12 acute stroke patients. RHH is a comprehensive stroke centre, including interventional neuroradiology for endovascular clot retrieval.

b) outpatient clinics in general neurology, multiple sclerosis, stroke/TIA, epilepsy, movement disorders, botulinum toxin, neuromuscular/neuroimmunology and neuro-ophthalmology, cognitive neurology, and neurogenetics;

c) ambulatory care neurology (2-4 patients per day);

d) a hospital-wide consult service, including neurosurgery, neurorehabilitation, psychiatry, intensive care and obstetrics (averaging 3-5 consults per day);

e) neurophysiology training (2 sessions per week in NCS/EMG and 2-3 reporting sessions per week in EEG and EPs). Paediatric EEG teaching weekly is with our paediatric neurologist Dr Tyson Ware (with another paediatric neurologist starting in 2025).

f) procedures including lumbar puncture, occipital nerve blocks, baclofen pump refills and botulinum toxin administration;

g) participation in a 1 in 5 afterhours on call roster (well backed up by consultant on call).

Three advanced trainees rotate across 4 month terms in neurology inpatients, neurology outpatients and stroke. The neurology inpatient and stroke terms involve predominantly inpatient work in neurology and stroke, although also include general neurology clinic, EEG and NCS/EMG sessions. The stroke term is shared with a rotating registrar from the general medicine term, and these two registrars rotating between weeks of inpatient work, alternating with weeks of clinics and consult work (clinics include general neurology, TIA, lumbar punctures and now also neuro-ophthalmology). The neurology outpatient term involves rotation across multiple subspecialty clinics, including multiple sclerosis/neuroimmunology, epilepsy, movement disorders, cognitive neurology and neurogenetics as well as additional neurophysiology sessions. (Note neuro-ophthalmology is included within the clinic/consult weeks of the stroke term.)

Over the year, each core trainee has four visits to outreach clinics at Launceston General Hospital, supervised by the three local neurologists at that site.

Note in particular that subspecialty clinic and neurophysiology time is protected from interruption by ward duties.

Protected time is available for local weekly neurology and neurophysiology tutorials (Tuesday midday weekly), the VIC/TAS neurology teaching program (Thursday mornings weekly) and the national Brain School (Wednesday afternoons monthly).

Further, a research project is developed in combination with RHH/UTAS researchers, with options particularly in multiple sclerosis, dementia and movement disorders.

Elective Position Descriptions
We are pleased to offer:

a) an elective position in neuroimmunology, neuromuscular and neurophysiology (NCS/EMG). This will include participation in multiple sclerosis and neuromuscular/neuroimmunology clinics, multiple NCS/EMG sessions per week (to reach level 2 NCS/EMG), participation in clinical trials of MS/neuroimmunological therapies and development of a research project in multiple sclerosis/neuroimmunology.

b) a position in stroke and general neurology, filled either via a general medicine AT or someone hoping to get into neurology training (eg., someone who is unsuccessful in the match). The year can be accredited as an elective year of neurology training. The position includes alternating inpatient and clinic/consult work with the neurology AT on their stroke term, as well as relief cover for any of the core ATs on leave. The registrar in this position also participates equally in the after hours neurology/stroke on call roster, making up a 1 in 5 rota.

Further information about the above two positions is available from Dr Dean Jones.

Hospital Information

The Royal Hobart Hospital is the major teaching hospital of the University of Tasmania with 460 overnight beds and 90 day beds, representing all specialties including neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery, paediatrics, hyperbaric medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, rehabilitation and psychiatry. It is the tertiary referral hospital for the state of Tasmania, and one of the oldest hospitals in Australia, having being established on the current site in 1927. The RHH is conveniently located in the central city, with easy access to all services and within easy walking distance to Hobart's waterfront and inner suburbs. The hospital is currently being redeveloped at its current site, with a departmental extension and new joint neurology and stroke ward planned in the coming years.

Department Beds :
20-25

Department Clinics
General Neurology (weekly), Neurophysiology (5 sessions per week), Urgent Access clinic (2 per week)

Department Specialty Clinics
Neuroimmunology/MS (weekly), Botulinum toxin (weekly), Epilepsy (weekly), Neuromuscular (weekly), Urgent Access/TIA Clinics (3 per week), Cognitive neurology (UTAS,weekly), Movement Disorders (weekly), Neuro-ophthalmology (weekly), Neurogenetics (monthly)

Department Meetings
Neurology Grand Round (case based, weekly)
Neuroradiology (weekly)
Journal Club (fortnightly)
Neuropathology meeting (by arrangement with the Department of Pathology)
Combined meetings with Neurosurgery (2nd monthly) and Vascular Surgery (3 monthly)

Department Staff
Dr Dean Jones (Head of Department) - epilepsy
Dr Michael Dreyer - neuromuscular, neurophysiology
Professor Bruce Taylor - neuroimmunology
Dr Helen Castley - stroke, MS
Dr Jennifer MacIntyre - neuromuscular, neurophysiology, neuroimmunology, MS
Dr Sarah Hewer - movement disorders
Dr Dale Sebire - general neurology, epilepsy, neurophysiology
Dr Lucie Aldous - headache, cognitive disorders
Associate Professor Jane Alty - movement disorders, cognitive neurology
Dr Wendy Wang - neuro-ophthalmology, general neurology
Dr Yi Chao Foong - neuroimmunology
Associated:
Dr Tyson Ware - paediatric neurologist at RHH

Junior Staff Positions In Neurology
Neurology resident medical officer x 1; Stroke resident medical officer x 1; Extra stroke/neurology registrar x 1 (by rotation from general medicine)

Trainee Responsibilities
Apart from the responsibilities listed above, we also encourage participation in teaching of medical students and resident staff, with offer of clinical tutor title with University of Tasmania and associated UTAS library ejournal access.

Selection Criteria
We seek a motivated, enthusiastic and personable trainee. The ability to communicate effectively with patients and colleagues is important. Note that selection is via the VIC/TAS Neurology training program.

Selection for the elective/fellow position and unaccredited position are via separate interviews, with early enquires encouraged through Dean Jones. See also ANZAN positions vacant notice.

Philosophy Of Training
Our department offers excellent training opportunities in most aspects of modern clinical neurology. Some of our particular strenghths include:

a) We would anticipate the trainee being able to complete over half of their neurophysiology log book requirements in a single year. The department performs over 1800 neurophysiological investigations each year, and covers most procedures (including EEG, EP, NCS/EMG and single fibre EMG).

b) The co-location of all services on a single site also allows excellent exposure to areas not always accessible, including neurorehabilitation, psychiatry, paediatric EEG reporting and obstetrics.

c) There is ample opportunity for procedural learning, including botulinum toxin administration, occipital nerve blocks and baclofen pump refills.

d) We have a wide range of subspecialty clinics. While the RHH Neurosurgery Unit offers most services, we are supplemented by liason links with the epilepsy and movement disorders surgery programmes of St Vincent's, Royal Melbourne and Alfred Hospitals.

e) Apart from the core clinics listed above, there is also opportunity to attend associated hospital clinics in memory/dementia, Parkinson's disease, neurogenetics and paediatric neurology.

f) The RHH has two MRI scanners (1.5 and 3T), and we have excellent access to in- and outpatient scanning, and private scanning options.

g) We protect attendance at all Brain School and VIC/TAS training seminars, the ANZAN annual meeting, the Sydney Neuropathology course, Registrar training weekends and the ESA EEG course.

h) There are ready options for research in MS/neuroimmunology, tremor and dementia, and potentially also in stroke treatment, movement disorders and epilepsy epidemiology.

i) All junior and senior hospital staff enjoy full access to the University of Tasmania Clinical School Library and the Tasmania Health Service Library. Medical staff involved with teaching medical students also have the option of a title role as a clinical tutor or clinical lecturer with the university, which allows e-journal access through the UTAS library.

We look forward to offering a valuable training year, and helping a trainee to settle into Hobart and enjoy the year both socially and academically.

Neurology Training In State
The RHH is an accredited site as part of VIC/TAS neurology training, so note that can be matched to TAS sites in 1st or 2nd year when training at a VIC hospital. The same applies for NSW/ACT sites. Note also that:
a) a rental allowance of around $600 per week is available for trainees coming to Tasmania from another state as part of a rotation program like neurology training
b) long service leave accrual carries across state, so there is no loss of this entitlement in moving states (need to present certificates of previous service when start in TAS, and vice versa when return to VIC)

Note also that RHH of course provides video link access to Brain School and all VIC/TAS neurology teaching seminars.

Other Information
We welcome enquiries via email (rhh.neurology@ths.tas.gov.au), telephone (03 6166 8323) or personal visit to the department at any time of the year.

Further Online Information
In development / pending