Skin cancer scholarships launch

Twelve new scholarships have been launched to help regional Queensland GPs increase their knowledge of skin cancer.
 
Launched at the Australasian Skin Cancer Congress, the scholarships will give successful GPs access to additional education to help better detect and treat the disease.
 
With Queensland holding the unfortunate title of ‘skin cancer capital of the world’, the scholarships include the Introduction to Skin Cancer course (6.5 CPD hours) and Certificate of Dermoscopy (27 CPD hours).
 
Dr Tracey Purnell, RACGP Specific Interests Dermatology Chair, welcomed the funding, saying she would now like to see it extended to other states.
 
‘It’s excellent to see funding being offered to upskill GPs in skin cancer medicine, particularly in light of the current funding that’s been given to develop a national targeted skin cancer screening program,’ she told newsGP
 
‘We know that the majority of skin cancer is found and managed in general practice, so it’s a very cost-effective way of managing skin cancer.
 
‘Knowing how to identify and treat skin cancer should be a skill set that all GPs have in their, rather extensive, toolboxes.’
 
Thes scholarships are for GPs practising in the Queensland regions of Mackay, Townsville, North West, South West, Central Queensland, and Central West.
 
Delivered and jointly funded by the Skin Cancer College Australasia and Queensland Health through CheckUP’s Skin Cancer Early Detection (SCED) program, the initiative aims to upskill GPs based in rural, regional, and remote locations where ‘such services are limited or non-existent’.
 
Since the SCED program began in mid-2023, 1957 Queenslanders living in rural and remote communities have accessed a skin cancer early detection clinic and had their skin checked.
 
Of these, 563 received treatment for suspected skin cancers with 67% of these patients having histologically proven cancers detected.
 
Victoria Beedle, chief executive of the Skin Cancer College Australasia, said providing high-quality education on skin cancer to GPs ‘could not be more important’.
 
‘They are often the only medical professional that patients can access, and we know that an accurate diagnosis can be a matter of life or death,’ she said.
 
Dr Purnell said she supports a system which helps patients to see their regular GP first to provide initial assessment and care for a skin cancer, and then only referring on if further input is needed.
 
‘For all GPs, ensuring that a proportion of your CPD is dedicated to keeping abreast of skin cancer medicine is quite vital, because skin cancer is our national cancer,’ she said.
 
The RACGP’s Red Book includes further information for GPs on skin cancer detection and treatment.
 
Log in below to join the conversation.
 

CPD melanoma non-melanoma skin cancer skin cancer skin cancer education