Chronic Pain

The Chronic Pain Department at SCGH offers a Fellowship of the Faculty of Pain Medicine (FFPMANZCA), which is a two year training program.

The first year is run as a rotational program in WA. This year can also count for ANZCA PFY year, so the training programs can overlap. The second year can be done in an unaccredited unit and is intended for consolidation of skills in an area of the fellow’s choosing.

Is Pain Medicine For You?

  • Primary decision making and continuity of patient care
  • Complements the nature of Anaesthetic practice
  • The opportunity to be involved in:
    • Acute, Chronic, and Cancer Pain
    • Interventional Pain Medicine
    • Multidisciplinary, rehabilitation based practice with a team of allied health professionals
  • The ability to establish your own practice in public or private and work to your own hours and preference.
  • Opportunity for exposure to other Specialties during training (Palliative Care, Psychiatry, Rehabilitation)

Pain Medicine Training in WA

Currently you will need to get onto the rotational training program to complete your first year of training. These Fellowship positions are usually advertised on the www.jobs.health.wa.gov.au early in the year. Contact the Supervisor of Training, Dr Rajiv Menon for more details rajiv.menon@health.wa.gov.au

What is the training like?

  • First year
    • MUST be in an FPM accredited unit – at present only available in WA through the Pain Rotational Program (4 months at each tertiary hospital in WA: Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Royal Perth Hospital, and Fiona Stanley Hospital). Joondalup Health Campus is accredited for 1st year training, but is not currently taking on any more trainees.
    • The workload usually consists of clinics, ward consults, and procedure lists, it tends to be a busy full time in-hours position. There are opportunities for involvement in Acute Pain rounds, and spending time with Palliative Care, Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine services.
    • At present FPM requires that you do not do ANY clinical Anaesthesia in your normal rostered pain medicine hours (40 per week) (even if doing this as an ANZCA PFY). You may be able to negotiate with the SCGH Department of Anaesthesia to do some additional hours as weekend shifts in theatre.
  • Second year
    • This can be done in an unaccredited unit.
    • The Faculty is reasonably flexible about how you spend this, as long as it is relevant to Pain Medicine, and there is an FPM available who can sign off WBAs
    • Suggested options include Palliative Care, Psych, Rehabilitation, Acute Pain, and Procedural Pain rotations (nothing like this formally available at the moment in WA, but may be possible elsewhere)
    • Several private practices have made themselves available for second year Fellows.
    • SCGH offers a second year training position. This is intended to allow consolidation of knowledge, opportunities for more independent practice, a greater role in leading and coordinating departmental resources to provide care for complex tertiary/quaternary pain problems, as well as a focus on interventional pain procedures.

If you are interested in doing a Fellowship in Pain Medicine at SCGH, please contact rajiv.menon@health.wa.gov.au