Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists

Abbreviation	RANZCO
Formation	2000
Legal status	Active
Purpose	Regulation and Representation of Ophthalmologists
Headquarters	Sydney, Australia
Website	http://www.ranzco.edu/

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) is the medical college responsible for training and professional development of ophthalmologists in Australia and New Zealand. The headquarters of the College is in Sydney, Australia.

Ophthalmologists who have successfully completed the training program of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists are known as Fellows of the College (FRANZCO). There are currently about 700 fellows in Australia.

About

In Australia and New Zealand, an ophthalmologist is required to have undertaken a minimum of 12 years of training, including:

• 6–7 years at a medical school, graduating with a degree in medicine,
• 2 years (minimum) as a newly qualified doctor undertaking basic medical training,
• 5 years of ophthalmic specialist training and successful completion of examinations set by The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO).

RANZCO is responsible for training, examining and representing medical practitioners in the specialty of ophthalmology, who upon completion of training, are equipped to undertake unsupervised and comprehensive ophthalmology practice. RANZCO has developed peer-reviewed curriculum performance standards that underpin all training and assessment. Furthermore, RANZCO performs regular inspections on training posts. This includes the assessment of teaching facilities, supervisor/trainee arrangements, and trainees’ clinical and surgical experience.

RANZCO has a vital interest in the continual improvement and development of ophthalmologists in Australia and New Zealand. The RANZCO Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program is designed to provide Fellows (FRANZCO) with a structured approach to planning their continuing education, and supports activities that cover a wide range of skills, including not just clinical knowledge and expertise, but also risk management, clinical governance and professional values. The program consists of three categories reflecting the seven key roles and attributes of a specialist ophthalmologist - Medical Expert, Communicator, Manager, Collaborator, Health Advocate, Scholar and Professional.

RANZCO’s mission is to drive improvements in eye healthcare in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region through continuing exceptional training, education, research and advocacy. This has led to active international participation alongside the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO), the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), and involvement in the Vision2020Australia Global Consortium and the Commonwealth Eye Health Consortium.

History

On 23 March 1938, 20 ophthalmologists from various states gathered in Sydney to form the Ophthalmological Society of Australia of the British Medical Association, with Sir James Barrett as its first President. Prior to this, the Intercolonial (later Australasian) Medical Congresses had provided the only vehicle for Australian ophthalmologists to meet and exchange professional ideas. Dissatisfaction with this arrangement led to the successful move to create a truly national organisation to represent the profession.

In April 1939, the Ophthalmological Society of Australia held its first annual national scientific meeting in Melbourne. This meeting was followed later in 1939 by the publication of Volume 1 of Transactions of the Ophthalmological Society of Australia, the precursor to the College's current scientific journal. In the post war years there was growing dissatisfaction about the standard of ophthalmological training in Australia. Qualifications were fragmented and there was no national agreement about the basic determination of competence to practice ophthalmology. Many felt that the setting of national standards and training was a matter for organised ophthalmology, and that this should be carried out by a college rather than a society. In 1968, these views carried the day, and led to the formation of the Australian College of Ophthalmologists in May 1969.

Australian College of Ophthalmologists

The new College absorbed the members, assets, policies and procedures of the Society. In addition, the new Articles of Association provided for the College to supervise the training of aspiring ophthalmologists and conduct examinations to test and recognise their competence. The new arrangements were a considerable success, recognised by the grant of the Royal prefix in 1977.

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists

Close links had always existed between Australian and New Zealand ophthalmologists. Reflecting this, there were moves in 1939 to include New Zealand ophthalmologists in the Australian Society. The British Medical Association rules precluded this, however, and the Ophthalmological Society of New Zealand was formed as a separate body. Despite this setback, the relationship continued between Australian and New Zealand ophthalmologists, culminating in 1997 with the joint decision to form a New Zealand Branch of the College. The final change occurred in November 2000, with the change of name to The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

Training

The RANZCO trains ophthalmologists through the Vocational Training Program, which typically takes 5 years which includes both basic and advanced training. Trainees rotate through different hospitals for clinical development and training. The 7 key roles underpinning selection, training and assessment are: ophthalmic expert and clinical decision maker, communicator, collaborator, manager, health advocate, scholar, and professional.

In January 2010, the Commonwealth Government's Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) announced that it was to consolidate a range of programs aimed at establishing training places in settings other than the traditional public teaching hospitals into the one Specialist Training Program (STP). The STP is designed to expand the training opportunities for specialist trainees particularly in rural and private practice settings.

Publications

The college also publishes a scientific journal, Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology.

External links

• Official website