News

Vasco da Gama movement is the WONCA Europe working group for young and future General Practitioners. The movement is the continuation of the work that was started during the first preconference meeting for junior doctors during the WONCA Europe conference in Amsterdam in 2004.

Organizational structure

The Vasco da Gama movement has recently revised the organizational structure and has an interim constitution functioning until the VdGM Europe Council meeting at the WONCA-conference in Paris 2007. VdGM will have an Executive group of 10 delegates, elected by and from the VdGM Europe Council. This ruling body will meet annually during the WONCA Europe Conference and consists of one representative per WONCA Europe member country. There are five Theme Groups and a web-based forum open to all eligible members (being GP-trainees and GPs in the first five years after qualifying as GP). The Theme Groups are working on Research, Education and Training, Recruitment, Exchange, Organisational Structure and Image.

Statement of intent

The initial statement of intent produced in 2005 has been evaluated and revised according to priorities. Vasco da Gama movement has formulated the following aims and objectives. 1. Providing a forum, support and information for trainees and young GPs through access to WONCA Europe regional conferences and pre-conferences. -co-organising a preconference meeting during the WONCA Europe regional conferences 2. Establishing a communication network between European trainees and young GPs and identifying their concerns, doubts and needs and helping to address them. -writing and publishing newsletters concerning the movement -collaborating with national colleges and associations in general practice and stimulating the formation of national representation of young and future GPs. -collaborating with international organisations of general practice and the representation of the movement at international meetings. 3. Improving the quality of training programmes for general practice. -establishing a central information database on training programmes for general practice. -setting up quality standards.

Preconference meeting Kos 2005

The second pre-conference meeting for Junior Doctors in GP/FM took place on the 2^nd and 3^rd of September 2005 in Kos-Greece, preceding the 11^th WONCA Europe conference. It was hosted by the Greek Association of General Practitioners and organised by the Vasco da Gama Movement in collaboration with the 2005 WONCA Europe Conference Host Organising Committee and EURACT under the aegis of WONCA Europe. 18 European countries responded positively to the invitational letter and each sent 1-2 junior doctors to the pre-conference meeting. In addition Greece was represented by 18 delegates. Consequently a total of 52 participants from 19 countries participated this year. The delegates were distributed in groups of 10-11 participants, each guided by two experienced facilitators – one board member of the European Academy of Teachers (EURACT) and one Greek GP/FM teacher. Every group started on beforehand working in internet discussion groups where they introduced themselves, exchanged relevant documents and shortly presented their national health care system and educational system. The pre-conference meeting consisted of workshops with a short introduction to the theme, interactive sessions in the groups and plenary presentations and discussions of the results.Conclusions and selected items from the pre-conference meeting were presented in three workshops during the main conference, attracting the young and future GPs who could not attend the pre-conference, teachers in GP/FM and all participants with interest in the issues of education, recruitment and VdGM development. Themes for the pre-conference meeting in Kos were: 1. Implementation of the EURACT document: The Educational Agenda of GP/FM. The aim was to promote the concept of good educational guidelines outlined by the Agenda of GP/FM. Issues in the application of the Agenda were discussed from the users‘ point of view. 2. Recruitment issues in GP/FM career. The aim was to reflect on the positive aspects of working as a GP, and based on these reflections develop strategies to improve recruitment to the profession in the future. 3. Vasco da Gama Movement. The aim was to introduce the VdGM to the participants, to encourage new ideas and views on VdGM development as well as to discuss the role of the movement. The General Meeting supported the VdGM development and the core group of 12 delegates from Amsterdam were mandated. Specific Theme Groups were stated and interested participants volunteered to join the groups.

Preconference meeting Florence 2006

Vasco da Gama movement is closely collaborating with EURACT and the Host Organising Committee of WONCA Europe Conference 2006 in organising the next preconference meeting for junior doctors on 26-27 August 2006 in Florence, Italy. VdGM urges every WONCA member country to send one representative GP-trainee or young GP to participate in the preconference meeting and (at least!) another one to participate during the main conference. Contact Information Vasco da Gama Movement WONCA Europe working group for young and future general practitioners VdGM Interim Executive groupPostal address Vasco da Gama Movement Secretariat, I. van der Heijden Huisartsopleiding UM, Deb 1 PO box 616 6200 MD Maastricht the Netherlands [email protected]