Australian Anaesthesia

I am so grateful to Dr Gaby Bolton for taking time out of her exam preparation to have this conversation with me. Not only has she spent the last 6 years training in anaesthesia but she was also the lead applicant in a landmark class action lawsuit against Peninsula Health over unpaid overtime. Her journey began in 2020 as the HMO Society President, representing her peers as they sought a uniform...

In this episode I chat with Sydney General Practitioner and social media expert, Dr Maria Li on the best practices for doctors on social media. Dr Li has created tonnes of content, collaborated with over 100 professionals and organisations and is a member of the WHO's global FIDES network. We focus on 5 key principles for responsible social media use because I would love to see more doctors being...

In this episode I chat with Dr Yasmin Endlich, Medical Director at webAIRS, web based Anaesthesia Incident Reporting System. We currently have over 13,000 reports in webAIRS, making it one of the world's largest incident reporting systems. We chat about the various analyses (currently over 30 underway!), what's happening behind the scenes and how we will be discussing de-identified incident report...

In this episode, I'm reviewing an article that was published in the April 2026 Anaesthesia and Intensive Care journal (AIC). It's all about sharps waste management! A snapshot (literally) on what we are placing in our sharps bins and whether there is any room for improvement (spoiler alert - yes, there is plenty!). I also share some insights from my Sabbatical in Switzerland. This podcast accompan...

In this episode, I explore trauma informed care with expert clinical psychologist Brigette Berry who specialises in acute and chronic pain. We examine five core principles of Fallot and Harris (2009): safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration and empowerment. Trauma informed care benefits all patients, not just those who have disclosed trauma. For example, many women may have undisclosed trau...

In this episode I chat with Dr Mark Priestley, Chair of the Leadership and Management Special Interest Group (LAMSIG), Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation (ASMOF) NSW and ANZCA Councillor. We are chatting about one of my favourite topics – leadership! We go through my 4 part leadership curriculum, the importance of identifying core personal values, his work based on the book “ Crucial...

I chat with Dr David Borshoff about the latest edition of the Anaesthetic Crisis Manual. This edition includes a new 'Prevention' section, collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and comes out in 2 versions: International and North American. As an ASA member, you are eligible for a FREE(!) or discounted Manual. Contact asa@asa.org.a...

We have a new wellbeing webpage! In this episode I chat with Dr Lan-Hoa Le, Chair of the ASA's Wellbeing Advocates Committee. She has been busy curating a webpage with a tonne of useful resources from crisis helplines, peer support programs and mindfulness training. There is something there for everyone, whether you or a colleague would appreciate some confidential support, you are interested in s...

Who likes the idea of excessive waste in healthcare? Especially when it is something that can impact our colleagues and has negative climate effects? In this episode I chat with Dr Ethan Fitzclarence, from Perth, Western Australia about an audit he conducted as part of his anaesthetic training. He discovered an astounding amount of nitrous oxide was being leaked to the atmosphere. We discuss his m...

Welcome to 2026! In this episode I chat with Dr Andrea Binks, an anaesthetist and accomplished yoga facilitator from Wollongong, NSW. Dr. Binks shares her unconventional journey into anaesthesia, transitioning from physician and cardiology training in the UK to intensive care and eventually anaesthesia. I learn how yoga has been a constant in her life since childhood, evolving from a personal prac...

I catch up with Professor Tim Cook, of the UK National Audit Projects live at the Australian Society of Anaesthetists' National Scientific Congress (NSC). We discuss his incredible work, his ideas of success and what risk in anaesthesia mean to him. ASA branded scrubs are here! Only available to ASA members. Get your discounted scrubs with free embroidery here . https://asa.org.au/your-asa-advanta...

In this episode: The last of my thought bubble talks on how to introduce yourself with confidence and clarity Some tips on balancing an academic research career and clinical medicine Changing from one medical specialty (e.g. paediatrics) to another (e.g anaesthesia) I'm chatting with Dr Doug Hacking, paediatrician, anaesthetist, researcher. We are discussing GLP-1 receptor agonists and what they m...

In this episode I hand the mic over to Dr Tom Neal-Williams, an anaesthetic trainee and hard working member of the ASA Communications Committee to be a guest host on the podcast. He is talking with Professor Ed Mariano, regional anaesthesia guru, researcher, leader and educator and gaining tips on how he navigates his career. I also share some thoughts on vocal fry. This episode was recorded live...

An oldie but a goodie - literally! I'm chatting with Dr Bob Hare, President of the Australian Society of Anaesthetists (ASA) from 1980-82. and the earliest surviving President of the ASA. We also recorded this conversation a few years ago, prior to the ASA turning 90. We compare various anaesthetic techniques and innovations, from ether masks to glass cannulas that have occurred across the generat...

I had a conversation with A/Prof Magdalena Simonis about her approach, as a General Practitioner, to preventative healthcare and it blew my mind. It's changed my attitude, and I hope, by sharing this conversation that you too are motivated to see your GP and engage in preventative health. Dr Magdalena Simonis is a leading women’s health expert and advisor and a Senior Honorary Research Fellow at t...

In this episode I chat with Dr Alison Jarman, a Melbourne based anaesthetist who has temporarily located to Dili, Timor-Leste on an ASA Pacific Fellowship. We chat about life and anaesthesia in Timor-Leste and patiently navigating challenges and opportunities. Dr Jarman has been able to undertake this Fellowship with thanks to Sabbatical Leave from Austin Health (with acknowledgement to the Austra...

Everyone, and I mean everyone - Government, the ASA, AMA, ANZCA and other Colleges - is talking about anaesthesia workforce in Australia. We have a shortage. We have a maldistribution, with not enough anesthetists in regional Australia. What is the solution? Nurse anaesthetists? Career medical officers? Importing anaesthetists from overseas - otherwise known as International Medical Graduates or I...

Come and listen to Dr Pip Lane, amazing leader, as she describes how she built this amazing service which enables timely intravenous access and reduces needle related trauma in women and children. I'm not alone in finding this service impressive. It has won many awards in South Australia and nationally. Two of the big contributors to Dr Lane's success was having Clinical Support/Non-Clinical Time...

Come Together for the Australian Society of Anaesthetists' National Scientific Congress (NSC) in Canberra. To be held from Thursday 2nd October - Sunday 5th October. It is during the school holidays for some states, so get those leave requests in, if you haven't already. Join NSC Convenor Dr Girish Palnitkar as we dive into what makes Canberra so special and what we can look forward to during the...

Advanced Recovery Room Care (ARRC) is a concept that has changed the way I think about our model of care when it comes to or surgical patients. Come and meet the man behind the concept, Professor Guy Ludbrook. We discuss his ideas on innovation and dive into ARRC. Email podcast@asa.org.au for more information or an introduction

Have you ever wondered whether you have made the right career choice? What if your passion was for a totally different career? And after graduating from 2 Ivy League universities and achieving success in a highly competitive sub specialty field, could you give it up to follow your passion? I explore all this and more with Dr Shari Hall who left anaesthesia to fulfill her dreams. "Could a greater m...

Dr Sarah Lee, an anaesthetist in Melbourne and tour de force in bringing accessible, interesting and practical CPD meetings to you. And they qualify for those hard to get Practice Audit CPD points! (To be eligible for those points, you'll need to do the pre-meeting survey and participate in the meeting). The next ADVANCE meeting is on Monday 26th May 2025 and is on thoracic anaesthesia. Contact us...

Pop the champagne and come and celebrate 100 episodes of the Australian Anaesthesia podcast with me! Thank you to all the wonderful guests over the years, the Australian Society of Anaesthetists and most of all, YOU, for listening and supporting me and this podcast. Here are the links to some of the episodes I mention: Ep10: Fit Testing with Occupational Hygienist Kate Cole https://podcasts.captiv...

You may have heard of the Lifebox oximeter but did you know that Lifebox has also developed a capnograph? Every day in our region, anaesthetics are being given without an oximeter or capnograph. And as you can imagine, the outcomes are not always great. Lifebox seeks to address this and may be the only not for profit dedicated to improving surgical and anaesthesia safety throughout the world. Join...

Are you claiming for anaesthesia time units in a way that is compliant with Medicare and health fund rules? In this episode I revisit two earlier podcasts. From Ep52 of the Australian Anaesthesia podcast with Dr Mark Sinclair, I refresh our memories of the 2022 changes to the Medicare Benefits Schedule around anaesthesia time units. From Ep11 of our Talking Money series with Dr Andrew Mulcahy I in...