The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital (Eye and Ear) is hosting GENEYE 2024, an immersive surgical training workshop to support the mental health of eyecare professionals.
The workshop, to be held from 19-21 June in Melbourne, was founded by leading Melbourne ophthalmologist Dr Jacqueline Beltz, and is designed to address the high levels of psychological distress doctors experience compared to the general population.
“GENEYE combines mind, body, and skills training to promote long, productive, and fulfilling careers in eye health,” the Eye and Ear said in a statement.
During her six years in charge of ophthalmology training for Victoria, Dr Beltz identified areas of improvement within surgical training culture.
“I saw the long hours, the sacrifices and the psychological stress that surgical training expects, and I saw it differently to when I was going through it myself.”
“This isn’t your typical conference with PowerPoint presentations. GENEYE is about interactive learning that engages the mind, body, and skills of eye health professionals.”
GENEYE – now in its third year – has been attended by doctors, medical students and eye health professionals for a variety of reasons.
According to Dr Beltz, one doctor at GENEYE 2023 had time off work for cancer treatment.
“Returning to surgery after a break can be daunting and dangerous especially when it’s microsurgery,” she said.
“We were proud to help that doctor regain her skills and confidence in a positive environment, and to give her a network to reach out to at any time.”
The event will feature surgical skill sessions, AI applications and virtual reality simulation sessions, in addition to meditation, high performance psychology, exercise physiology and ergonomics training to enhance performance and support clinicians.
Dr Chris Tan, director of medical services at the Eye and Ear is an advocate for the program.
“GENEYE is an exceptional opportunity for eye health professionals to engage in hands-on learning and gain valuable insights into microsurgery techniques, patient communication skills, and personal wellbeing.”
To register, visit https://www.geneye.org.au/
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