Caught up with Elaine Siggins, CEO of the Gastroenterology Society of Australia the other day.  She said that there is a lot of discussion in GESA about the issue of nurses undertaking endoscopy.  Some members are in favour and others are not.  Even the pro camp is divided:  some think this would best be done by nurse practitioners, who work autonomously and others think that it would be better to have practice nurses who work under supervision.  I recall presenting on UK nurse endoscopists at the GESA conference in 2005 or 2006, so it is good to know the conversation continues.  A comment I often hear is that most Fellows of the College devote most of their collective energies to their specialist societies.  However health workforce reconfiguration, such as the introduction of nurse endoscopists, is an issue common to many specialties.  Perhaps we should be coming together to have a broader debate, say on physician assistants.

Is this an example of where our College could be greater than the sum of its parts?