Primary Cast

Shock, DIC and the coagulation cascade!  Dr. Ben Wingrove joins me today for a feature length random mash-up of things that happen in the circulation. We cover a range of topics here which feels similar to what you will be exposed to in the exam. Some of the diseases are covered in a lot of detail, but don't be intimidated as many of the questions just require a few key words to get the marks...

Renal failure, diabetes and thyroid storm! Jacqui Downey joins me for this 2-in-1 episode covering all the key elements of renal/endo pathology. Some of these questions are from waaaay back so take them with a grain of salt (no renal pun intended).   Jacqui is an awesome human being who navigates work-life balance in a way that is inspiring. We had a lot of fun recording this one and I hope you en...

Vertebrae, triangles and the larynx! Dr Susan Lammi joins Primary Cast to chat about all the things in the neck and spine. For this topic make sure you have looked at the anatomy photographs of the triangles of the neck & the anterior neck dissection. It is also essential to have looked at the airway models and be able to describe what you see as well as be able to identify which vertebral bon...

Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and all kinds of antagonists! Dr. Sarah Oldfield sits down with me to cover the nitty gritty basics of pharm. These example answers are ones that I learned for the viva and are based on old questions and marking keys. Don't get tripped up by the different types of graphs that people use - just pick one style and go for it.  In the episode we chat about Deran...

Digestion, absorption and ALL the pancreatic enzymes. Dr Lou Gabauer takes a break from her rollerskating career to help me navigate the physiology of the GIT activities.  Don't forget to check out the website for the show transcript and a copy of my own study notes for this topic. While you are there you can support the pod and/or send thanks via buying a coffee :)  Thanks to everyone who ke...

Asthma, asbestos and ALLLL the pneumonias. Yes! Primary Cast is BACK after a hiatus where your host has been having a bit of downtime and living the locum life. I am hoping to get a few more episodes up in the lead in to the November Vivas so...watch this space. The incredibly lovely Dr. Issie O'Conor joins me on this episode to cover Resp Physiology. Also - this episode is actually SPONSORED...

The liver, ureters and branches of the aorta! Dr. David Monks joins me for episode 24 to chat about SUPER HIGH YIELD things that exist in the abdomen & pelvis. I've worked to condense a relatively massive topic into some streamlined but hard hitting questions with all the details in there. Anatomy is such an image heavy topic - so I have put a heap of pics of my notes on the episode webpa...

Insulin, thyroid drugs and all the magic of corticosteroids! For this episode Dr. Hannah Walravens joins me after a nightshift to go through some details of pharmacology. This is a small but mighty topic as these are some of the most common drugs we prescribe in the ED. You can find out more about Hannah and her elite Quidditch (!!)  by following her on Twitter  @hannahwalravens As usual, please s...

Wound healing, hypersensitivity and paraneoplastic syndromes. Look... it's a pretty dry episode but you have to know it for the exam so here we are. I'm joined by the wonderful Dr. Weeda Beg to go through some of those questions that are just really hard to get motivated for.  Hypersensitivity and paraneoplastic syndromes come up ALL the time in the viva so this is not one to miss.  Supp...

Thyroid hormones, calcium homeostasis and more feedback loops than any of us know what to do with. Dr Nick Lelos is back for another round, adding his trademark historical tidbits to the session on endo physiology.  Yes, this episode has come out quicker than usual because I'm trying to get some extra ones out there before the viva in May!  If you appreciate the podcast and find it useful, pl...

Orbits, neck triangles and more foramina than you can handle...Dr. Sophie Richards is in the podcast studio to discuss all things head and neck anatomy.  Another HUGE topic and one that I found particularly challenging. Listen to the end to find out which of these questions literally brought me to tears, then learn how to answer it! Study notes are available at https://www.acemprimarypodcast.com/e...

It happens to most of us at some point in our careers, but what is it actually like to fail the Primary Exam? The enigmatic Dr. Sarah Stewart was kind enough to join me on this episode to discuss her experience failing the MCQ. We discuss how she navigated the path to re-sitting as well as some of the mental gymnastics that goes along with that. Sarah is the kind of person you want in your corner...

Action potentials, neurotransmitters and nystagmus! Dr. Aruna Shivam is back for Episode 18 to chat about her favourite subject. We cover all of the 'must know' bits as well as a few of the more obscure but still possible questions from this area. I also give an update on how you can help support the podcast in order to keep it online as a free resource - check out more at https://www.bu...

Staph, Strep and maybe even COVID...? Josh is BACK to cover the infectious diseases section of pathology. Most of these questions are about pathogenesis, clinical features and outcomes. There are quite a few 'regulars' in this topic - that is, many of these questions have come up across multiple years. We also reckon that the structure and clinical features of COVID might be far game wit...

Ibuprofen, paracetamol and fentanyl! Dr. Shireen Gujral joins me today to discuss some pharmacology. This is Shireen's second visit to the podcast after joining me back in episode 8. It's a bit of a shorter one this time around because it's the week before the exam and I'm sure everyone's attention span is waning. You might hear that we kept in a bit more from the recordin...

Menisci, cruciate ligaments and the muscles of the leg! Dr. Anna Morgan is back for the long awaited (at least by me) second instalment of Lower Limb Anatomy. Despite my persisting inability to say 'fibula trochlear' as part of an answer, we managed to get this one done just in time for those sitting their vivas this month.   Support the show

Hepatitis, cholecystitis and ischaemic gut! Episode 14 is jam-packed full of high yield path that is not only super relevant for the exam but is also kind of handy for your clinical life, too. I was joined by the effervescent & charming Dr. Kristian Heise, who divides his time between being an emergency registrar, an obstetric registrar and a fabulous 70's DJ at all our parties.  For the...

Blood pressure, ECGs and the cardiac cycle! For this episode I am joined by Dr. Nicola Pearson, an ACEM trainee who has passed her primaries and is currently rotating to ICU. There are a few important diagrams to know in this topic so don't forget to check out the study notes on the website at https://www.acemprimarypodcast.com/episode13 Support the show

Great vessels, lungs and the thoracic inlet! For episode 12 I am joined by Dr. Aruna Shivam to  cover all the big topics from the bones, vessels, muscles and organs of the thorax. These come up so often, so you really have to have these ready to go without having to think about them. The images we reference in the episode can be found in the study notes.  Support the show

Local anaesthetics, nitrous and ketamine! Dr Nick Lelos joins me to discuss all things neuro pharmacology. Nick is an ED registrar who is interested in trauma, speaks multiple languages and reckons studying for the primary is worse than learning Russian. Go figure. As usual, the transcript from this show can be found on the website as well as my own study notes from when I covered this topic for m...

Have you ever wondered what your examiner is thinking? Well, luckily for you my guest for episode 10 is Dr. Nadi Pandithage, an ACEM examiner, emergency consultant (FACEM) and all around wonderful human being. She gives a great talk to the Darwin primary cohort about how to answer questions in a way that gets you the most marks in the shortest period of time. I LOVED this talk and so I asked her t...

Sodium handling, renin release and calculating the GFR! For episode 9, Dr. Josh Monester joins me again to discuss the function of nephrons and the cool things they get up to. Some of these answers are a bit longer than you'd be expected to give in your exam, but we thought the extra explanation was worth it. There are heaps of notes on the  episode webpage from my own revision - as well as a...

Calcium channel blockers, adenosine and digoxin toxicity (which is very hard to say quickly!) For episode 8, I am chatting with my friend and colleague Dr. Shireen Gujral. Shireen joins me in the pillow fort studio whilst preparing for her own Primary Viva exam in the coming months. Shireen originally moved to Darwin for her interest in emergency trauma management. When she isn't at work or r...

Hip ligaments, the femoral triangle and the sciatic nerve! In this episode I am joined by emergency registrar and waterfall expeditionist Dr. Anna Morgan to break down some of the SUPER HIGH YIELD content from the lower limb. Study Notes (including BONUS doodles) available at http://acemprimarypodcast.com/episode7 Feedback? Suggestions? Leave a comment on the episode or fill out a contact form her...

Apoptosis, inflammatory mediators and cellular adaptations! For this episode I am lucky to be joined by the wonderful Dr. Janet Boromeo to tackle one of the more dry topics of this exam. Luckily, there are only so many questions they can ask you on this topic and we have recorded most of them for you here. You're welcome!  The Study Notes for this episode can be found at: https://www.acemprim...