The University of Western Australia’s recently appointed 19th Vice Chancellor, Professor Amit Chakma, has visited CTEC to witness first-hand the role the medical and surgical skills training centre plays in the UWA Medical School and in the wider medical community.
Accompanied by UWA Chief of Staff Ms Sonya Redmond McCarthy, Professor Chakma recently toured the Centre with CTEC’s Director and Professor of Surgical Education Professor Jeff Hamdorf AM, Senior Lecturer Dr Ruth Blackham and Program Manager Ms Maggie Cowie.
Professor Hamdorf said he was pleased to welcome Professor Chakma to CTEC in its 20th Anniversary year.
“Over the past two decades CTEC has trained more than 45,000 medical professionals from around Australia and the region in its pursuit of patient safety and quality healthcare. We provided Professor Chakma with an insight into how CTEC training aims to encapsulate the fundamental principles of adult teaching and learning in its wide range of workshops," said Professor Hamdorf.
“From basic surgical skills to an increasing range of technology-driven advances in medical and surgical procedures and a growing trend in complex new procedures, CTEC offers training to supplement traditional clinical-based training for junior doctors and senior consultants.”
Professor Chakma toured the Centre’s first floor virtual hospital, where he observed the operation of the Department of Health WA’s Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC), a two-day course to empower nurses with the knowledge, critical care thinking skills and hands-on training to provide expert care for trauma patients. He then observed third and fourth year medical students practising suturing and laparoscopic exercises in CTEC’s large-scale Hill Surgical and Medical Workshop.
The Vice-Chancellor’s tour was followed by a presentation and discussion covering CTEC facilities, courses and research.