NATIONAL TRAINEE SELECTION PROCESS

Preamble
The Australasian College of Dermatologists uses a standardised process to ensure that trainee selection is transparent and equitable and that the best applicants are selected to undertake dermatology training. The National Trainee Selection Procedure is based on the principles arising from the Medical Training Review Panel document on Trainee Selection in Australian Medical Colleges (The Brennan Report, January 1998).

Broad Learning Outcomes of the ACD Training Program

Overall, by the end of the ACD training program, a trainee will be able to:

• Develop, use appropriately and maintain clinical knowledge in dermatological medicine.
  
  
• Maintain currency with understanding of disease pathogenesis and the basic sciences that underpin these.
  
  
• Keep abreast of changes in pharmacologic and other therapeutic options and applying these in the best interest of the patient.
  
  
• Obtain an accurate history, examine a patient thoroughly and organise and/or perform appropriate investigations to establish a relevant, well-reasoned diagnosis.
  
  
• Interpret results of investigations and devise, implement and monitor an effective patient management/treatment plant appropriate to the diagnosis and with consideration of patient wishes and health system resources.
  
  
• Develop, use appropriately and maintain clinical knowledge and skills in procedural dermatology.
  
  
• Communicate effectively with patients, their family and/or carers, other health care professionals and the community.
  
  
• Implement standards associated with quality and safety to ensure patients receive safe, high quality care.
  
  
• Acknowledge the impact of culture on health outcomes and be sensitive to the needs of patients from indigenous, as well as culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
  
  
• Demonstrate effective self-management practices and use management and leadership skills as appropriate.
  
  
• Behave professionally, demonstrating integrity, compassion and altruism.
  
  
• Identify opportunities for health advocacy, promotion of health and disease prevention with individuals and in communities.
  
  
• Continually improve mastery of dermatology by engaging in professional development throughout their career.
  
  
• Contribute to the education of patients and their families and/or carers, colleagues, junior doctors and other health care professionals and the development of new knowledge through research.
  
  
• Demonstrate a commitment to delivering health care according to ethical codes of practice and legal obligations.
  
  
• Function effectively as a specialist dermatologist, integrating clinical expertise and professional qualities to provide optimal medical care to patients.

Statement of Selection Principles Dermatology is a highly sought after specialty. As a consequence, selection for the limited positions is very competitive.

The Australasian College of Dermatologists selects into its training program applicants who best demonstrate that they have the skills, abilities, competencies and personal qualities that will allow them to achieve the learning outcomes of the training program.

The selection process is standardised and involves shortlisting based on information provided both in application forms and from verbal referees' reports. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed to further assess their suitability. No applicant will be selected into a training program without an interview.

The principle of equal opportunity applies to all selection processes. The selection process has been designed to be open, transparent and accountable.

The chances of being selected are not influenced by whether you have applied previously. Each application is scrutinised afresh in competition with others for that year.

In order to let you assess the likelihood of being selected over subsequent applications, the table below provides information on the percentage of applicants picked up from each group of applicantts from a first application through to the fourth and subsequent ones.

As well as application to the Australasian College of Dermatologists, all applicants are advised to check with their potential states for any special local requirement.

All contact between applicants and the College must be conducted through the College's national office. No applicant is to contact any member of the assessment, interview or selection committees directly.

Selection Outcome

The number of training positions available each year is dependent on:

• The availability of Government funding for accredited training positions in Australian teaching hospitals.
  
  
• The continuation of funding by overseas governments of overseas training positions.
  
  
• The number of trainees in each state who agree to work in, or continue to work in, or propose to return from, overseas training positions.
  
  
• The number of trainees in each state who take approved leave, or who are working part time or in shared positions.
  
  
• The continuation of training positions made available by the Skin and Cancer Foundations in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, which are privately funded.
  
  
• Government funding being available to support training in private practice.
  
  
• The number of fourth year trainees who complete the requirements of the training program by the end of their fourth year of training.
  
  
• Given these dependencies, it is not possible to predict with any certainty how many training positions will become available in one year. In the past few years, positions have sometimes become available in the last months of the year before training commences.
  
  
• For this reason, the College cannot guarantee the number of entry positions that will be available in any one location in the following training year.
  

To assist you in your decision on whether to apply, entry numbers for each Faculty are given in the following table:

Selection Process

The selection process is made up of five sequential stages: seeking and receiving applications, checking for eligibility, shortlisting, interviewing, and final allocation to training positions. Each of these will now be covered in more detail.

1. Seeking and Receiving Applications

Advertising
A general advertisement will be placed in the national press advising potential applicants that applications for training positions are open, the process for submitting applications and the closing date by which applications must be submitted. Information will also appear on the College website: www.dermcoll.asn.au.

Application Process
Applications can only be made online via the College website on the standardised application form. An application fee is charged. An application will not be considered if the fee has not been paid.

Sufficient time is allowed in the selection process to enable applicants to complete all of the requirements of the application form and to submit the form by the closing date. An applicant cannot change their application form once it has been submitted.

Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. Applications that are incomplete will not be considered. All documentation requested in the application process must reach the College by the closing date.

Applicants for dermatology training will only be able to choose two locations where they would prefer to undertake their training. It is up to the applicants to make these choices based on their individual domestic circumstances and work preferences. In the normal course of events, candidates will not be considered for training in other locations.

2. Minimum Requirements for Eligibility

Applications will be checked for candidate eligibility and completeness. Candidates who are not eligible to apply will not be processed further. Applications that are incomplete will also not be considered.

Supporting documentation should be available on request for scrutiny by College or its delegates when requested.

To be eligible for consideration for selection, applicants must:

1. Be unconditionally registered for medical practice in one or more states of Australia;
2. Have resident status in Australia; and
3. Have completed or be likely to satisfactorily complete a minimum of 2 years of acceptable postgraduate training (PGY 1 and PGY 2 accredited positions) in a teaching hospital or equivalent recognised by College by the time of commencing the training program.

Acceptable training is defined as accredited PGY 1 and PGY 2 years that include terms in general medicine (adult and paediatric) and general surgery as well as terms in the medical and surgical sub-specialties, emergency medicine and psychiatry. Applicants need to demonstrate a broad exposure to a variety of disciplines. To ensure this, an applicant can have no more than 20 weeks within the two years in the same term/rotation. Potential applicants who are uncertain whether their training or proposed training conforms to these guidelines should write to the Honorary Secretary of the College with a detailed outline of their training and/or proposed training for a ruling as to its eligibility.

In exceptional circumstances some of the above requirements may be deleted or amended at the discretion of the College.

Applicants selected into the training program must provide certified evidence that PGY 1 and PGY 2 years have been completed when they commence training. If an applicant fails to produce this evidence the College will withdraw that applicant's offer of a place in the training program.

3. Shortlisting

All eligible applicants will be considered for shortlisting.

Applicants are required to select one or two states of choice for training (i.e. WA, SA, VIC, VIC PhD/ACD combined (when offered), VIC Rural, NSW, NSW Rural, NSW PhD/ACD combined (when offered) and QLD).

Shortlisting is undertaken using information from the application form and the standardised verbal referee reports. The College's Human Resources consultants will conduct reference checks on each applicant by telephone using a standard questionnaire. The referees' responses are recorded and used to prepare a reference report for each applicant. The College does not accept written testimonials.

The application form contains information on a number of different aspects of your career. All are taken into consideration in determining whether you are shortlisted or not. Your performance will be assessed in each of the following areas and an overall rating awarded on a combination of them all.

Areas that are assessed in the shortlisting include:

1. academic performance;
2. employment history/clinical experience (relative to time since graduation);
3. academic presentations and publications;
4. community/social involvement
5. leadership; and
6. striving for excellence.

Note:   The College is looking for well-rounded medical practitioners to enter training: focusing on one area to the detriment of others will tend to lower your overall score.

Applicants will be ranked according to National guidelines by the selection committee in each of the two locations for which they have applied. To ensure standardisation and fairness the candidates will also be ranked by a College Fellow from a separate location. For example, a shortlisting order of merit list will be created by Victoria for all applicants who gave Victoria as a first or second preference. This same group will also be rank ordered by a Fellow from, for example, Queensland. Any order discrepancies between the two lists will be refereed by an independent arbitrator in accordance with the National guidelines.

The number of candidates progressing to the next stage of selection for each location will be dependent on the projected number of vacancies for that location. The number interviewed will be higher than the number of vacancies. Consequently not all shortlisted candidates will be successful in their applications.

4. Interviewing

All interviews will be conducted by a national interview committee at the College premises in Sydney on a single weekend in August.

The national interview committee will contain equal numbers of representatives from each State Faculty selection committee; HR personnel from the College's HR consultants, as well as health jurisdictional and consumer representatives.

Interviews are structured and behaviourally based. The information covered in the candidates' curriculum vitae, referees' reports or reports from other persons (if applicable) is potentially subject to review during the interview. The interview will be structured to establish the candidates' degree of match with the selection criteria.

Consultation with a wide range of highly experienced dermatology trainers from around Australia looked at situations where dermatology trainees showed outstanding performance as well as separate situations where performance was not up to the desired standards. By analysing the behaviours shown by candidates in these critical incidents, the College was able to determine behavioural competencies that differentiate outstanding performers from others. The competencies demonstrated by outstanding performers included:

• being proactive;
• showing altruistic patient focus;
• demonstrating interpersonal understanding and empathy to all work colleagues, supervisors and patients;
• using intuitive/holistic thinking; and
• following things through to completion.

Behaviours demonstrated in situations where performance was unsatisfactory were categorised as follows:

• not being open to constructive criticism;
• lacking self insight;
• generating interpersonal conflict;
• demonstrating a poor work ethic;
• lacking integrity; and
• being unable to develop pattern recognition within reasonable timeframe.

The College is looking for applicants with demonstrated behaviour competencies leading to outstanding performance.

Integrity is vital to being a dermatologist so be prepared for your role in any of the work situations you discuss to be subject to external verification. Falsifying incidents or overstating your own role will lead to instant exclusion from further consideration.

At the end of the interview, each candidate will be given the opportunity to ask questions and to express an opinion as to whether he/she is satisfied with the selection and interview process. These responses will be recorded.

If a conflict of interest exists between a committee member and a candidate, then the committee member will declare this and absent himself/herself from the committee. In situations where there is some doubt as to whether a real conflict of interest exists, then the interview committee chairperson will make a decision as to whether that committee member should absent himself/herself from the committee.

The national interview committee then ranks and prepares a report on all short listed candidates. The committee then returns this information to College.

Any areas of concern or interest in candidates may be followed up with referees at this point.

The College recommends that candidates seek professional advice beforehand on how best to handle interview situations. However, this is not mandatory.

5. Final Allocation to Training Positions

Faculty Selection of Candidates: Candidates interviewed for each Faculty location will be allocated to the order of merit list according to their performance on the National Selection Process.

Preference Matching: State Faculty chairs or their delegates will meet in teleconference to match the State Faculty rankings with the applicants' State Faculty preferences. The preference matching teleconference agrees on the final offers of positions on Faculty training programs.

Applicants are notified of the status of their applications by the College.

The ultimate allocation of training positions within each Faculty is made by that Faculty's committee; however, the final selection may be made by a hospital committee/administrator or health authority.

6. Documentation

A record of proceedings of both the Selection and Interview Committees will be kept for a minimum period of six years in accordance with the College's information management policy.

7. The Scoring System

The process for scoring application forms is outlined above. Scoring is undertaken according to a standardised scoring template by trained scorers. No weightings are applied to the areas assessed in the shortlisting process. As the note says "The College is looking for well-rounded medical practitioners to enter training: focusing on one area to the detriment of others will tend to lower your overall score."

Application forms are tanked according to total scores and a shortlist is created for each location where trainees are being selected.

Once the shortlist is created, the application form information is not used at all in the next stage of selection. Applicants are judged wholly on their performance in the behavioural interviews and ranked accordingly in a National Order of Merit list. The selection committee assigns tied ranks to applicants who cannot be differentiated from one another on performance.

Allocation to training positions within each location is done by moving down the order of merit list from top-rated to bottom-rated. Where two or more applicants are tied in ratings and not all can be offered positions, the application form ranking may be used to determine which candidate(s) will be selected.

8. Employment

The College participates in the trainee selection process, in cooperation with the relevant hospitals and/or health authorities. However, trainees are employed by hospitals or health authorities, not by the College. In some circumstances, including cuts in funding, a trainee position may cease to be available or be terminated.

Unfortunately, the College is not in a position to ensure that a trainee affected by a loss of his or her trainee position, for whatever reason, can be placed in another trainee position.

  Application for Dermatology Registrar Training Positions for 2013.