Provisional Fellowships
The Canberra Hospital's Department of Anaesthesia, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management takes applications from senior anaesthetic registrars for 6-12 month Fellowship positions. We offer five Provisional Fellowships; general, obstetrics, perioperative medicine, hepatobiliary/ upper gastrointestinal and retrieval medicine. In addition to their Fellowship area, Provisional Fellows will also gain exposure to the intra-operative management of the broad gamut of surgical specialties at this hospital, along with opportunities for graded independence to assist the transition from provisional fellow to consultant practice. Fellows participate in the after hours roster, which includes evenings, weekends and night shifts.
There are two intakes each year, starting in February and August. Positions are advertised on the ACT Health website in July each year for commencement in January of the following year. Positions are advertised in May for commencement in August of the same year. Selection interviews are usually conducted in early September for short-listed candidates or July for mid-year intake.
Applicants must have Australian citizenship or permanent residency status (this includes New Zealand citizens and permanent residents) or have an Australian working visa with current experience as a medical practitioner in Australia.
Whilst the Department is highly supportive of the educational exchange, with the anticipated completion of the Canberra Hospital Expansion project and it's resultant growth of perioperative services, applicants with a view to progress to consultant practice within this health service are warmly welcomed.
For general information about provisional fellowships, please contact the Provisional Fellowship Supervisor, Dr Nik Kuruvilla (Niketh.Kuruvilla@act.gov.au), or for specific fellowships please contact the supervisors listed below.
General Fellowship
Supervisor: Dr Nik Kuruvilla
Niketh.Kuruvilla@act.gov.au
The Canberra Hospital’s Department of Anaesthesia, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management is a busy tertiary referral and trauma hospital with over 19,000 surgical procedures performed annually. This Provisional Fellowship will enable the trainee to develop their skills as a general anaesthetist with ample exposure across the gamut of surgical subspecialties serviced by our Department. This includes all surgical subspecialties (excluding transplant) and including paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology. Where possible, arrangements can be made to facilitate exposure within the trainee’s particular areas of interest. Whilst not a regional specific fellowship, trainees with an interest in regional anaesthesia will have the opportunity to develop these skills through allocation to elective and trauma orthopaedic lists. Trainees participate in pre-admission clinics and pain medicine and are encouraged to develop their teaching and supervisory skills. Non-clinical/ clinical support time is provided and encouraged to be utilised in the pursuit of quality assurance and improvement projects.
At the completion of this Provisional Fellowship, Provisional Fellows are expected to have gained the competence and confidence of a well-rounded general anaesthetist.
Hepatobiliary and Upper GI Surgery Fellowship
Supervisor: Dr Anneliese McBride
anneliese.mcbride@act.gov.au
With the exclusion of transplant surgery, this Provisional Fellowship provides the trainee with a well-rounded exposure to the depth and breadth of upper GI surgery. At the end of their Fellowship, trainees are expected to have gained the skill and confidence required to independently manage procedures such as oesophagectomy, pancreatoduodenectomy, liver resection and adrenalectomy. Trainees will gain experience with thoracic epidural and double lumen tube insertion and the provision of one lung ventilation.
The Canberra Hospital’s Upper GI Surgery team is an active Department with all day lists occurring roughly twice per week. The Hepatobiliary/ Upper GI Surgery Provisional Fellow can expect 1-2 days per week in the Upper GI theatre. Lists can be expected to include procedures such as Ivor Lewis oesophagectomy (usually one per month), pancreatoduodenectomy, gastrectomy, hiatus hernia repair, liver resection and adrenalectomy. For interested trainees, there may be potential scope for exposure to bariatric surgery at the satellite bariatric surgery unit of The Canberra Hospital, Calvary Bruce Private Hospital.
Trainees will be provided with non-clinical time and their participation in quality assurance, quality improvement and/or research is both supported and encouraged.
Obstetric Anaesthesia Fellowship
Supervisor: Dr Katie McCloy
katie.mccloy@act.gov.au
The Obstetric Anaesthetic Provisional Fellowship will provide the trainee with ample exposure to straightforward and complex obstetric cases in a busy tertiary department with more than 4000 deliveries per year. The trainee will function as part of a multidisciplinary team providing excellent care to women and their families at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children. They will have the opportunity to participate in teaching and supervision of junior trainees, to be involved in quality improvement activities, and to pursue particular subspecialty areas of interest.
Aims:
To develop confidence as an obstetric anaesthetist with an ability to manage a variety of challenging clinical cases, such as massive maternal haemorrhage, placenta accreta spectrum disorders, severe pre-eclampsia, women with cardiac disease in pregnancy and a variety of other presentations. To work as a team member sharing knowledge and skills with obstetric, midwifery and other anaesthetic colleagues.
Structure:
The obstetric provisional fellow will have a regular monthly allocation that includes about 50% subspecialty time and 50% of time in service lists/non-clinical. Subspecialty allocations will include caesarean lists, gynaecology and gynae oncology lists, regular high risk obstetric anaesthesia clinics and weekly allocations to birth suite. In the event of complex cases or patients requiring anaesthetic involvement, the obstetric anaesthesia fellow will be the first point of call in hours.
Other:
There are a number of consultants who have an interest in obstetric anaesthesia at TCH including several anaesthetists at TCH who have subspecialty fellowship training in obstetric anaesthesia and significant experience in this area. There will be ample opportunity to participate in quality improvement, education and simulation in this area.
Testimonial:
"My fellowship in obstetric anaesthesia provided excellent exposure to medically and surgically complex cases, with connection to the obstetric surgical team and support from senior obstetric anaesthetists. The fellowship included a balance of independent and supervised practice, and a distribution of time between labour ward, clinic and theatre. I felt supported by my supervisors and was given increasing responsibility and independence over the course of the year in both obstetric and non obstetric anaesthesia."
Perioperative Medicine
Fellowship
Supervisor: Dr Adam Eslick/
Dr Joanne Moore
adam.t.eslick@act.gov.au / joanne.l.moore@act.gov.au
This Perioperative Medicine Fellowship will provide the trainee with opportunities to develop their skills as a perioperative medicine physician in this busy tertiary major referral hospital. With over 19,000 operations performed annually, the Perioperative Medicine Fellow will have ample exposure to the pre-operative assessment, planning and optimisation of both straightforward and complex surgical patients. Teaching and supervision opportunities also exist. Non-clinical/ clinical support time with participation in quality assurance, improvement and research projects is provided.
Support will be provided to Fellows who are wishing to undertake a formal perioperative medicine qualification (e.g., the forthcoming perioperative medicine diploma being developed and established by ANZCA).
What are the aims of the Perioperative Medicine Fellowship?
To produce Fellows capable and confident in providing high quality and efficient care to patients in the areas of:
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Pre-operative assessment.
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Pre-operative planning.
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Optimisation.
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Postoperative assessment and management.
To produce a highly capable and confident general anaesthetist ready to transition to consultant practice.
What is the structure of the Perioperative Medicine Fellowship?
The Perioperative Medicine Fellow will have a regular monthly allocation that will include approximately 30% in pre-admission clinics and 70% in other areas, including the provision of anaesthesia and pain medicine. There are opportunities to follow high risk patients through from pre-admission clinic to surgery and beyond.
In terms of pre-admission clinic exposure, Fellows will have access to:
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The High Anaesthetic Risk Patient (HARP) Clinic: this is an all-day clinic held weekly on Wednesdays. The morning is dedicated to medically complex patients undergoing major surgery. The afternoon session is a combined Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS)/ HARP clinic, dedicated to ASA 3 and 4 patients on the ERAS pathway.
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The Major Joint Arthroplasty Clinic: held weekly on a Thursday at the nearby joint arthroplasty satellite hospital (Canberra John James Hospital). This day may consist of an all-day pre-anaesthetic clinic or alternatively a half day clinic followed by the afternoon in one of the elective joint replacement theatres.
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Daily pre-anaesthetic clinics.
For interested Fellows, echocardiography experience will be facilitated through regular sessions with cardiology and access to echocardiography trained anaesthesia consultants. Support will be provided to those trainees seeking a formal qualification in this area.
Retrieval Fellowship
Supervisor: Dr Andy Lumley
andy.lumley@act.gov.au
Opportunities exist for fourth year Anaesthetic Registrars and Provisional Fellows to undertake six month placements with Capital Region Retrieval Service (CRRS). These are recruited separately to other Fellowships in the Anaesthetic department.
For further information please contact CRRS ANZCA Supervisor of Training Dr Andy Lumley; andy.lumley@act.gov.au, Director Dr Kelvin Grove; kelvin.grove@act.gov.au or Deputy Director of CRRS Dr David Lamond; david.lamond@act.gov.au.
What are the aims of the Retrieval Fellowship?
To produce Registrars and Fellows capable of providing high quality and efficient care to critically ill and injured patients in a variety of challenging Pre-Hospital and Retrieval settings. Completion of the Diploma in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine.
What is the structure of the Retrieval Fellowship?
The program follows the Diploma in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine curriculum with six month 1.0 FTE opportunities to provide care and gain experience in Pre-Hospital and Retreival Medicine. https://acem.org.au/Content-Sources/Certificate-and-Diploma-Programs/Pre-Hospital-and-Retrieval-Medicine. The initial induction period (clinical and aviation) is followed by a mentored period with direct supervision on missions by the duty Consultant. After summative assessment the Registrar or Fellow would undertake missions with the Flight Intensive Care Paramedic with distant support from the duty Consultant and Aeromedical Control Centre staff with direct supervision on missions as required.
What are the Retrieval opportunities at the Capital Region Retrieval Service?
CRRS provides the medical crewing for the principle rescue helicopter for the ACT and Greater Southern New South Wales. The SouthCare Helicopter is one of eight identical aircraft that service the rescue and retrieval functions for the southern half of New South Wales and the ACT. The helicopter service has a high primary trauma workload and also a significant secondary retrieval workload. The CRRS also undertakes a small number of road retrievals in ACT and New South Wales. It is an accredited site for the Diploma in Pre-Hospital and Retreival Medicine and for six month ANZCA Provisional Fellowships. Education and quality improvement opportunities exist within CRRS and in collaboration with Greater Sydney Area HEMS.
What is the Retrieval expertise at Capital Region Retrieval Service?
CRRS has a group of 16 Retrieval Consultants who make up a 5.0 FTE roster in addition to 10 experienced Flight Intensive Care Paramedics from the ACT Ambulance Service. TOLL Helicopters provide the highly trained Aviation team of Pilots and Air Crew Officers.
Other Expectations of a Retrieval Fellow?
1. The Retrieval Registrar would be operationally and professionally responsible to the Medical Director of the Capital Region Retrieval Service through the on duty supervisory Retrieval Consultant.
2. They would provide timely and appropriate clinical management to critical injuries or ill patients under the supervision of the on duty Retrieval Consultant. This may include patient care and transport of patients in a number of challenging environments including pre-hospital and rural and regional referral hospitals which require a high degree of physical fitness and mental resilience. Transport may occur by rotary wing, fixed wing and road vehicles.
3. They would work within and support a multidisciplinary clinical team including the maintenance of cooperative relationship with ACTAS, helicopter crew, NSWAS, ACC, ACT and regional healthcare facilities.
4. They would participate in a supervised rotating roster operating from the Hume helicopter base during day and night shifts including weekends. The roster is to be structured in accordance with the current ACT Public Sector and Medical Practitioners Union Collective Agreement and AMA safe hours provision.
5. They would participate in the CRRS training and familiarisation program including the Greater Sydney Area HEMS Pre-Hospital Induction Week, TOLL Helicopters ground school training, Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET) and any other program deemed necessary to support and maintain safety and skills acquisition.
6. They would adhere to OH&S principles especially those requested by the aircraft operator or ambulance and scene manager and the correct application of safety clothing, helmets and other equipment as supplied by the service.
7. They would actively participate in ongoing Pre-hospital and Retrieval Quality Assurance and Trauma Service Quality Assurance initiatives. Research is encouraged at part of Clinical Support Time.
8. They would undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.
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