Perioperative Medicine Diploma FAQs

The diploma is a one-year, flexible, competency-based diploma made up of six areas of learning that will be delivered in a hybrid model of online learning, workshops and clinical experience. 

We have acknowledged the need to improve co-ordination of the surgical patient’s journey through the system. We believe that holders of our diploma would help to: 

• Improve patient outcomes and minimise avoidable adverse outcomes.
• Provide coordinated, proactive care of vulnerable surgical patients.
• Provide consensus on what constitutes “best practice” for the wide variety of craft groups currently contributing to the care of patients going through surgery.
• Provide a standardised framework to allow mapping of existing services (for example, orthogeriatrics) into comprehensive perioperative care that recognises established expertise and avoids “reinventing the wheel”. 
• Enable appropriate shared decision making for complex patients to avoid unnecessary, inappropriate or unwanted surgery. 

The ANZCA DipPOM offers a hybrid design program that combines clinical experiential learning with an online theoretical learning package. In addition, collaborative engagement opportunities are provided through face-to-face workshops.  

This diploma structure is unique in Australia and New Zealand and is based on education market research completed by external consultants in 2020.

While perioperative medicine figures as a component in existing specialist training programs, a formal diploma will develop leaders who can demonstrate a deeper understanding of the perioperative landscape, and develop advanced leadership, teamwork and advocacy skills to co-ordinate care. 
 
Perioperative practitioners holding this formal qualification will better underpin the broader establishment of perioperative medicine as an essential aspect of health care. 
 
The qualification will consolidate much of the good practice that is already occurring and also allow those with an interest in improving these skills to add aspects that may not be a focus of their primary speciality. examples of this include delirium and frailty assessment for anaesthetists, or acute pain and resuscitation for geriatricians. 

The qualification will establish a recognised standard of comprehensive practice in perioperative medicine. 

Enrolment in the diploma will be available to advanced trainees (with a pass of the fellowship examination) and fellows of the following colleges: 

• Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (including most fellows of the Faculty of Pain Medicine)
• Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
• College of Intensive Care Medicine 
• Royal Australasian College of Physicians
• Royal Australian College of General practitioners
• Royal New Zealand College of GPs
• Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine 

The complete list of eligibility and entry requirements will be finalised in 2023. 

The qualification will be a one-year diploma, which can also be completed on an individualised topic program basis, over a maximum period of three years.

There are six topic areas of study:

1. Pre-operative assessment
2. Pre-operative planning
3. Optimisation.
4. Intraoperative impacts on patient outcomes.
5. Postoperative assessment and management
6. Discharge planning and rehabilitation.

Each topic area includes an online learning package, clinical-based assessments, and workshops.  

Assessment will be through a combination of online tasks, case reports, case-based discussions and observation of clinical practice.

Enrolments will open in late 2023 for a commencement in early 2024. Please contact periop@anzca.edu.au for development updates.

The cost of the diploma is still being determined.

The specific CPD standards and requirements for the perioperative medicine diploma are currently under consideration and will be included in CPD requirements for 2024. 

The cost of submitting a recognition application is $550 AUD/ $635 NZD (both inclusive of GST). The fee covers the application administrative costs and, as such, is non-refundable.   

We will accept applications for the DipPOM recognition pathway from 3 October 2022 until 1 December 2023.

The award of the DipPOM through recognition is an acknowledgement of a practitioner’s contribution to, and experience within, the field of perioperative medicine.  

The award also enables practitioners to contribute to the education of future perioperative medicine practitioners and be included in the first cohort of supervisors of DipPOM participants enrolling in 2023. 

These are two different processes. 

Recognition (points) pathway is a ‘grandparenting’ process, whereby suitable candidates can provide evidence that they meet pre-determined criteria to receive the DipPOM without completing any study modules. These candidates will be practitioners who can demonstrate that a significant percentage of their work is conducted in the perioperative medicine field, making a notable contribution to perioperative medicine through research, teaching practice and professional activities.  

Recognition of prior learning is not a ‘grandparenting’ process but enables practitioners working in the perioperative field to receive credits for some aspects of the DipPOM program, which will reduce the time it takes them to complete the DipPOM. The eligibility criteria are still in development and will be published on the website when they are completed.  

A minimum of 1000 points is required to be awarded the DipPOM. The total number of eligible points is calculated based on completion of activities across the four categories and the points in each category are capped.

Candidates with accrued points between 800 – 999 of the required points will have up to 12 months, from the time of decision, to achieve the additional points. An administration fee will apply for resubmission of evidence for consideration of additional accrued evidence. 

Evidence of completion of clinical activities (Category D), within the POM field in the past eight years, with a minimum of 200 points, is a compulsory requirement of the recognition (points) pathway process.  

There is an eight-year recency of completion of the clinical activities and the educational programs, estimated from the date of application. 

It is recognised that there is a limited number of leading figures in perioperative medicine throughout Australia and New Zealand who may not meet the points requirement but may qualify for the diploma by an exemption process. These eminent practitioners will play a prominent role in shaping POM practice, leadership, and education in the future. Eligibility for exemption will be decided by an Exemption Pathway Committee, based on pre-determined criteria.  

The outcome of the lodged applications will be available 6 to 12 weeks after the receipt date of the completed application and all the supporting evidence.  

Read the eligibility criteria on our DipPOM recognition pathway page then click on the ‘apply’ tab, which will take you to the application form. Follow the instructions on the form to complete the application. 

It is recommended that you have accrued the minimum 1000 points before applying. Should you apply with less than 800 points of evidence, it is likely your application will be rejected. This does not, however, exclude you from re-applying within the recognition pathway timeframe (3 October 2022 – 1 December 2023), once you complete the activities for the remaining points. A further non-refundable administration fee will apply for each subsequent application. 

The recognition process is available to those practitioners who have been engaged in, and completed, various educational and clinical perioperative medicine-based activities. It is an opportunity for those activities to be recognised for the award of the Diploma of Perioperative Medicine. To be eligible, practitioners must be: 

1. Registered with the relevant medical board authority. 
2. Have experience working in the perioperative medicine field within the past eight years. 
3. A practicing fellow from an eligible college.
4. Able to meet specified evidence criteria for recognition points or exemption pathways.  

NB: Practitioners from medical colleges not listed are not currently eligible for legacy transition to the diploma via the recognition (points or exemption) pathway.  

Technical skills, such as cardiac echocardiography/non-cardiac ultrasound courses, or qualifications, would not ordinarily attract points for the purposes of recognition. However,  please include these in your application in order for the Recognition pathway working group to review your whole professional profile.

As representatives of individual colleges craft group, the RPWG members developed the Category D evidence criteria specifically for their own speciality (craft group) tThe criteria were then reviewed by the working group as a whole and approved by the Multidisciplinary Perioperative Medicine Steering Committee.

The obvious nature of intensive care units, is that patients admitted to those units generally have acute impairment or failure of organ systems that require or are likely to require advanced respiratory and other systemic support of vital functions. This requires routine MDT meetings and frequent review by the whole team.

It was therefore considered unnecessary to list specific conditions or circumstances in the intensivist Category D section as the majority of patients would require complex care plans based on their critical illness and condition.

All supervisors will be required to attend an introductory webinar which will explain expectations of DipPOM course supervisors and provide information on how to navigate the online platform. Supervisors will also undertake an online supervisor training course comprised of seven 15-minute modules. The modules cover the skills and knowledge required to be an effective supervisor.  

All supervisors will be supported by a dedicated POM Director of Professional Affairs (DPA), appointed by ANZCA, a DipPOM Topic Education Lead and ANZCA administrative and support staff. 

The time commitment required by supervisors is based on the number of participants they will be supervising and the number of topics the participant is taking concurrently. There are six topics within the DipPOM program divided over trimesters within a 12-month period. Participants are recommended to take one or two topic areas per trimester and each trimester is 10 weeks duration.  

Supervisors may have upto three DipPOM participants allocated to them, depending on the supervisor’s availability and the number of topics the participant is completing.  

As a guide, a supervisor’s commitment is up to an hour per week per participant per topic.  

In addition, supervisors will be required to assist in the facilitation of a one or two day workshop. When we have enlisted sufficient supervisors, we expect the requirement will be once a year for a two-day workshop or once every two years for a one-day workshop. 

Becoming a supervisor is not a criterion for recognition, however it is anticipated that those awarded the diploma via the recognition process will be the first cohort of supervisors of clinical practice for the initial delivery of the diploma in 2023 and 2024. There will also be opportunities to contribute to perioperative medicine education, policies, and guidelines development.