#bank of australasia

[rhyperographer]

I can't find any sources that support this but if true that is very interesting! We do have to consider that SVB is a non-SFI (significant financial institution) though. So i wouldn't expect the ripples to go to far. (But i do empathise with those caught in them none the less)

For anyone wondering what happened to make Silicon Valley Bank here's the TL:DR:

SVB had very few consumer loans. Their investment base was primarily government bonds. A government bond is basically a loan to the gov at a fixed rate for a set period.

Their liability base was primarily consumer and investor savings.

They made money on the difference between what they were paying people in interest for their savings, and what the gov was paying them for the bonds.

They were then investing their profits into startups and tech businesses.

Then the loan rate rose, the interest rate on savings went up in the market, and to stay competative they had to put their rates up. They can't reclaim their investments as startups don't have the money to give back. The rate rises, their profits shrink, and they go boom.

[drhoz]

#2238 - Hypopterygium sp. - Umbrella Moss

A damp dark bank beside one of the paths near the falls was festooned with this delightful moss. Possibly Hypopterygium tamarisci but there's another very similar species also native to the area. H. tamarisci is widely distributed in Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Australasia, Oceania, as well as South and Central America, where it extends into Mexico and the Caribbean.

The 28 Hypopterygium species have a prostrate creeping primary stem with erect secondary branches (stipes). Each stipe has a umbrella-like frond with pinnate branches wrapped in rows of leaves

Widespread in New Zealand in moist forest.

Huka Falls, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand

[10minus6cosm]

RCPA microbiology training – resources and notes (Part 1)

Our trainee Shireen recently passed her Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Examination. She was invited to share her exam preparation strategy for the benefit of our other trainees.

Disclaimer

This document is based on my personal experience and what worked well for me to get me through the exams. Everyone’s experience will be different and what worked for me may not work so well for someone else (and vice versa)!

This is also not comprehensive and is just my attempt to cobble together a list of the resources that I used or found particularly helpful. There are also many other resources beyond the ones listed here!

Where possible I have tried to include links to various websites but please use the links at your own discretion.

It is also important to know your lab protocols well and know how the lab works.

Lastly don’t forget to go through the RCPA microbiology trainee handbook and the administrative requirements handbook!

General notes on exam preparation

Study tools

Anki flash cards – I am happy to share my Anki deck (with disclaimers)

I created my own Anki deck and slowly added to it over the course of about 3 years – had approximately 2400 cards by the time I took my Part II exam.

Every time I came across a new fact or something that I felt I needed to remember I would put the information into a flash card.

Anki has the advantage of being easily searchable, so the flash cards I made doubled as my study notes.

Anki syncs across all of my devices, so I created flash cards on my laptop and went through flash cards on my phone whenever I had a pocket of time (walking to/from the MRT, walking in the park, waiting for people).

Overall I found this an excellent tool to get my brain to remember microbiology trivia.

Study group

Having a study group made a massive difference to exam prep for me – I cannot overemphasise how helpful having one was!

Probably a good time to find a study group would be around a year before the Part I exam.

Question banks (not RCPA exam specific)

ID/micro MCQ book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Infectious-Diseases-Microbiology-Virology-Specialist/dp/1316609715/ - I went through this book before FRCPath I.

Jawetz has nice end of chapter MCQs.

Past year questions and question banks (RCPA exam specific)

RCPA question banks – RCPA publishes Part I Paper A questions for the last few years on the RCPA website

Ask your seniors if they have more questions – for example my study group made up practice questions for each other and therefore we have an additional self-generated question bank.

If I were to go back in time to about 1-1.5 years before my Part I, my approach would be to look through past year questions early to get a good idea of what sort of questions are being asked. Do as many practice questions as possible. Then see if can answer the questions for other similar organisms/illnesses too…

Start of training

I went through these books cover to cover. This is the approximate order in which I’d read these books, and I’d probably aim to finish these books in the first year or so of training

Book reviews

Clinical microbiology made ridiculously simple https://www.amazon.sg/Clinical-Microbiology-Made-Ridiculously-Simple-dp-1935660500/dp/1935660500/ This is a book targeted as medical students (I think) but I found this a great read at the start of training to get an overview and learn some mnemonics and ways to remember things that have stuck with me. Can get through this book fairly quickly!

Comprehensive review of infectious diseases https://www.amazon.com/Comprehensive-Review-Infectious-Diseases-Andrej/dp/0323568661/ Great introduction to ID and microbiology, but use with caution and some things may be different for our local setting/Australia

Murray (I used the 8th edition, updated edition is https://www.amazon.sg/Medical-Microbiology-Patrick-R-Murray/dp/) and/or Jawetz https://www.amazon.sg/Jawetz-Melnick-Adelbergs-Medical-Microbiology/dp/1260012026/ Both are undergraduate microbiology textbooks that cover fairly similar content at a fairly similar level. I read through both and preferred Murray for reading/learning, but liked the end of chapter MCQs in Jawetz.

Color Atlas of Medical Bacteriology (review is for third edition, updated edition is https://www.amazon.sg/Color-Atlas-Medical-Bacteriology-Luis/dp/1683670353/) Lots of nice pictures that show a lot of the bacterial isolates and biochemical reactions you need to become familiar with in the lab. Text also quite helpful as an introduction to each group of bacteria Fast facts bacteria chapter at the back is also very nice for quick reference/learning.

Part I preparation

Book reviews

Oxford handbook of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology https://www.amazon.sg/Oxford-Handbook-Infectious-Diseases-Microbiology/dp/019967132X/ This is unfortunately getting a bit dated now (2016), and is UK-based so some guidelines/methods are different from what we do here/in Australia. Can be a little dry (as it contains a lot of facts), but it has very nice chapters covering antimicrobials (sadly a bit outdated now) and infection control that can be read as introductions to these topics. Part 3 systematic microbiology contains many of the important organisms you need to know about by the time you take RCPA Part I. (Note this is not a comprehensive list, see the section on “list of organisms/infections to know” below.) The "smaller print" organisms that have come out before in Paper A include leishmaniasis and BK virus, which are both covered in this section Part 4 clinical syndromes is useful to put microbiology in context, and is also useful for the RCPA Part I/II vivas which I found more clinical than the written/practical.

Koneman https://www.amazon.sg/Konemans-Color-Textbook-Diagnostic-Microbiology/dp/1284322378/ Unfortunately, this edition is also getting a bit dated (2016). Extremely intimidating the first time I saw this book. Gets better once you read a bit through it and realise what are the important things you need to know (mostly at the start/end of chapters that talk about introductions to the various groups of organisms and microbiology techniques) and what are the less important stuff that is OK to read and forget. Definitely read through the introduction chapters as these are basics of microbiology! Chapter 3/4 on immunological and molecular methods - good to read through, but I preferred the chapters in MCM. Bacteriology - a lot of information, including a lot of organisms that you do not need to remember for exams (e.g. one of my favourite organisms I came across in this book was Staphylococcus condimenti which is found in soy sauce - but not really an organism you need to remember for exams!). It is however useful to know that the lists of endless corynebacteria and identification tables exist to be able to easily refer to them when you need to in daily practice. Mycology - this is less comprehensive than Larone, but I really liked reading through the section here as I found it gave me a very good introduction/overview to the topic. Essentially the fungi here are mostly "important" so it is good to know about what is mentioned here. Parasitology - same as mycology, I liked this section as it had a very good introduction/overview to the topic, and again the parasites here are mostly "important" Virology - afraid I can't comment on this as I don't remember much about the virology chapter here.

Larone's Medically Important Fungi https://www.amazon.sg/Larones-Medically-Important-Fungi-Identification/dp/1683674405/ Good textbook for mycology When reading through need to differentiate between important fungi and small print fungi Methods chapters are useful

Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook (I used the 4th edition, updated edition is https://www.amazon.sg/Clinical-Microbiology-Procedures-Handbook-Multi/dp/1683673980/) I read through sections of this book as I rotated through the labs (e.g. read the TB section when was in TB lab). Start and end of each section is particularly useful as gives introduction and interpretation information. Some parts of the 4th edition were a bit outdated by the time I read it - but there is a brand new 5th edition out now. I did read through quite a lot of this, and if time had permitted I would have liked to read through more of it before my Part I. Is also useful to be familiar with this as it's useful to easily reference it in practice.

Manual of clinical microbiology (I used the 11th edition, updated edition is https://www.amazon.sg/Manual-Clinical-Microbiology-Multi-Carroll/dp/1683674294/) I did not read the whole of this book! I used this book mostly for techniques (particularly liked the chapters on molecular and immunoassays) and as a reference when needed.

(Please note I am missing a good virology textbook here - this is because I already did a good amount of virology in my past and that together with other resources and guidelines was more than sufficient to get me through my exams. The virology textbook I used as a final year undergraduate >10 years ago was Flint's (updated version is https://www.amazon.sg/Principles-Virology-Multi-Jane-Flint/dp/1683670329/ which looks rather different from the version I used which was only a single volume) but this may be overly a basic science textbook. If you're not confident with basic virology it might be advisable to also find a good virology textbook.)

Websites and guidelines (Australian)

RCPA website

RCPA webinar series Watch all of these! Can be quite topical to current issues Quite a few topics covered in the series came out in my exams There are also a few webinars that are specifically for exam prep

Exam specific prep

Meet the examiner session from RCPA Path update – should be updated yearly https://www.rcpa.edu.au/Education/Disciplines/Microbiology/Exams/Examination-Advice

Past year exam questions

Optimise oral examination handbook (2022)

Additional quality management questions: https://www.rcpa.edu.au/Education/Laboratory-Management/Quality-Management/Docs/Quality-management-exam-questions-(1).aspx

Position statements, policies, guidelines I read most of these for Part I/II Some of these cover topics that came out in my exam Selective reporting of antimicrobials in Australia Modules - Ethics, Bullying/Harassment, Quality, etc Workshop slides Molecular Microbiology – the slides are uploaded every year, not too long after the workshop

Australia Department of Health and Aged Care website - www.health.gov.au

List of diseases that are notifiable or have vaccines https://www.health.gov.au/diseases

Links to PHLN laboratory case definitions and CDNA SONGS Communicable disease https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/communicable-diseases

Can check for updates: Australian health documents https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications Use filter: topics --> communicable diseases Can also use filters: Publication type --> case definition Publication type --> guideline CDNA guidelines https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/cdna-guidance-documents

State health departments Each state has information about specific diseases/infections that are of importance there, plus information about health alerts (links below under “list of organisms/infections to know”)

There are also some very nice guidelines on certain state websites

NSW department of health NSW disease control guidelines (a bit similar to the SoNGs, has things that are not in the SoNGs) https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/controlguideline/Pages/default.aspx

Northern Territory department of health Quite a lot of specific disease guidelines including invasive group A streptococcus (and acute post strep glomerulonephritis), diphtheria, leprosy, malaria, NTM, syphilis)

Queensland department of health Really nice infection control guidelines Exposure to blood and body fluids Foodborne illness outbreak Healthcare worker vaccination MDRO Outbreak management

Perinatal infections Really important to know about perinatal infections and it came up quite a bit in my exams

ASID management of perinatal infections guidelines https://anzasid.sharepoint.com/sites/E-Knowledge/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2Fsites%2FE%2DKnowledge%2FShared%20Documents%2FANZPID%2FASID%20Management%20of%20Perinatal%20Infections%203rd%20Edition%2Epdf&parent=%2Fsites%2FE%2DKnowledge%2FShared%20Documents%2FANZPID&p=true&ga=1

Pregnancy care guidelines https://www.health.gov.au/resources/pregnancy-care-guidelines/table-of-contents Includes information on pregnancy and infections and screening https://www.health.gov.au/resources/pregnancy-care-guidelines/part-f-routine-maternal-health-tests/

ASHM - bloodborne viruses and sexually transmissible infections in antenatal care https://www.ashm.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/ASHM-BBVs-STIs-in-Antenatal-Care-Resource-2022.pdf

Immunisation

Immunisation handbook: https://immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au/vaccine-preventable-diseases

National immunisation programme schedule: https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/immunisation/when-to-get-vaccinated/national-immunisation-program-schedule

More immunisation guidelines and info from NCIRS https://ncirs.org.au/health-professionals/ncirs-fact-sheets-faqs

National vaccine storage guidelines - Strive for 5 https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/national-vaccine-storage-guidelines-strive-for-5?language=en

National guidelines for yellow fever vaccination centres and providers (Australian Department of Health) https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-12/national-guidelines-for-yellow-fever-vaccination-centres-and-providers.pdf

NPAAC and NATA

May be useful to read through once before Part I. Definitely read through all the microbiology-relevant ones and know well before Part II

NPAAC standards https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/accreditation/pathology-accreditation-standards NATA/RCPA accreditation https://nata.com.au/accreditation/medical-laboratory-accreditation-iso-15189/

HIV/HepB/HepC

Healthcare workers with blood borne viruses https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/cdna-national-guidelines-for-healthcare-workers-on-managing-bloodborne-viruses

Exposure prone and non-exposure prone procedures in Australia https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2020/03/cdna-guidance-on-classification-of-exposure-prone-and-non-exposure-prone-procedures-in-australia-2017.pdf

NSW management of healthcare workers potentially exposed to HIV/HepB/HepC https://www1.health.nsw.gov.au/pds/Pages/doc.aspx?dn=PD2017_010

HIV

Australasian society for HIV, viral hepatitis and sexual health medicine (ASHM) and guidelines/resources: https://ashm.org.au/resources/

Testing Portal: https://testingportal.ashm.org.au

Antiretroviral guideline https://arv.ashm.org.au HIV care guide PrEP and PEP guidelines for HIV U=U guidance https://ashm.org.au/hiv/ https://www.ashm.org.au/hiv/hiv-management/ https://hivlegal.ashm.org.au/ (And there are probably many other guidelines!)

National HIV testing policy https://testingportal.ashm.org.au/files/ASHM_National%20HIVTestingPolicy_2020_HIV_.pdf

Hepatitis B

https://www.hepatitisb.org.au

https://www.gesa.org.au/public/13/files/Education%20%26%20Resources/Clinical%20Practice%20Resources/Hep%20B/HBV%20consensus%20Mar%202022%20Updated.pdf

National Hepatitis B testing policy https://testingportal.ashm.org.au/files/ASHM_TestingPolicy_2020_HepatitisB_07_2.pdf

Hepatitis C

https://www.hepcguidelines.org.au

National Hepatitis C testing policy https://testingportal.ashm.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/National_HepatitisC_Testing_Policy_v1-4_March_2023-v2.pdf

STI guidelines

Australian STI management guidelines for use in primary care:

https://sti.guidelines.org.au This has links to other guidelines

ASHM also has a lot of microsites https://contacttracing.ashm.org.au https://testingportal.ashm.org.au/ https://syphilisoutbreaktraining.com.au

Lifeblood (blood donation Australia) was an unexpectedly good resource for various infectious diseases

https://www.lifeblood.com.au/health-professionals/learn/resource-library

Filter for "factsheet" or search for "infectious" or search for "infections"

Should get a list of "transfusion focused infectious disease fact sheets" for a number of infections e.g. SARS-CoV-2, H5N1, Murray Valley Encephalitis Virus

These fact sheets are really nice as they summarise each infection including epidemiology in Australia, treatment, diagnosis, prevention Also useful for reading about transfusion associated infections!

Infection control and outbreak management

Australian guidelines for prevention and control of infection in healthcare https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-09/australian_guidelines_for_the_prevention_and_control_of_infection_in_healthcare_current_version_v11.19_24_august_20232.pdf32.pdf

Outbreak management (Queensland guide) https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/444508/management-outbreaks.pdf

Infection control (Queensland) https://education.qld.gov.au/initiativesstrategies/Documents/infection-control-guideline.pdf

PHLN lab procedures and precautions for samples from patients with viral haemorrhagic fevers https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/phln-laboratory-procedures-and-precautions-for-samples-collected-from-patients-with-viral-haemorrhagic-fevers

Guidelines for legionella control https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2022/07/enhealth-guidance-guidelines-for-legionella-control.pdf

Infectious diseases requiring additional precautions (NSW) https://aci.health.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/286838/ID_requiring_additional_control_precautions.pdf

GENCA/GESA guidelines on endoscope reprocessing https://www.genca.org/public/5/files/Nurses%20info/IPCE%202021_Feb2022update.pdf

RACGP infection prevention and control standards https://www.racgp.org.au/FSDEDEV/media/documents/Running%20a%20practice/Practice%20standards/Infection-prevention-and-control.pdf

Mycology

Mycology Adelaide https://www.adelaide.edu.au/mycology/ This was somewhat similar to Larone but is a good resource and is Australian

Additional useful guidelines and documents

Uptodate list of health hazards in travellers to Australia and NZ: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/potential-health-hazards-in-travelers-to-australia-new-zealand-and-the-southwestern-pacific-oceania

CARAlert organisms (critical antimicrobial resistances) https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/our-work/antimicrobial-resistance/antimicrobial-use-and-resistance-australia-surveillance-system/national-alert-system-critical-antimicrobial-resistances-caralert

Australian Society for Microbiology - Guidelines for QC of microbiological culture media https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c184125b98a781241e53ab6/t/5db2996892f5c03a7ff21a0f/1571985772520/Guidelines+for+the+Quality+Assurance+of+Medical+Microbiological+culture+media+2nd+edition+July+2012.pdf

Australian risk group organisms - I couldn't find a good resource for this! Some partial ones at https://cdn.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/3283012/Biosafety-Manual-Booklet-3.pdf

Packaging and transport of infectious substances https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1333766/retrieve#page17

Australian Refugee Health guide https://refugeehealthguide.org.au

List of Australian tests and diseases https://pathologytestsexplained.org.au

Infections disease transmission in solid organ transplantation https://tsanz.com.au/storage/documents/TSANZ-Infectious-Disease-review_Final_collated_edit.pdf

CDS https://cdstest.net – I found the resistance mechanisms explanations here very good

Websites and guidelines (non-Australian)

CLSI

M100 - I read this from cover to cover

Other CLSI documents that might be helpful include M35 abbrieviated identification of bacteria and yeast

M39 cumulative antibiogram

M45 ST of infrequently isolated or fastidious bacteria

M47 blood cultures - overlaps with the UK SMI and CMPH on blood cultures

M48 lab detection and ID of mycobacteria

M56 anaerobes

M58 MALDI

M62 ST of mycobacteria, Nocardia, other aerobic actinomycetes

MM03 molecular diagnostic methods for infectious diseases

MM09 nucleic acid sequencing methods

MM18 identification of bacteria and fungi by targeted DNA sequencing - basically 16S/ITS (And also other documents…)

EUCAST

Bacteria susceptibility testing document - useful to get some familiarity with this.

There are also a lot of helpful documents on the website that are good to read.

CDC

Infection control https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/index.html

CDC DPDx - lots of nice photos for parasites

CDC Yellow book https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2020/table-of-contents

Disinfection and sterilisation https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/disinfection/index.html

CDC lab biosafety - biosafety in microbiological and biomedical laboratories (6th ed 2020)

Other useful resources

UK SMI

Cystic fibrosis lab guidelines https://www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-12/Laboratory%20standards.pdf

European CDC website https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en

IDSA guidelines https://www.idsociety.org/practice-guideline/alphabetical-guidelines/

APHL/ASM clinical lab preparedness and response guide https://www.aphl.org/aboutAPHL/publications/documents/WORK_BlueBook.pdf

Keeping up with current topics

Good to know about current topics in microbiology – this includes JCM etc for things like new methods, issues with testing, etc

Also look specifically for topics that are important in Australia Browse Australian news and see if there is anything that sounds important/likely E.g. Japanese encephalitis, mpox, flooding, black mould… If it has been reported in mainstream news and is related to infection it would be good to know about it!

National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) reports https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/nndss-fortnightly-reports - useful to get an idea of what is happening in Australia Each Australian state has their own site with health alerts – good to have a browse through to see if there is anything of particular interest.

NSW https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/alerts/Pages/default.aspx

SA https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/public+health/alerts/health+alerts/

Queensland https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts WA https://www.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/F_I/Health-alerts-infectious-diseases

List of organisms/infections to know

When I first started microbiology training, the endless lists of organisms and infections seemed endless and extremely daunting.

I eventually settled on a "minimum" list of organisms/infections I need to know:

Anything that is mentioned in Part 3 of the Oxford Handbook of ID and Microbiology

Anything that is in the Australian guidelines (PHLN, CDNA SONGS, ACSQHC)

Anything that is in the Australian vaccination handbook

Anything that is listed in the infectious diseases lists of the individual Australian states

Victoria https://www.health.vic.gov.au/infectious-diseases/disease-information-and-advice

NSW https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/default.aspx

Queensland https://www.health.qld.gov.au/disease-control and https://www.qld.gov.au/health/condition/infections-and-parasites

NT https://health.nt.gov.au/public-health-notifiable-diseases

WA https://www.health.wa.gov.au/Articles/N_R/Notification-of-infectious-diseases-and-related-conditions

Alternative way of thinking about the organisms/infections are: Need to know well

Common and important, e.g. MSSA/MRSA, Enterobacterales, VZV, CMV

Common but unlikely (or less likely) to be clinically significant e.g. Staphylococcus epidermidis

Rare but important or with important associations, e.g. coccidioides, Mycobacterium ulcerans, Corynebacterium diphtheriae/ulcerans/pseudotuberculosis

Don’t really need to know well Rare and unlikely to be clinically significant e.g. Staphylococcus condimenti

For each organism/infection, I learned

Type/category of infection

Epidemiology – especially if there is anything specifically important to Australia, e.g. certain groups/regions/activities that have higher risk for infection

Transmission

Clinical presentation

Diagnosis

Non-laboratory diagnosis

Laboratory diagnosis

Sample type and collection

Sample transport

Microbiological diagnosis methods

Typing methods

Any particular issues with testing?

Treatment

Prevention

Anything special I needed to know

Specific additional things to look up for Part I

Not comprehensive!

Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV - be able to calculate this - how this is affected by prevalence of disease

Receiver-operating characteristic curves

HEPA filters and how they work

Requirements of a PC2/3/4? laboratory

How is immunoglobulin avidity testing done (this is done for CMV in Australia?)

Sterilisation and disinfection

Types of autoclave and controls needed

Audit cycle

Outbreak management and epidemiological investigation

Cumulative antibiogram

Validation vs verification

Infection control - standard, contact, droplet, aerosol precautions

Measurement of uncertainty

R0 and R

Clinical trials and phases

PCR targets used for organisms

PK/PD

Australian infectious diseases screening programmes

Quality control and quality assurance

Levy-Jennings chart

Methods of diagnosis and specifics about how they work

Isothermal amplification

Sequencing by Sanger

Whole Genome Sequencing - Illumina, Nanopore

Different serological assays and how they work - ELISA, capture assays, haemagglutination-inhibition, CFT, virus neutralisation assays

Immunochromatographic tests

Transport and handling of infectious substances, how are they categorised (A/B)

Types of biosafety cabinets and how they work

Risk groups, definition of risk groups

Australian groups and organisations and regulations - NPAAC, NATA, TGA…

Organ/blood donation and microbiological testing

I also had definitions for

Quality control, quality assurance

Measurement uncertainty

MIC, ECOFF, breakpoints, susceptible, resistant, intermediate, SDD, wild type, non-WT

Critical concentration (MTB)

Sterilisation, disinfection, cleaning

R0, R

Validation, verification

Antibody titre

Universal and standard precautions

Prozone/hook effects

Notes about each part of the Part I exam

Disclaimer This is based on my own experience with the exam and there is always a possibility that the exam format or emphasis may change from year to year!

Paper A

RCPA publishes the previous papers for the past few years, and your seniors may have papers going back even longer.

Some of the questions repeat, so it is useful going through the past questions and preparing answers.

Keep in mind time limitations in the exam - there is a limit to how much you can write in 9 minutes! May be worth doing some of the questions "timed" to get a realistic idea of how much you can write. I think I wrote around a page for most questions.

A lot of basic microbiology here – e.g. “lab diagnosis of X” and technical questions.

Paper B

Short answer questions that cover a lot of various aspects of microbiology

Quite a few of the questions were "spot diagnosis" - photo provided, what is the likely organism, question related to this. Test ability to recognise fungi, parasites, etc.

Questions and topics were very random and were pulled from everything and everywhere.

Practical

Practice working up samples (including EQA samples) in the lab in parallel with routine work up done by lab staff

Make sure you are able to do all the tests that are known to be tested - e.g. I had to learn how to do urine microscopy as this isn't done by microbiology here. Double check what you need to be able to do for your year (my year included Gram stain, AFB stain, urine microscopy)

Go through past EQA reports

Go through lab manual and SOPs

A couple of months before I generated a list of media/reagents/etc I thought I might need to use during the practical. I went through this list with the lab to ensure that I would have these available for use when I need and “reserved” a stock of agar plates/etc for my use during the practical.

Before the practical I generated my own list of media/conditions to use for each sample type - and followed this list (with some additions depending on question stem) on day 1 of the exam to plate things out.

Viva

Practice questions with study group - we tried to do this similar to the exam when we would read the question, make short notes, and answer the question over zoom. Once done you might get additional questions to answer, such as in the viva.

I thought the Part I viva was more clinical and more guideline based than the rest of the Part I exam.

I found that knowing the Australian guidelines helped a lot with the viva.

Caveat. When I set Shireen the task of writing up her RCPA exam prep experience I certainly was not expecting an 18 page thesis. If you have sustained your interest all the way through this post you may have surmised that she is from one of the elite schools in Singapore. Rest assured her experience represents a counsel of perfection, and it may well be possible to pass the RCPA exams with less exhaustive preparation...

[qnewsau]

Northern Exposure 2024 a success as Mr Bear Qld crowned

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/northern-exposure-2024-a-success-as-mr-bear-qld-crowned/

Northern Exposure 2024 a success as Mr Bear Qld crowned

Brisbears recently hosted their annual event Northern Exposure for a week of fun, fur and frivolity that saw the crowning of Mr Bear Queensland. Their President Graeme Kerr shares how the week went. 

Northern Exposure (NEX) is an annual event that takes place every October with an extensive program of events including the Meet and Greet Dinner, the highly coveted Underbear dance party and the Mr Bear Queensland competition.

Meet and Greet Dinner

NEX kicked off with our Meet and Greet Dinner at The Pineapple Hotel. This event, hosted by drag superstar Shanny T Bone, gives the bears a chance to meet up, enjoy a three-course meal and learn a little bit more about our Mr Bear QLD contestants.

Local performers Abril La Trene, Henny Spaghetti and MOOSE! dazzled the crowd throughout the night. 

Shape

This year saw the program expand with a special screening of the Australian documentary; Shape directed by Roger Ungers. Shape uncovers how being in a tribe can help gay males feel part of a community. This sense of inclusion and belonging can be so valuable, especially for young males whose families may have rejected them after they came out. 

However, this social grouping can lead to unhealthy stereotypes and unrealistic body image ideals. One of the film’s subjects, Aaron, proudly represented the bear community and it was great to see some familiar faces up on the silver screen.

Mr Bear Queensland 2024

Each year we call for representatives from our community to compete for the chance to win the title of Mr Bear Queensland. Mr Bear QLD is the ambassador for Brisbears and gives the titleholder the opportunity to fundraise for their chosen charities and represent Queensland at the Mr Australasia Bear competition hosted by Vicbears during Southern Hibernation. 

This year’s competition took place in The Bunker Bar at The Sportsman Hotel and was hosted by local legends Shanny T Bone and Paul Wheeler (Mr Bear Queensland 2021). 

The comp is very similar to a beauty pageant with contestants participating in interviews and three stage rounds comprising of Bear Casual, Bear Minimum and a Talent round. 

This year we saw four contestants duking it out for the sash. Each contestant did an amazing job wowing the crowd and Wesley emerged victorious.

Damien was awarded the inaugural Mr Congeniality title as voted by his fellow contestants. It takes a bit of nerve to put your hand up to represent our community and I want to thank Demetrio and Thomas for plucking up the courage.

Other events

Saturday night saw the bears take over the entire venue at Sporties for a crowd favourite event; Underbear with the venue pumping until the early hours.

Other events during the week included the Teddy Bears Picnic at Roma Street Parklands, a beach party at South Bank and the recovery session hosted by the Brunswick Hotel. We said our farewell to our out-of-towners as we closed out the jam-packed week.

Thank you to every bear who came out and supported our events. Lastly a massive thank you to the entire Brisbears committee for their tireless efforts in putting on a great event. 

You can follow @Brisbears on Facebook. Check out more photos of Northern Exposure in this month’s edition of QNews Queensland magaazine.

All photos were supplied by Brisbears.

More bears:

Meet your Mr Harbour City Bears 2024!

Pin-up bears from the QLD Camping Bears launch 2025 calendar

How QLD Camping Bears are connecting outdoors

My year of being Mr Bear Queensland

Southern Hibearnation brings bears from all over to Melbourne

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[melbmemories]

Harrington’s Buildings (central and eastern sections) and adjacent two storey building, Collins Street, north-side, between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets, Melbourne.

Demolished 1938 for Hotel Australia, in turn demolished in 1990s for Australia On Collins.

This significant portion of Harrington’s Buildings, close to Block Arcade in the centre of Collins Street (Melbourne’s most fashionable street), offered much to the gift purchaser.

Kodak cameras, photographic equipment and photographic supplies were available from a shop operated by Harrington’s Ltd, photographic and cinematographic importers.

Harrington’s Ltd (trading as Harrington Cameras) were a household name throughout Australasia, primarily as agents for British and Continental photographic manufacturers and for their printing, enlarging and framing services. From Harrington’s you could buy Ensigns or Brownies in either ‘Box’ or ‘Folding’ forms. Each camera was guaranteed to take good pictures and free instruction was given to all camera purchasers. Wireless sets were available from £2 to £200.

By taking a staircase to the left of the entrance to Harrington’s you could ascend to the showroom of ‘Georgette’, who would dress you – modes and robes, but particularly millinery.

To the immediate east of Harrington’s: stationary, library supplies and books could be bought from Melville and Mullen booksellers. Irish born bookseller Samuel Mullen (1828-1890) arrived in Melbourne in 1859 and opened a bookshop and library at 55 Collins Street East before later moving to these larger premises at 262-264 Collins Street (31 Collins Street East). One of its special features was a circulating library. Based on Mudie’s of London, Mullen’s library was the first of its kind in Australia that specifically catered for the intellectual elite with serious works and high quality fiction.

In the 1870s, for example, Mullen had warned his staff that a Gentleman ‘appears to be buying more books than he can afford’. That Gentleman was Alfred Deakin (a leader of the movement for Australian federation, later the second Prime Minister of Australia and a foundation member of the Historical Society of Victoria, the forerunner of the RHSV). Deakin always paid. By 1925 Melville and Mullen was not in this location – replaced by the Georgian Café. Financial difficulties forced the fusion of George Robertson & Co. with Mullen’s successors, Melville, Mullen and Slade, as Robertson & Mullens (which in 1960 became Angus and Robertson). Perhaps this is evidenced with the ‘removal sign’, or maybe that is but an advertising ploy to attract customers to a ‘bargain’.

If you decided on a presentation portrait as your gift: you could take the stairs to the floor above where T. Humphrey and Co, artists and photographers would arrange an appointment for a ‘sitting’. Above them, second floor front, Fred de Valle, dentist, promised ‘painless’ treatment, maybe in preparation for a considerable festive dinner.

Your shopping spree could also include shoes and boots from A W Eckersall’s ladies bootery on the ground floor of 260 Collins Street (just next door). Or, exhausted, you could seek refreshment upstairs at the Astor Tea and Luncheon Rooms (Mrs G Helen, proprietor). Alternatively, for tea or lunch you may have walked west to the Café Australia (A. Lucas, proprietor, previously the Vienna Café, immediately next door to Harrington’s Cameras.

Reputedly built in 1879 to the plans of pre-eminent architect Lloyd Tayler (National Bank of Australasia, Australian Club), Harrington’s Buildings was an example of ‘restrained classicism and mannerist details’. It was demolished in 1938 for the erection of the Hotel Australia. In turn, this was demolished in the early 1990s and replaced by Australia on Collins (now under renovation).

[beautifulyou1]

Unveiling Australasias Favorite Cosmetic Surgery Clinic: User

Another compelling factor contributing to Australasia's appeal as a cosmetic surgery destination is the affordability of procedures compared to those in Western countries. The cost of cosmetic surgery in Australasian countries can be significantly lower, making it a more accessible option for individuals seeking transformative treatments without breaking the bank. Moreover, many clinics and hospitals in the region offer comprehensive packages that include accommodation, transportation, and post-operative care, further enhancing the value proposition for international patients.

In addition to cost-effectiveness, Australasia offers a unique blend of cultural experiences and natural beauty that sets it apart as an ideal destination for combining medical procedures with leisure travel. Whether it's exploring the bustling streets of Bangkok, indulging in world-class shopping in Seoul, or relaxing on the pristine beaches of Phuket, patients can enjoy a diverse range of activities before and after their surgeries. This fusion of medical tourism with leisure travel allows individuals to undergo cosmetic procedures in a supportive environment while immersing themselves in the rich cultural tapestry of the region.

Know More

[wikiuntamed]

Five steps of Wikipedia for Tuesday, 23rd January 2024

Welcome, dobrodošli, 欢迎 (huānyíng), καλωσόρισμα (kalosórisma) 🤗 Five steps of Wikipedia from "Aingtha" to "110th meridian east". 🪜👣

Start page 👣🏁: Aingtha "Aingtha is a village in the Mandalay Region of north-west Myanmar. It lies in Kyaukpadaung Township in the Myingyan District. The villages lies east off the bank of the Ayeyarwady River...."

Step 1️⃣ 👣: Geographic coordinate system "The geographic coordinate system (GCS) is a spherical or geodetic coordinate system for measuring and communicating positions directly on the Earth as latitude and longitude. It is the simplest, oldest and most widely used of the various spatial reference systems that are in use, and forms the basis..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by Stefan Kühn (Fotograf)

Step 2️⃣ 👣: 100th meridian east "The meridian 100° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole. The 100th meridian east forms a great circle with the 80th meridian west...."

Step 3️⃣ 👣: 10th parallel south "The 10th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 10 degrees south of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Australasia, the Pacific Ocean and South America. Part of the border between Brazil and Peru is defined by the parallel...."

Step 4️⃣ 👣: 100th meridian west "The meridian 100° west of the Prime Meridian of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, North America, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole. The 100th meridian west forms a great circle with the 80th meridian..."

Step 5️⃣ 👣: 110th meridian east "The meridian 110° east of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole. The 110th meridian east forms a great circle with the 70th meridian west...."

[anzali]

Mastercard Achieves CBDC Integration for Ethereum NFTs in Groundbreaking RBA Collaboration

Mastercard, in partnership with the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and Australian payment services firm Cuscal, has achieved a successful trial in integrating central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) with Ethereum-based non-fungible tokens (NFTs) using Mastercard’s Multi Token Network.

The trial, initiated in June 2023, employed a “wrapped CBDC” approach. It involved locking a specific amount of pilot CBDC on the RBA’s platform and creating equivalent wrapped pilot CBDC tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. This was done through a process called “allow-listing” of Ethereum wallets for the buyer, seller, and NFT marketplace smart contract, ensuring specific transactions on public blockchains.

Richard Wormald, Mastercard’s Australasia President, confirmed the successful outcome of the trial, emphasizing that it was driven by increasing consumer demand and the need for cross-blockchain commerce. The integration maintained strict controls while transferring CBDC amounts from RBA’s platform to Ethereum.

The compliance aspects were facilitated through Mastercard’s Multi Token Network and Crypto Credential solutions, focusing on verification standards and scalable interoperability. The project also involved collaboration with Australian companies Cuscal and Mintable.

Zack Burcks, CEO of Mintable, sees CBDC wrapping technology as a way to combat fraud, eliminate document loss, and open up new opportunities for commerce. The RBA shares this view, anticipating that an Australian dollar CBDC could enhance payment arrangements, transaction speed, security, and financial interoperability, expanding the utility of digital currencies.

This trial demonstrated Mastercard’s capability to enable CBDC holders to engage in Ethereum-based NFT transactions through an NFT marketplace.

Checkout Our Web3 Wallet Tracker at www.anzali.io

Follow Us : Twitter | Instagram | Telegram

[ailtrahq]

India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has begun testing its CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) in the call money market. The call money market is a market where banks can borrow or lend short-term funds, usually for one day. India’s digital currency program began in November 2022 with nine banks participating in the pilot. Those same banks are also a part of this latest test. The call money market test has launched on schedule, just as RBI Executive Director Ajay Kumar Choudhary had said it would. India, along with China, are at the forefront of testing their respective CBDC programs. However, China is ahead in terms of testing the digital yuan with citizens as well as tourists. Mastercard unveils new use cases for the Australian CBDC Source: Paytm Mastercard has unveiled new use cases for Australia’s Central Bank Digital Currency, which can now be used across multiple blockchains for commerce. The development has been made in partnership with Cuscal and Mintable. Moreover, it is a part of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and DFCRC’s (Digital Finance CRC) research project The new use case aims to increase the security of the currency while easing its use. According to Mastercard, in a live environment, the CBDC could be used to purchase NFTs (Non-fungible tokens) on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain. The process will “lock” the amount on the RBA platform and mint an equal amount of wrapped ETH. Additionally, according to Richard Wormald, Division President, Australasia at Mastercard, clients demand to participate across multiple blockchains. He stated, “Mastercard has seen demand from consumers to participate in commerce across multiple blockchains.” Although CBDC programs have seen an uptick all around the world, many have raised privacy concerns. Some worry that central bank digital currencies will allow the government to spy on our spending, and may even block certain transactions at their will.

[martblogs]

Innovation Management Service Market Future Trends, Opportunities, Strategies to Boost Growth, Applications Forecast to 2028

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of current Global Innovation Management Service Market based on segmented types and downstream applications. Major product development trends are discussed  under major downstream segment scenario.This report also focuses on major driving factors and inhibitors that affect the market and competitive landscape. Global and regional leading players in the Innovation Management Service industry are profiled in a detailed way, with sales data and market share info. This report also includes global and regional market size and forecast, drill-down to top 20 economies.

 According to this survey, the global Innovation Management Service market is estimated to have reached $ xx million in 2020, and projected to grow at a CAGR of xx% to $ xx million by 2028.

 Get Request Sample Report @ https://martresearch.com/contact/request-sample/3/16922

 Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the supply and demand status for many industries along the supply chain. Global Innovation Management Service Market Status and Forecast 2022-2028 report makes a brilliant attempt to unveil key opportunities available in the global Innovation Management Service market under the covid-19 impact to help readers in achieving a better market position. No matter the client is industry insider, potential entrant or investor, the report will provide useful data and information.

 The Global Innovation Management Service Market has been exhibited in detail in the following chapters

Chapter 1 displays the basic product introduction and market overview.

Chapter 2 provides the competition landscape of global Innovation Management Service industry.

Chapter 3 provides the market analysis by type and by region

Chapter 4 provides the market analysis by application and by region

Chapter 5-10 presents regional and country market size and forecast, under the context of market drivers and inhibitors analysis.

Chapter 11 analyses the supply chain, including process chart introduction, upstream key raw material and cost analysis, distributor and downstream buyer analysis.

Chapter 12 provides the market forecast by type and by application

Chapter 13 provides the market forecast by region

Chapter 14 profies global leading players with their revenue, market share, profit margin, major product portfolio and SWOT analysis.

Chapter 15 conclusions

 Segmented by Type

l Software Support

l Platform Integration

 Segmented by Application

l Public Sector and Education

l Retail and Consumer Goods

l IT and Communication Technology

l Manufacturing

l Transportation and Logistics

l Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance

l Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals

 Get Enquiry And Buying Report @ https://martresearch.com/contact/enquiry/3/16922

 Segmented by Country

   North America

       United States

       Canada

       Mexico

   Europe

       Germany

       France

       UK

       Italy

       Russia

       Spain

   Asia Pacific

       China

       Japan

       Korea

       Southeast Asia

       India

       Australasia

   Central & South America

       Brazil

       Argentina

       Colombia

   Middle East & Africa

       Iran

       Israel

       Turkey

       South Africa

       Saudi Arabia

 Get Discount Report @ https://martresearch.com/contact/discount/3/16922

 Key manufacturers included in this survey

l Spigit

l SAP

l Qmarkets

l Planbox

l Innosabi

l Inno360

l Imaginatik

l Ideascale

l Hype Innovation

l Exago

l Crowdicity

l Cognistreamer

l Brightidea

 Contact Us:-

+1-857-300-1122

 enquiry@martresearch.com

 sales@martresearch.com

[breekachuphotography]

Gold Office & Bank

[drunkcleric]

ngl all my legendary attempts I just give up on after like two minutes but hoo boy if I don’t hoard supplies to get other people legendaries

[junkyard-gifs]

I am very upset that the Vienna production is closing! I really wanted to be in it (I am an actor/dancer) where do you think Cats should go/return to next? It is my dream show and I want to do the show with the original choreography! I’m betting on a production in Germany or in The Netherlands again! I think there should be another US tour with the Gillian Lynne choreography! It’s just a dream show for me!

Well, the international tour is doing that now. But beyond that, it all comes down to which production companies can manage it and can get licensed and schedule the tour stops, I'm afraid.

Personally I'd love to see the Australasia tour return to, you know, actually performing in Australia. Since the production is technically Australia-based. But I recognise that the financial return in China and Taiwan and the Philipines and Korea are the only ones that are going to actually let them break bank, whereas in Sydney and Melbourne and Adelaide (let alone Darwin and Perth and Hobart and Brisbane) they'd be operating at a loss just performing there, let alone the costs of moving the whole set and costumes and cast so far.

So at the moment we as australians just... export our talent.

[vicmemories]

Colonial Bank of Australasia Limited tent. This is possibly Wonthaggi (or the Powlett River Coalfield) around 1910. Victorian Railways Photographer. State Library of Victoria Image H2010.76/2

[dishdasha]

The Time of Your Life by William Saroyan, Union Theatre Repertory Company, September 1955

https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/77590

[beautifulyou1]

The Top Choice for Cosmetic Surgery in Australasia

Another significant advantage of choosing Australasia for cosmetic surgery abroad is the affordability of procedures compared to other countries. The cost of cosmetic surgery in Australasia is often significantly lower than in places like the United States or Europe, making it a more accessible option for many individuals. Despite the lower costs, patients can still expect excellent standards of care and outcomes, making Australasia an attractive choice for those looking to achieve their desired aesthetic goals without breaking the bank.

Moreover, Australasia's proximity to countries such as Australia and New Zealand makes it a convenient destination for patients from these regions seeking cosmetic surgery abroad. With numerous direct flights and easy accessibility, traveling to Australasia for a cosmetic procedure is relatively hassle-free, eliminating the need for lengthy travel arrangements and reducing downtime associated with recovery.

Know More