Resident Life Sweet Dreams Anaesthesia

Today I’m joined by Dr Tom who is a Pathology Registrar. Pathology is field of medicine that I know little about and it was great to have this discussion as he explained why he loves pathology and what the training pathway entails (00:40).  We then discuss a stress that is unique to Pathology and that is having to make “Definitive decisions” (11:02). Tom then lays out the biggest challenges of the pathology program (29:07). This leads into a bigger conversation about sacrifice in medicine and Tom Journey from wanting to do Orthopaedics and changing his career pathway based on his own reflection (33:19). I learnt a lot in this conversation and I hope you do too. Having insight into other people specialities allows to appreciate them on a different level.  I want to thank Tom for taking the time to join me for this conversation. As always thanks for listening!

Today I’m joined by Dr Lewis who is a Psychiatry Registrar. Lewis describes his journey into medicine and how his upbringing influenced his own path. Then we look at the complexities of changing career pathways and Lewis’s own experience of making the switch from Emergency Medicine to Psychiatry (07:48). Both Lewis and I completed the “Big 5 Personality Test” and reflected on our results and how our different personalities have lent themselves to our career pathway (17:18). We analyse all aspects of this test from openness to new experiences to competitiveness in the work field. Finally, we discuss the uncomfortable topic of mental health, recognising an impaired colleague and tips on how to approach the hard conversations (35:33). Lewis introduces me to a new concept known as ‘Moral Injury’ and a currently trending Japanese concept ‘Ikigai.’ This was a lot of fun to record and I want to thank Lewis for taking the time to join me for this conversation. As always thanks for listening!

Today I’m joined by Dr Kirsty who is a dual trainee in Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care. We focused heavily on Kirsty’s work as an emergency registrar and her amazing insight and reflection on the major issues that affect the Emergency Department. We first go through what drew Kirsty into ED (04:22) and her advice on how to adapt to shift work (08:32). I then ask her about the classic stereotype of the ED registrar and if this is true (15:08). Resuscitation situations is a big part of ED and Kirsty reflects on her own leadership style (19:19). One of my big gripes is how ED gets scrutinised by other specialities in the hospital and what knock-on effect this has on ED (26:21). Then we finish our discussion with having a broader look at the growing public health burden on ED (37:28). This was a great conversation and thank you to Dr Kirsty. As always thanks for listening!

Happy New Year and today I'm joined by Dr Rob Thomson. Rob is a dual trainee in Intensive Care Medicine and Anaesthesia who is currently studying for his fellowship exam. Our conversation starts with Rob explaining his journey from growing up in a rural town to becoming a doctor ((01:49). We then explore the personal and financial sacrifice that comes with dual training and the burden this puts on your other half (10:28). I then ask Rob about the perception of Junior Doctors being wealthy and the hard truth about all the hidden fees that come with being a Junior Doctor (15:34). Rob then shares his wisdom on how to make money work for you as a Junior Doctor and ultimately be financially smart (25:43). We then change topic completely and talk about what makes Intensivist special and that is being experts in difficult family conversations including organ donation (33:17). We finish off our conversation with discussing the legalities of providing end of life care in Queensland (44:18). We packed a lot into this episode and hope you enjoy listening!

Today I'm joined by Dr Jeremy Taylor. Jeremy is Medical Registrar doing his advanced training as a Respiratory Physician. He has recently passed the first part of the Basic Physician Training Exam and he explains the effort required to accomplish this milestone (03:08). He then explains how the physician training program in Australia works and offers his experience of what life is like being a medical registrar and the challenges this brings (07:59). We then delve into the very tricky topic of picking the right speciality training for you and how Jeremy knew he wanted to do Respiratory Medicine through trial and error (16:57). I then ask Jeremy some personal questions of what life was like in rural Canada and how he knew he wanted to work in health care from a young age (27:28). We then compare the brutal reality of trying to get into medical school in Canada vs Australia (37:52). Finally, Jeremey tell the story of how he met Snoop Dogg and worked for him for a day (46:32). We packed a lot into this episode and hope you enjoy listening!

In the first episode of Resident Life I'm joined by Dr Bo Bi. Bo is a rural generalist in her final few months of training. She explains what the training program involves (03:18). Then we take a deep look at the mental health challenges of working in a rural community (16:35) and the stereotypes surrounding being a female doctor in a hospital (30:26). On a brighter topic Bo describes her passion for music and how taking a gap year influenced her medical journey (36:28). Finally we discuss some tips on how to fight fatigue and burnout (44:31) and Bo tell us about her upcoming role with integrating rural medicine with the UQ medical school (51:30). I hope you enjoy listening!