eNewsletter 12 February 2020

 

  

Fortnightly eNewsletter – 12 February 2020

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Message from the President

 

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to inform you that all the paperwork for the transition to Orthoptics Australia Ltd was submitted to ASIC last week. We expect this process to be straightforward and await notification which may still be a number of weeks.

Significant work has been done by Wendy our Executive Officer along with Elaine from AP, the Board and Governance Committee to develop all the documentation to support this transition. I would like to thank everyone for their thorough work on this. You will begin to see some of those changes reflected on the OA website soon.

The new OA Board of Directors met in Sydney over the weekend along with a concurrent teleconference for retiring federal council members. It was a very large agenda, but considerable progress was made. A smaller board going forward will allow us to meet face to face and via teleconference more effectively.

This week consultations began with NSW Ministry of Health regarding the allied health workforce planning for orthoptists. I will be taking part in this along with a number of your NSW colleagues. Many thanks to the OA Advisory Committee who have been assisting in preparation for this.

I am also delighted to announce the new AOJ website is now live! I encourage you to visit the site and provide any feedback you may have, particularly if you are a current or past issue author.

Best wishes,

 
What's New

The Australian Orthoptic Journal (AOJ) has launched its new website.   

The AOJ publishes articles on all areas of the field within which orthoptists work. This includes areas of orthoptic clinical practice such as strabismus, amblyopia, ocular motility and binocular vision anomalies; low vision and rehabilitation; paediatric ophthalmology; neuro-ophthalmology; general ophthalmology, ophthalmic technology; and public health agenda.

All Current and past issues of the AOJ are now available via the website as are author guidelines.

Volume 51 is now available.

 

NSW Ministry Of Health – Workforce Scenario Planning

The NSW Ministry of Health, Workforce Planning and Talent Development Branch, is currently undertaking workforce planning as per the Health Professionals Workforce Plan 2012-2022, to develop workforce modelling projections for the allied health workforces. 

The Orthoptic profession has been identified as the next workforce to undergo horizon scanning and scenario generation. This project aims to identify the roles of the Orthoptic profession, as well as the challenges and drivers that are expected to influence the role of Orthoptists into the future. If you require further information, please email Jane at president@orthoptics.org.au.

 

Save The Date:  Friday, 8 May 2020

Melbourne Launch of ‘Rear View – Celebrating Australia’s Early Orthoptists’ at Alexandra Club, Melbourne. 

More details coming soon!

 

SA Health Workforce - Scholarship Applications Now Open

If you are an eligible health care professional working in primary health care in rural or remote South Australia, you can apply for a grant of up to $10,000 to increase your clinical skills and scope of practice through training or study.  

More than 80 health care professionals were awarded a bursary or scholarship in Round 3 for 2019-20 of the Health Workforce Scholarship Program.

You can apply for up to $10,000 to support relevant post-graduate studies, short courses, workshops or attendance at conferences that can be completed by Thursday, 31 December 2020.

More information, eligibility criteria and the online application form, can be accessed here: Health Workforce Scholarship Program.  

Applications for Round 4 are open until 5pm on Monday, 17 February 2020
 

 

World Glaucoma Week - 8-14 March 2020

Glaucoma Australia have created a range of patient resources for you to use. Visit https://think.glaucoma.org.au to download material.

 

ANZSS 2020 Adelaide – 28 & 29 February 2020

Join the Australian and New Zealand Squint Society annual meeting in Adelaide. Three of our South Australian orthoptic colleagues are on the organising committee. 

Visit SA for a weekend getaway. Find out more here.

 

Close the Gap for Vision 2020 National Conference

Indigenous Eye Health (IEH) at the University of Melbourne and co-host Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia (AHCSA) invite you to register for the Close the Gap for Vision by 2020: The Gap and Beyond National Conference - Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 March 2020 in Adelaide, South Australia. 

This conference is also supported by partners Optometry Australia, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists and Vision 2020 Australia.

 Further Information available here...

 

eNewsletter Contributions

Do you have an idea or a story for including in the OA member eNewsletter? Please forward content, links and any graphics to office@orthoptics.org.au. 

 
 
ADVERTISE HERE - contact us to find out how!
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This year’s OA Annual Conference is being held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre from 10 – 12 October.   Please place this and the other key dates listed below, into your diaries:

The education program will deliver the latest research and updates in  paediatrics, as well as acknowledging the diversity of the orthoptics profession by incorporating a broad range of sessions. No annual conference would be complete without providing ample time for you to network with colleagues  including the ever popular welcome drinks and gala dinner.

Embrace the future of orthoptics and join us in 2020 for what promises to be another successful conference. Save the dates now and stay tuned for further information!

Call for Abstracts
Opens – Wednesday, 18 March
Closes -  Wednesday, 10 June
Orthoptics Australia encourages all members to consider submitting an abstract for this important event.

Registration
Opens – Wednesday, 6 May
Early Bird Registration Closes – Wednesday, 19 August

Applying for Funding 
Looking for funding from your workplace to attend the Conference?

To make the process of seeking support easier for you, we have prepared a justification letter. Simply download the Word document, fill in the blanks and customise as appropriate.
Click here to download.

 

Orthoptics Australia - Your Society - Your Conference!
 
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OA QLD Branch Orthoptic Education Day – SAVE THE DATE!

Date: Saturday, 21 March 2020
Venue: Queensland Children’s Hospital

 

OA VIC Branch Upskill Workshop - SAVE THE DATE!

Topic:  IOL Calculations and Case Studies

Date:  Saturday, 21 March 2020
Venue:  Laser Sight East Melbourne, 2/100 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne

 

OA NSW Branch Continuing Education Weekend - CONVERGING ON CANBERRA!

Join us as we converge on our nation’s capital city for a weekend of learning!  Be prepared for exciting sessions filled with current research, quality presentations, workshops and interactive case study discussion and gain AOB accredited CPD points. It is also a fantastic opportunity to network with industry and catch up with old friends and colleagues at the official dinner.

Dates: 4 April & 5 April 2020
Venue: The East Hotel - 69 Canberra Avenue, Kingston ACT
Registration Fees: Refer to the website for various fees 
CPD Points: Saturday and Sunday – 8 CPD Points
                      Saturday only – 5 CPD Points
                      Sunday only – 3 CPD Points

Further Information and Registration here...

 

OA VIC Branch Continuing Education Series #2 - REGISTER NOW!

Topic:  Amblyopia and Strabismus Managements - presented by Dr Shivanand Sheth

Date:  Wednesday, 22 April 2020
Venue:  Royal Childrens Hospital

 

OA QLD Branch Orthoptic Education Day – SAVE THE DATE!

Date: Saturday, 25 July 2020
Venue: Queensland Children’s Hospital

 

OA VIC Branch July Scientific Meeting – SAVE THE DATE!

Date: Saturday, 25 July 2020
Venue: RACV Goldfields Creswick -1500 Midland Hwy, Creswick VIC

The OA VIC Branch July Scientific Meeting is kindly sponsored by:

                                                                                                                          

Further Information here...

 

OA NSW Branch Neurology Symposium – SAVE THE DATE!

Date: Saturday, 15 August 2020
Venue: TBC

 

For further information and to register for all available OA meetings/events, please go to: ‘Education & CPD’, ‘Event Calendar’.
 
 
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IOA Congress Liverpool - 20 - 23 June 2020

Burian Lecture is being presented by Professor Helen Davis.

The theme of the 2020 Burian Lecture will be, "How my research carried out at the University of Sheffield has been integrated into clinical practice".

The focus of this work has been the investigation of binocular single vision and in particular stereopsis. It has provided further understanding and evidence for testing binocular vision and methods of clinical application. 

 

Early Bird registration closing soon - Wednesday, 26 February 2020

 

Register here...
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OA Articles in Insight Magazine

Did you know that Orthoptics Australia has its own regular column in Insight Magazine and that these articles are also available on the OA website?

View here...

 
OA Social Media Channels

Have you ever followed OA on Linkedin, tweeted OA on twitter or friended OA on Facebook not to mention liked OA on Instagram? 

If not, why not give it a try?   The OA Public Relations Committee are very proactive on these platforms and would love you to follow, tweet, friend or like them!   It’s a whole new world of information and communication.

Please join us on;

              

 

Job Vacancies

The following position is currently available:

  • Orthoptist - Melbourne - applications close Monday, 24 February 2020

 

Further Information regarding Job Vacancies...

 

Journal Club - Now Available Via OAOE!

Journal Club articles are now available to all OA members via our new online learning management system:  OA Online Education (OAOE).  Access to OAOE can be gained  by logging onto the OA online Shop.   Please login to the OA website before accessing the OA online shop in order to ensure you access these articles free of charge.

Each month a new article (2 CPD pts/article) is released. You will need to read the Journal Club article, answer the questions and keep a record for your CPD points. Please contact the OA office at events@orthoptics.org.au if you require any assistance accessing the online educational content.