The AMA is now accepting applications for the 2017 AMA Indigenous Peoples’ Medical Scholarship. The successful applicant will receive $10,000 each year for the duration of their course. AMA President, Dr Michael Gannon, said today that a highly skilled medical workforce that includes more Indigenous doctors and health professionals will help reduce health inequalities for Indigenous Australians. “There is evidence that there is a greater chance of improved health outcomes when Indigenous people are treated by Indigenous doctors and health professionals,” Dr Gannon said.

“Increasing the number of Indigenous doctors and health workers improves access to culturally appropriate health care and services, and ensures medical services respond properly to the unique needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“Previous AMA Scholarship recipients have graduated to work in Indigenous and mainstream health services, and some have spent time providing care in their own communities. These wonderful doctors are now the pride of the medical profession and their communities, and role models for Indigenous Australians who want a career as a doctor or other health professional. The Scholarship has assisted many Indigenous men and women, who may not have otherwise had the financial resources to study medicine.

“The AMA strongly encourages Indigenous students to apply for the scholarship.”

Dr Gannon said the Scholarship, the AMA Indigenous Health Report Card, and the work of the AMA Taskforce on Indigenous Health are all part of the AMA’s commitment to reconciliation. Applications for the Scholarship must be received by 31 January 2017.

To be eligible for the Scholarship, applicants must be currently enrolled at an Australian medical school, and be in at least their first year of medicine. Applicants must be people of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background. For further information on how to apply for the 2017 AMA Indigenous Peoples’ Medical Scholarship visit: https://www.ama.com.au/indigenous-peoples-medical-scholarship-2017

Information on previous recipients can be found at https://ama.com.au/advocacy/indigenous-peoples-medical-scholarship

This Media Release was originally sourced from AMA.

The Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) announced today it had appointed a new chief executive officer, following a comprehensive search process. Mike Felton has agreed to join the MFAA in the role, following a series of operational and executive roles in asset finance and banking over almost thirty years.

The MFAA sought a candidate with experience across the financial services spectrum, to ensure the MFAA could continue to respond to the inevitable and increasing changes facing the finance and mortgage broking industry. MFAA chairman Cynthia Grisbrook said they couldn’t be happier to have secured Mike for the role, he has worked in financial markets, treasury, asset finance and program management, as well as in executive roles. Each of these elements of his career has equipped him with skills and knowledge that will benefit the MFAA.

The Board also saw the value in appointing a CEO with a depth and breadth of perspective, but whose experience lies outside of the broking industry. Felton, a 29-year veteran of banking and financial services, both here in Australia and overseas, said he saw the role as the perfect fit for his experience set. "I am honoured and grateful to the Board for the opportunity to lead the MFAA team and excited about the challenge this role presents,” Felton said. “There is change on the horizon with a mature trend in interest rates, proposed regulatory changes, ongoing adjustments to lending criteria and predicted volatility in housing markets, all of which will need to be navigated. Most of my career has been in high-change environments and I look forward to working with the team to drive outcomes for the MFAA and its members in the coming months and years.

“My first priority, however, will be to listen and learn. I’m looking forward to spending time with the Board, the MFAA team, members and other stakeholders to understand and take stock of our current position,” Felton said.

"I’d like to thank the Board, interim CEO Chris McRostie and the entire MFAA team for continuing to drive our agenda of advocacy, education and support for the industry as we conducted this search," said Grisbrook.

Mike will commence work with the MFAA on Monday 5th December 2016.

This Media Release was originally sourced from Broker News. 

Gain insights that reduce stress and increase revenue at your event. When scouting conference venues, event planners rely on their trusty site-visit checklist. Make sure your list includes these four questions to help uncover the lesser-known services conference venues provide.

How can you help me generate more sponsorship revenue?

Think of your venue as an event partner that can enhance your sponsorship program. “Planners should meet early on with the venue’s business solutions manager to learn about the full range of services and revenue opportunities offered by the venue and its partners,” said Élaine Legault, director of production services at the Palais des congrès de Montréal.

Ask the venue what programs it has in place, and how it might offer options for your unique needs. The Palais, for instance, provides advertising platforms to supplement a conference’s sponsorship program, such as digital displays, video walls, a WiFi login page, a mobile app, and an exhibitor portal.

What should I know about moving in and out of your venue?

“The last thing we want is our client incurring stress on the eve of their event,” said Luis Ribeiro, director of sales and marketing at the Centre Mont-Royal, an event venue in Montréal. He recommends finding out the exact measurements of loading docks and elevators as well as height and weight restrictions. “Tour the loading dock at a site visit, especially if it’s a venue you haven’t worked in,” said Ribeiro. “Take note of the number of loading docks and who else needs to use them when you do.”

Can you help us design our conference space?

Venue staff members have seen hundreds of events hosted in their space. Ask for their help in designing an atmosphere for learning and networking. “Where you see a roof terrace, others have seen a log cabin with a camp fire. Where you see emergency exits, others have seen alcoves for networking lounges,” said Legault. “Your dedicated event manager is like a Pinterest board: a starting point to unleash your own creativity.”

What type of shipping assistance can you provide our exhibitors?

Don’t let worries about international customs and shipping scare off potential exhibitors. “On our first site visit, the Palais brought up the shipping issue right away,” said Ewa Jodlowska, director of operations at Python Software Foundation, a technology nonprofit organization based in Delaware.

“They introduced us to a customs broker from Mendelssohn Commerce who explained how they would make it a smooth experience for our exhibitors.”

Customs brokers handle the logistics of shipping across borders and all the accompanying red tape. By officially registering your meeting with a customs broker such as Mendelssohn, exhibitors can have access to onsite customs clearance at approved venues such as the Palais.

This article was originally sourced from Associations Now.

The vegetable industry has become the 12th industry partner to join the Government Industry Agreement (GIA) biosecurity partnership, signing the agreement on November 8 at Parliament. Vegetables New Zealand represents all fresh vegetable crops other than potatoes, onions, tomatoes, asparagus and buttercup squash.

It represents more than 900 growers who produce more than 50 crops with a farm gate value of $390 million per annum. They join TomatoesNZ, Kiwifruit Vine Health, Pipfruit New Zealand, New Zealand Pork, New Zealand Equine Health Association, Onions New Zealand, the Forestry Owners Association, The New Zealand Avocado Growers' Association, New Zealand Citrus Growers Incorporated and the Ministry for Primary Industries under GIA.

This Media Release was originally sourced from NZ Herald

A new survey indicates a significant number of senior doctors and dentists intend to quit their job in the next five years. The results were released at the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists' annual conference in Wellington on Thursday. It said 2424 of its members took part in the survey, a response rate of 63 percent.

A quarter (572 survey respondents) said they planned to leave either medicine or the district health board they worked for in the next five years. Of those who intended staying, 40 percent might look at reducing their work hours, 30 percent would like to decrease their on-call and/or shift work, and 8 percent would like to stop doing on-call work altogether. They cited age, poor job satisfaction, culture, remuneration and workloads as key influencing factors.

Association executive director Ian Powell said it pointed to a looming exodus of public hospital specialists, which should worry district health boards. "Hospital specialists are going to work even when they're sick or experiencing symptoms of burnout, and many of them are starting to look for the exit doors." The association said the top factors that would encourage them to reconsider leaving were flexible working hours, the ability to take leave, better remuneration, more opportunities and a better workplace culture.

What respondents said: - "Feel under-valued, being bullied, passive violence at workplace. Cost-cutting putting clinicians at risk. Little appreciation from managers for the skills older practitioners bring to the job. Some members of department view 'old fogies' as inferior."

"Why stick it out when I can earn more and work less in private practice? My only concern is I will truly miss working in a team and teaching medical students, junior doctors and allied staff. I am fed up with targets and chronic under-staffing and lack of resources."

The survey has not been finalised yet.

Doctors under pressure, association says - "A third of rheumatologists and endocrinologists who answered plan to leave medicine entirely in the next five years, with smaller but still considerable numbers planning to do the same in obstetrics and gynaecology, public health medicine, otolarnygology, and geriatric medicine," the association said.

"Smaller and mid-sized DHBs [are] facing a potentially bigger exodus of senior doctors than some of the larger DHBs."

In the Wairarapa District Health Board, more than half of those who took part in the survey planned to leave either medicine or that DHB within five years. Mr Powell said senior doctors, along with other health professionals, were under intense and sustained pressure to keep the public health sector functioning effectively "in the absence of ongoing resourcing and longstanding shorgages that have yet to be properly addressed."

Pressure was taking a toll on doctors' wellbeing and job satisfaction. 

This article was originally sourced from Radio NZ and written by Karen Brown.

Research Association of New Zealand (RANZ) chief executive Robert Bree said political polling in New Zealand is among the most accurate in the world with 97% to 98% accuracy in the last three general elections. Mr Bree was commenting on American pollsters not correctly predicting the outcome of the United States presidential election, with only one pollster out of about 200 calling a Donald Trump victory.

He said New Zealand’s MMP system ensures votes largely translate into seats. Pollsters in New Zealand subscribe to the RANZ Polling Code https://researchassociation.wildapricot.org/Resources/Documents/Political%20Polling%20Code%202014.pdf.

Nevertheless, Mr Bree said New Zealand pollsters will be keen to learn the lessons that emerge from American polling which did not detect the level of desire for significant change from the status quo in approximately half the voters. "The more radical Trump’s opinions and messages, the more they resonated with a disenfranchised mainstream in middle America. The media strongly amplified the anti-Trump sentiment of polls and largely ignored the depth of pro-Trump sentiment."

Mr Bree said polling shortcomings included: 

a. Secret Trump voters (lower participation of the conservative white majority in the opinion polls and over-representation of liberals)

b. Shy Trump voters (people who when polled were too embarrassed to admit they were voting Trump)

c. Voter turnout numbers. Media and Democrats over-estimated the turnout of minorities on voting day when in actual fact the heartland voter came out in record numbers

"The difference between Democrat and Republican vote was actually only around 200,000 votes with Democrats on the upside, but due to the FPP (first past the post) electoral college system and the concentration of those votes in coastal areas, the Democrat vote didn’t translate into electoral wins."

This article was originally sourced from Voxy. 

Working at a nonprofit can be a pressure cooker. Trying to manage huge workloads with limited resources, can easily trap us into thinking that working nights and weekends after a full day at the office is the answer. Overworking will not only steal your clarity, but ultimately zap your energy.

We’ve all heard the advice on a plane to “put your oxygen mask on first,” but we roll our eyes and call it cliché. That simple statement is probably the most powerful piece of advice you’ll ever hear about the importance of taking care of yourself first above all others.

In our book, The Happy, Healthy Nonprofit: Strategies for Impact Without Burnout, we lay out the symptoms and causes of burnout and the remedies through deliberate self-care. And while we discuss strategies for bringing self-care into the workplace or”We-Care,” we believe it is important to begin with the individual.

As we were writing the book, we began to recognize that we were feeling stressed out. Our solution was to put into practice many of the things we were researching and writing. We’ve distilled them here for you.

1. Take Care of the Basics

Every human being depends on what we call the Wellness Triad, the three most basic and essential needs we have as human beings to be at our optimal health and peak performance: Sleep, Nutrition and Exercise.

“We are in the midst of a sleep deprivation crisis,” writes Arianna Huffington in her book The Sleep Revolution.

How do you get good and sufficient sleep when there’s so much to do? Start with a bedtime ritual for yourself. If you’re a parent, you probably have or had a bedtime ritual for your children, but yours may have looked like ours: Stay up late to try to get things done and finally collapse from sheer exhaustion – or wake up in the middle of the night panicked about the things we didn’t get done that day.

A bedtime ritual of bath, reading, a cup of herbal tea, meditation, or other calming activities, can bring your brain noise down a few notches and allow you to settle into a less agitated state to get some rest. Set a sleep schedule and stick to it, but don’t beat yourself up if you can’t fall asleep immediately.

In terms of nutrition, the smallest incremental changes can completely transform your energy levels and affect your ability to both think and rest. Cutting down caffeine and sugar can literally change your life. Drinking more water is something we all know we should do but most of us fail to do it regularly yet it can help you avoid the depletion and energy ebb of dehydration. Replace packaged, vending machine snacks with fresh fruits and vegetables. Put a fruit basket at your desk or in the break room at your office to tempt yourself and others to snack well.

In terms of fitness, simply adding any type of movement in your day can invigorate you and could save your life. As Nilofer Merchant points out in her popular Ted Talk, “sitting is the smoking of our generation.” Buy a standing desk so you can alternate between sitting and standing – or set one up using books, crates or other objects you already have in your office to prop up your computer.

Set an alarm to stand up, stretch and walk around at regular intervals throughout your day. If you’re on the phone a lot, switch to a mobile phone so you can walk around your office while talking. Hold “walking meetings,” literally bringing people together to meet while walking around the office or identify walking paths at your office.

2. Completely Disconnect

The ubiquity of our mobile devices has made us more mindless about how often we use them. We’ll be the first to tell you that technology is awesome, but we need to learn good habits around using our tech devices, and we’re suffering because of it.

Engaging in Tech Wellness starts with a better awareness of how our devices are interfering with our relationships and our ability to pay attention. Shut off your device entirely when you are in a meeting unless you are using it to support your participation in the meeting.

A few changes at home can also have a positive impact on your brain and even sleep. Set up a charging station at the door and leave your devices there so they don’t interfere with your time after work to unwind. Keep your smartphone and other electronics out of the bedroom so you can decompress and relax at night. Don’t use your smartphone as an alarm clock, especially because you’ll be tempted to check it the moment you wake up and start the vicious cycle of tech abuse all over again.

3. Go On Real Breaks

Your body and brain need downtime to replenish your energy. Take a break from your computer and walk outside. Don’t use your computer keyboard as a lunch tray. Just a few minutes can refresh and reset brain so you can perform your work with more focus and energy. And if you’re someone who is accumulating vacation time without taking it, you’re hurting not only yourself but your organization as well. Furthermore, if you don’t use your vacation time, you are essentially working for free.

Use your vacation time and take real vacations where you are completely disconnected from work, emails and the mobile devices that connect you to work. Invest in a digital camera to take vacation photos and leave your smartphone off and tucked away for emergencies only. You’ll return to work with more clarity and perspective that will serve your organization and cause far better than staying late at the office scrambling to finish your tasks.

4. Set Boundaries at Work

You may not be the boss at your organization, but you are the boss of you and should stand firm when a work request interferes with your day-to-day health and wellbeing. We’re not talking about the demands of relief workers in war torn countries but rather the more mundane but destructive requests to sacrifice your time, your breaks, and your health to do more with less.

Just say no to requests that obliterate the lines between your work and home life. Set strong boundaries to protect your schedule and set up your schedule to take advantage of times during the day when you have peak energy, taking breaks during those times when your energy wanes.

Prioritize what is important to you, not just at work but in your life, and make time for the things that really matter – like family and friends. Having outside interests and putting them into your schedule as essential appointments help you bring more creativity and fresh ideas to your work.

Bottom line: You are your first priority. If you burn out, you can take others down with you. If you really believe in the mission of your organization and the people you serve, make sure you are the best you can be to make real change in the world.

This article was originally sourced from Social Fish and written by Maddie Grant. 

The “member until you cancel” model has intriguing potential for associations, but a new survey shows they have a lot of work to do to adopt it. In the span of a few months last year, here on this blog we explored both the potential power of automatic membership renewal combined with monthly payments as well as an example of one association that had launched just such a model.

Up to now, there wasn’t a great name for it, but a recent survey on associations’ usage of automatic billing and installment payment plans gives it a name that, at least in my mind, just might stick: “perpetual membership.” Mark Jones, CAE, president of enSYNC Corporation, an association technology solutions firm, says his organization has been using the term for several years. While “recurring billing” or “installment plans” sound like accounting techniques, “perpetual membership” makes the concept clearer for associations by “putting something around it that really makes them think differently,” Jones says. Hence the title of enSYNC’s study released in October, “The State of Perpetual Memberships.”

I like that terminology because it does indeed capture the style of membership model in which a member provides billing information up front and then belongs indefinitely until he or she chooses to cancel. It’s a model long used by fitness centers, utility companies, and magazines and now growing among popular subscription services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and a bevy of other companies in the “membership economy.” Associations are masters of the annual cycle, but perpetual signals the genuine shift in mindset that adopting such a model requires in the association setting.

The enSYNC study suggests, however, that, while usage of recurring billing and installment payments might be growing, most associations still have a long way to go toward truly embracing perpetual membership.

Among associations responding to the survey, 26 percent said they offer automatic renewal, and 48 percent said they offer installment plans (monthly, quarterly, or other). Despite the small sample size of 84 organizations, these numbers are roughly in line with other industry benchmarking. Marketing General Incorporated’s “2016 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report” showed 29 percent of associations offering automatic renewal and 41 percent offering installment plans in 2016—numbers that have been growing over recent years.

The enSYNC study digs deeper into the practices, though:

• On average, about 23 percent of members opt in to automatic renewal at associations that said they offer it.
  
• Just 14 percent of associations offering automatic renewal said they use tokenization, a payment card industry (PCI) practice recommended for secure data storage.
  
• Only 41 percent of associations offering recurring billing said they require members to initialize a cancellation instead of still sending an annual renewal notice.
  

These represent some clear growing pains for associations introducing perpetual membership options to their members. Recurring billing and keeping members until the cancel require significant shifts in processes, systems, and mindsets, and associations aren’t all the way there yet, says Sherry Milligan, CAE, vice president of nonprofit strategy at enSYNC.

“In the association world, we’re so used to asking our members what they think, what they want to do, and what they think of what we’re doing that it’s hard to get out of that loop,” she says. “I think we’re on an exponential learning curve right now about PCI compliance and tokenization and storing credit cards and how you do it securely and why you need to do it. So, I think if we do this survey again two years from now, we’re going to see a lot of different answers in these areas.”

The good news is that many associations offering automatic renewal and installment payments told enSYNC that they’re seeing some important benefits. At least half of associations offering either automatic renewal or installments reported improved member satisfaction and retention. Improved recruitment was reported by more associations offering installments (46 percent) than those offering recurring billing (18 percent).

Fewer survey respondents reported gains in staff efficiency (41 percent among respondents offering automatic renewal; 27 percent among those offering installments). One reason may be the need to contact auto-renewing members to update their stored payment information (for example, when credit cards expire), but Jones noted that payment technology providers are beginning to provide services to automatically update users’ credit card information. Though such a service may carry an additional fee, Jones says associations he has worked with have said the auto-updating can catch as much as 70 percent of accounts that need updating.

With continuing improvements in technology and a greater understanding among associations of the dynamics of the perpetual membership model, Jones says the opportunity for greater staff efficiency is significant, and it could lead to even further gains in member service and satisfaction.

“We can work on more valuable member services than being a billing administrative association in which we’re spending all our time kicking dues notices out,” he says.

Would perpetual membership work for your association? Have you considered or tried automatic renewal or installment plans? Please share your thoughts or experience in the comments.

This article was originally sourced from Associations Now and written by Joe Rominiecki. 

The Victorian Transport Association (VTA) elected Cameron Dunn as the new president during its annual general meeting in Melbourne yesterday.

Dunn will replace Brendan Hopley, who will remain a member of VTA’s executive council after having served as president of the association for four years.

Dunn, who is also a member of its executive council, has held the position of VTA vice president for the past four years.

He has over 30 years’ experience in the Australian transport sector, and has served as MD of privately-owned national bulk and dangerous goods transport company FBT Transport since 2009.

Dunn is also the current deputy chairman of the National Bulk Tanker Association (NBTA), and a member of the Plastics and Chemicals Industries Association (PACIA) board and the Australian Road Transport Industry Organisation (ARTIO) Victoria board.

"It is a great honour to have been elected President of one of the oldest and most influential transport associations in Australia, and I thank my fellow councillors for entrusting me with this significant responsibility," Dunn says.

"I look forward to working closely with the Council, Peter Anderson and the secretariat to positively advocate on issues impacting our industry, and help to make our members more productive, profitable and successful."

VTA CEO Peter Anderson welcomed Dunn to the new role and thanked former president Hopley for his contribution to the industry and the association.

"Cameron Dunn has been an active and valued member of the VTA for many years and on behalf of the executive council, secretariat and membership, we congratulate him on his election as President of our association," Anderson says.

"Cameron has a unique familiarity with the numerous issues facing our industry on a state and national level, and with his experience and contacts he will play a vital role in advancing our strategic efforts to influence positive legislative, regulatory and practical change.

"We are thrilled that outgoing President Brendan Hopley will remain a member of the executive council, and we sincerely thank him for the generous time, effort and dedication he applied to his four years as president.

"Brendan has successfully overseen a period of positive and significant change and transition at the VTA, and I look forward to his ongoing counsel and friendship."

This article was originally sourced from Fully Loaded. 

Flight attendants have voted overwhelmingly to formally merge with E tÅ«, to form the country’s biggest aviation union.

The Flight Attendants and Related Services Association, or FARSA has been in an operational merger with E tū for the past two years.

FARSA President, Marja Lubeck says members have voted over the past fortnight on the merger, with 90 percent in favour, which is a vote of confidence in the strength it offers members.

"We are now a part of the country’s biggest private sector union. We cover 50 percent of all aviation workers in New Zealand, with 7000 members and growing," says Marja.

"We always believed we were stronger together and that’s been endorsed by our members. This is an exciting opportunity to create a new union for aviation workers, including a stronger voice for young workers, who can look forward to the many benefits this merger will bring."

This article was originally sourced from Voxy.