Practice Owners Conference kicks off

The RACGP Practice Owners Conference officially kicked off in Cairns, on Yirrganydji Country today, as GPs, practice owners and managers, and industry experts descended on the Cairns Convention Centre.
 
Under a humid and overcast sky, 871 attendees, including 570 delegates and remaining exhibitors, sponsors, speakers and RACGP staff, are meeting for three days of workshops, presentations, and social events.
 
Friday’s sold-out Practice Owners Masterclass pre-conference workshop was attended by 124 people. The CPD-approved interactive workshop focused on key components of practice ownership and trending insights from leading industry professionals, plus peer-group sessions.
 
An official welcome reception begins as the sun sets over the Far North Queensland city.
 
Chair of RACGP Queensland and the Conference Advisory Committee, Dr Cathryn Hester, touched down in Cairns with a sense of anticipation.
 
‘I’m feeling pretty excited about the content planned for tomorrow, especially for Michael McQueen’s keynote address,’ she told newsGP.
 
‘I hope what practice owners can takeaway is to have a bit of a think about how they manage the changing environment they operate in and how they manage uncertainty.


RACGP staff waiting for arrivals at the registration desk. (Image: Alex Kasap) 

‘And that can include things like technological change, but it also reflects the political landscape and our professional landscape as well at the moment, because there are a lot of things that are potentially changing.
 
‘So this conference can’t address all of those things, but I’m hoping what it does is spur on some reflection and help improve people’s leadership and management skills in practice management.
 
‘I hope it’s thought provoking and fires people up to have a look at how they do things and how they might do things in the future.’
 
Alongside a suite of presentations across a range of current focus topics in the practice ownership environment, networking events such as the Welcome Breakfast, cocktail evening and Breakfast Symposia are taking place across the weekend.
 
Other highlights of the conference include the official launch of the RACGP’s inaugural Advocacy Plan and GP Advocate Network on Saturday, where President Dr Nicole Higgins will outline the purpose of the plan and college’s advocacy priorities for members, including its four strategic priority areas. Full coverage of this presentation will be in newsGP on 27 May.
 
For Dr Hester, who has already enjoyed catching up with friends and colleagues and seeing familiar faces, she has a simple want for the weekend.
 
‘There’s lots of interesting happenings in the GP universe at the moment,’ she said.
 
‘Being a GP is a really fulfilling job, and I hope people come away with that sense of shared purposes from the conference.’
 
newsGP will publish more articles covering the weekend’s Practice Owners Conference over the coming week.
 
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