Courses that can be claimed
Funded suport entitlement
Reimbursable expenses
Rates of reimbursement
Reimbursement process
Diploma Echocardiography
Diploma FAQ
Workshops
How to get Someone to Pay for the Training
Continuing Medical Education (CME) support
CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION SUPPORT (Australia)
For Australian Specialists (Full time and Visiting Medical Officers), the Australian Medical Association (AMA) has negotiated with a number of State Goverments, financial support for CME. See the local AMA office for further details. Victorian AMA. In Victoria, the CME support is $20,000 for full time staff specialists; and for VMOs a pro rata payment is applicable. Please note the information listed below. Contact the AMA or your hospital Medical Adminstration for further details and for claim forms.
Courses that can be Claimed
Diploma of Echocardiography
Point of Care Ultrasound Course
HeartScan
Ultrasound Guided Nerve Blocks and Vascular Access
Any additional courses offered by us will also be able to be claimed under this support scheme.
(1) Funded Support entitlement
(a) The entitlement for Full-Time Specialists is for reimbursement of approved costs up to a value of $20,000 each financial year inclusive of the support at (b) below and subject to (e) below.
(b) Where support was provided to Specialists prior to 1 July 2006 (including from private practice, special purpose or similar funds), those arrangements will be unchanged by this Clause. This includes support that in the absence of this Clause would have normally been available to new employees of a health service.
(c) The entitlement to funding support for Specialists employed on a salaried Fractional basis is pro-rata, based on the Specialists base Fractional appointment (up to $2,000 for each 0.1 fraction / 3.5 hours), provided that where a Specialist holds more than one Fractional appointment with an employer listed in Schedules 1-5 of the Health Services Act 1988, the total benefit available to the Specialist each year will not exceed the benefit available to a single Full-Time Specialist.
(d) Subject to sub-clauses (2) and (3) below, funds will be paid to the Specialist as a reimbursement of costs reasonably and necessarily incurred for Continuing Medical Education activities or purposes directly relevant to the Specialists employment with the employer.
(e) The funding provided for in this Clause is a benchmark entitlement. A Chief Medical Officer/delegate may approve higher levels of support dependent on the moniesavailable in the appropriate fund.
(2) Reimbursable Expenses
(a) Pursuant to sub-clause (4) a Specialist is entitled to seek reimbursement for the following Continuing Medical Education related costs:
(i) costs relating to professional conferences and workshops, including registration fees, and reasonable travel, accommodation and per diem expenses;
(ii) costs associated with enrolment in relevant short courses, workshops, and other activities recognised by the Specialty College for purposes of accruing CME / CPD / MOPS points; and
(iii) other reasonable costs such as books, CDs, technological aids and subscriptions where such resources are not otherwise provided by, or available from, the employer.
(3) Rates of Reimbursement
(a) Air travel associated with continuing medical education activities will be reimbursed at the rate of business class for journeys of 3 hours or more, and economy class for journeys of less than 3 hours duration. Claims for private car use for travel associated with continuing medical education activities will be reimbursed at the relevant rate per business kilometre published by the Australian Tax Office from time to time.
(b) Accommodation, meal and incidental expenses:
(A) Reimbursement of reasonable and necessarily incurred accommodation, meal and incidental expenses will be paid subject to the following:
(i) Accommodation may be at the hosting hotel, or elsewhere as is reasonable for the conference/seminar attended;
(ii) Meal and other incidental expense amounts will be in accordance with the amounts set out in the relevant Australian Taxation Office (ATO) Tax Determination dealing with reasonable allowance amounts (currently Tax Determination 2006/43).
The ATO daily allowance rates vary according to salary. The rates used should be based on the full-time equivalent salary applicable to the position occupied by the Specialist, i.e. part-time Specialists should be paid the rate relevant to a full-time salary. For the purpose of this clause, salary shall mean the Specialists base salary. The salary used for this purpose is not reduced by any salary sacrifice arrangement.
(B) Where the Continuing Medical Education activity does not involve travel (e.g. postgraduate study, local conferences), reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred should be paid.
(4) Reimbursement Process
(a) Reimbursement may be claimed by a Specialist using the form(s) provided by the employer;
(b) Claims are to be submitted to the Chief Medical Officer/delegate for approval, through the Specialists Unit Head, and must be accompanied by original receipts and any other necessary supporting documentation, including for FBT purposes (eg travel diary);
(c) Claims are to be submitted within 3 months of expenditure being incurred and where practicable within the financial year to which they relate. (This subclause to come into effect from 1 July 2007.)
(d) The employer will process reimbursements in an expeditious manner not later than 30 days after submission of a fully compliant claim.
(5) A Specialist will not be entitled to payout of any unused entitlement under this Clause upon retirement, resignation, redundancy or dismissal.
(6) The reimbursement of up to $20,000 per annum is inclusive of any applicable Fringe Benefits Tax.
(7) There will be no transfer of any unexpended entitlement to funded support between health services. However, access to some funded support from the new employer should not be unreasonably withheld, provided that the total value of support provided by the relevant health services does not exceed $20,000 in any one financial year.
(8) Any dispute in relation to the application of this clause may be dealt with through the Dispute Resolution Procedure.