Abstract
In 2006 and 2007 the Rural Special Interest Group of the RANZCP undertook a project to provide Continuing Professional Development to Rural and Remote Psychiatrists. Funding was sought from the Support Scheme for Rural Specialists to enable videoconferenced presentations from the home site of the selected psychiatrists to remote psychiatrists across Australia. A second project allowed a videoconferenced peer review group to be established in Western Australia to link physically distant psychiatrists. Additional professional development was supplied originating from the Western Australian Branch to rural psychiatrists in Western Australia.
350 rural specialists, both college and non-college members, were polled to select the topics and speakers most requested to supply the material. Six sessions were planned and an expected audience of 20 psychiatrists at 10 sites were budgeted to attend. In the first event the demand far exceeded this number and approximately 60 psychiatrists across 30 sites applied to attend. The project was enlarged to supply this group and further funding to support the larger audience was obtained from the SSRS.
This paper details the process of creating this project and evaluation of the outcomes. It further explores the potential to sustain such a program within the RANZCP in the future.