Introduction
A Message from the CEO Career and Life Journeys Mark Nevin, CEO
In my seven years at the College, I have partaken in countless committee deliberations about the evolving roles of clinical radiologists and radiation oncologists. Conversations with leaders in the professions have also illuminated how much you learn and develop throughout your career. Moreover, the skills our trainees graduate with need to equip them for lifelong learning. I feel fortunate to have had the option of re-training into another discipline. I was arguably too young to decide what to study at university at the age of sixteen. Based on my interests in geography and science, I applied for degrees in architecture and optometry. I was offered both and weighed up the options, narrowly favouring a path into eye care. The content was fascinating to study, however in the end, the day-today role felt too routine with little option for diversification, I decided to embark on a career change.
happenstance, my CV was passed to the optical representative bodies in London and I was hired in a senior role in policy and advocacy, working between London, Dublin and Brussels. I also began my journey into leadership, committee governance and complex stakeholder management. My partner (who hails from Melbourne) and I moved to Australia in 2014 with a view to exploring this side of the world. I was hired by the College in that year when we created the Policy and Advocacy Unit. Induction was a steep learning curve: learning about systems of government in Australia and New Zealand, the rough and tumble of Canberra politics, our internal processes and member priorities. My brain felt like it was learning a whole new language. In fact, I remember being perplexed by some common terms: why call a service bulk-billed?!
Rather than go calling back to the bank of Mum and Dad, I worked part-time as a locum while I completed degrees in Economics and later European Politics and Governance. After which, I undertook a research internship at an EU thinktank publishing papers on the operation of the Eurozone and principles underpinning the EU budget. After a couple of years of that, work as an optometrist paid the bills during the GFC, I pondered what I might do next.
Notwithstanding, I continue to be amazed at how useful my healthcare training, and reasonable understanding of physics have been in my career at the College. My time at the College has provided fantastic exposure to new ideas, working in new cultures and allowed me to significantly broaden my leadership experience. I feel that I have benefitted greatly from lifelong learning and unexpected paths and opportunities, not least in my time at the College.
With hindsight, I had completely neglected to do any networking at senior levels of eye care. Almost by
Looking to the future, both clinical radiology and radiation oncology continue to advance. I feel that our
members underappreciate their agility and ability to embrace changes in technology and their roles in the healthcare system. You have done this admirably through your career and will no doubt continue to do so. As CEO I am giving consideration to how the College can play its part in supporting members by delivering a workforce that is: • flexible and adaptable to the needs of the healthcare system, and • representative of the populations they serve, particularly regional, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islanders and Māori peoples. COVID has illustrated that we must adapt to emerging circumstances and provided an opportunity to reflect on future directions in life and our careers. For the future, the healthcare system will need AI experts, researchers, or clinicians to deliver care in emerging areas such as theranostics, precision medicine and screening for emerging disease. Our members are very well placed to do this, and the College will continue to support your journey through life. continued over...
Volume 17 No 3 I June 2021
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