Tmc Podcast: Interviews With Medical Specialists

Informações:

Sinopsis

The Medical Collaborative Podcast is a podcast series where we interview medical specialists to find out specifics about their specialty. These specifics include how they came to be in their specialty, what other specialties they considered, what their average day is like, the ups and downs that they experience, their work life balance and their advice for medical students and interns. Whether your interest is cardiology, paediatrics, orthopaedics, GP or other, TMC has you covered.

Episodios

  • TMC038: Rheumatology and Academics with Dr Michelle Leech

    22/10/2017 Duración: 48min

    Prof Michelle Leech is a rheumatology consultant and deputy dean at Monash University's Faculty of Medicine. It is hard to believe that she was once a self-described "shy" medical student that dreaded answering questions given her success as a doctor! Today, we walk to Prof Leech about how she evolved from timid medical student to academic pioneer and respected clinician. Michelle thoroughly enjoys the clinical side of her specialty. For her, it comes down to taing a "good history" in order to tackle the "diagnostic dilemmas" she faces on a daily basis. Her description of a typical day is truly reflective of her university's motto, "ancora imparo" (I am always learning). We learn lots about the perks of rheumatology, including the teams they interact with, and the cases encountered on the wards, which sound fascinating. Moreover, Michelle is able to delve into each in great detail with both the patient and their families. The constant opportunity to teach students and delve into research limits Prof Leech fr

  • TMC037: Plastic surgery with Dr Alan Briedahl

    15/10/2017 Duración: 38min

    Dr Alan Briedahl is a plastic surgery consultant working at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Today, we chat to him about his journey from GP-loving medical student to his lofty positions today! As an intern, Alan decided to specialise due to the vast breadth of knowledge required to stay up-to-date as a GP. He found his way into plastics, which suited his self-described "obsessiveness" and desire to use his hands. Listen in to find out why plastic surgeons are the only ones not "pressed for time" and the "creative" ways solutions they find to complex problems. Dr Briedahl splits his time between public and private work in his theatres and clinic. Both of these involve waking up fairly early and working long hours, with additional on-call work in the public system. This aspect grants him access to some of the more exciting presentations - involving hand, craniofacial and skin trauma - albeit in the middle of the night. For the most part, plastic surgeons deal with skin lesion excisions and cosmetic surgery, and

  • TMC036: Neurosurgery and Women in Medicine with Dr Heidi McAlpine

    08/10/2017 Duración: 34min

    Dr Heidi McAlpine is a neurosurgery registrar at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. Today, she gives us fantastic insight into what it's like being the only female registrar currently on the program! While occasionally being mistaken for another, more junior member of the team on ward rounds, Heidi thoroughly enjoys her work. She initially wanted to be a neurologist but loved surgery, eventually finding a field that combined her two passions. Nowadays, her typical day lasts from 7-5 (eek), and involves a mix between clinic and theatre. Listen in to hear some of the awe-inspiring cases she has led or been part of. This high-risk, high-reward specialty lends itself to immense reward from managing the "unexpected" and the adrenaline rush it provides. It provides fantastic vaiety. Nevertheles, she has had to address many uncomfortable and heartbreaking situations, such as breaking the news to family that the team cann't resuscitate their loved one. It is also difficult "when things don't go to plan", as the sligh

  • TMC035: Oncology with Dr Ranjana Srivastava

    01/10/2017 Duración: 43min

    Dr Ranjana Srivastava is a well-decorated oncologist that also holds numerous accolades, including the Westpac Women of Influence Award, recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to medicine in the field of doctor-patient communication, and award-winning author for The Guardian. As a medical student, she enjoyed most fields, but ruled out obstetrics when she "almost dropped a baby", and surgery when she fainted in theatre! It was a rural rotation in oncology where she saw the calming influence her consultants had on patients that she decided to pursue this field. She has also kept up her writing and journaling which she began at age 5, which has led to her writing for the Lancet (as a medical student no less!), Penguin, The Age and now The Guardian. Her focuses include society and ethics, especially on issues she thinks it is "important for the public to know" about. Dr Srivastava encourages students and doctors alike to read medical journalism exposes. These include JAMA's "A Piece of

  • TMC034: Emergency Medicine and MUMUS with Dr Belinda Hibble

    24/09/2017 Duración: 46min

    Dr Belinda Hibble is an emergency medicine physician currently working in Geelong. Her self-admitted short attention span and desire to experience a variety of encounters in a single day makes her perfectly suitable for her position. Based in a rural setting, one simply "makes it work" in an emergency department. We debate the advantages and disadvantages of not having subspecialties at hand to "siphon off" broad or complex patients, and how this has helped her learn to manage patients in a more pragmatic manner. Dr Hibble describes high burnout rates amongst ED physicians. To combat this, she suggests doctors involve themselves in other aspects of medicine, including administration, research and teaching, while working in multiple public and private hospitals and considering subspecialising. Work-life balance seems to be an aspect ED physicians struggle with. We discuss the importance of "learning how to say no", and the seemingly impossible task of truly "switching off" with smartphones at hand 24/7. Beli

  • TMC033: Obstetrics and Gynaecology with Dr Shavi Fernando

    17/09/2017 Duración: 46min

    Dr Shavi Fernando is an obstetrics and gynaecology consultant working in metropolitan Melbourne. As a medical student, he gravitated towards O&G and paediatrics, deciding on the former after a BMedSci, an initiative he encourages us all to take. He is currently completing his PhD, moreso out of interest than requirement, although we do discuss the growing competition within the field. Dr Fernando was drawn to O&G because of the "high acuity" of problems facing young, mostly healthy patients. In this way, he sees his work as adding great benefit, and always appreciates the thanks he receives from patients. While he found some barriers as a male medical student, his success demonstrates the (mostly) level playing field O&G offers to both genders, aside from a few hiccups. Shavi's current practice involves a mix between obstetrics and gynaecology, in both public and private settings. He offers insight into why some doctors choose one over the other, as well as why O&Gs get sued so much and what

  • TMC031: Public Health with Dr Alessandro Demaio

    03/09/2017 Duración: 31min

    Dr Alessandro Demaio is a doctor in the field of public health that works for the World Health Organisation. He has pioneered several global public health movements, including NCD free, the UN decade of action on nutrition, and Festival 21. Alessandro's work has taken him all around the world, from assisting aid workers in Sri Lanka after the tsunami, Copenhagen - where he completed his PhD in public health - Harvard University, where he pursued a post doctorate fellowship, Geneva, for his work with the WHO, and even Mongolia! Listen in to hear what it was exactly that swayed Alessandro from aiming towards life as a rural GP to applying for and being accepted as an intern at the WHO. It was in this role that he realised that preventable diseases were found "everywhere", not just in developed nations. Controlling preventable diseases has become the force that drives him to achieve his lofty goals. The biggest struggles Alessandro faces are the requirement to be "cautious" with what he says when representing

  • TMC030: ENT with Mr Philip Jumeau

    27/08/2017 Duración: 30min

    Mr Philip Jumeau is an ENT surgeon working in Melbourne. Philip takes enormous pride in his calling, most of which involves nasal reconstructive work, which he finds challenging but rewarding. The "growth and change" he sees in his patients after operations makes it feel like he's contributing to their lives. Such satisfaction more than makes up for the competitive nature of the field's training and practice. While ENT is growing in popularity, there is little overlap with other fields, resulting in fantastic "diversity" with regards to cases. He deals with people from all walks of life with myriad medical ailments, as well we being able to work with implantable technology. Philip also spends 1 in every 8 weeks in Cairns, where he has established his own business. This aspect of his work involves a higher case load and can be difficult due to the lack of support and tropical climate. However, he sees many weird and wonderful ENT conditions and emergencies (no spoilers here!). At the same time, dealing with h

  • TMC029: Paediatrics with Dr Daniel Golshevsky

    20/08/2017 Duración: 24min

    Dr. Daniel Golshevsky is a paediatrics consultant working in metropolitan Melbourne. As a student and junior doctor, Daniel had the "pleasure and displeasure" of enjoying every rotation, a dilemma to which many of us can relate. But before he committed to a training program, Daniel took extensive time off (2 years!) to travel during his medical studies, and worked part-time for a while during his training. Listen in to hear about what he did and why he thinks this helped him to become a "better person and better doctor". The 'mantra' he wishes to impart onto listeners is "don't be in a hurry". In particular, he urges us to consider and seek out the different perspectives of specialties from that of a student, junior doctor and consultant, all of whom see the profession differently. This could help us to not make a "premature" decision. When push came to shove, he was faced with the dilemma of choosing between paediatrics and geriatics, between which he saw many similarities (which we thought was counter-intu

  • TMC028: Rheumatology with Dr Michael Gingold

    13/08/2017 Duración: 37min

    Dr Michael Gingold is a rheumatology consultant working in Melbourne. Today, we unpack this oft forgotten specialty, in which Michael has an abundance of experience. His training has taken him all over the world, and he is yet to meet a rheumatology consultant that isn't "happy". He personally puts this down to the enduring relationships he forms with his long-term patients. The work Michael performs on a daily basis seems intriguing. As with most doctors, he splits his time between public and private practice, with most of this comprising outpatient work, as well as teaching and supervising the trainee program. However, a good chunk of his day is also dedicated towards answering questions from GPs, specialists and patients. Rheumatologists seem to be an accessible, easy-going bunch! He also gives his two cents on why the current "workforce review" might result in a large changeover of staff in the near future, and encourages all of us that are clinically inclined to be a part of this. Many novel and newly-g

  • TMC027: Geriatrics with Dr Chris Karayiannis

    06/08/2017 Duración: 29min

    Dr Chris Karayiannis is a consultant geriatrician working in Melbourne. Originally from New Zealand, he was drawn to Australia in his resident year by its reputation for good working conditions, and has loved it ever since. Chris liked pretty much every specialty he encountered, but it was the diagnostic challenge that solidified his interest in geriatrics. Those with strong communication skills and who enjoy working with allied health should also consider this field. With the growing popularity of geriatrics, we discuss how to acquire experience and research in the field early on. Chris explains why a growing proportion of prospective doctors are not getting accepted on their first application. Nevertheless, for those accepted into the profession, a rewarding and varied lifestyle awaits. Geriatricians seem to be "generalists that are specialists", dealing with each system as well as the patient as a whole. Chris walks us through his typical day, including how he finds time to work on his PhD! He also offers

  • TMC026: Neurosurgery with Dr Leon Lai

    30/07/2017 Duración: 33min

    Dr Leon Lai is a neurosurgery consultant at Monash Health. Leon has always been a focused and driven doctor, never considering any specialty other than neurosurgery. His special interest lies in vascular neurosurgery, although this is somewhat in decline due to the advent of interventional cardiology. Nevertheless, as we are walked through his daily routine, we learn how intensely busy life as a neurosurgeon can be. This is a world where 3 hour operations are the norm, and the tiny margin for error can be the difference between improving someone's life and further complicating it. Leon gives us some advice as to learning the "rules of the game" that is entry into medical specialties. For him, this was taking a PhD and acquiring experience in his desired field early on, both key "tools" to his success. While medical grades as important, he believes the "currency is different" in the working field; in particular, he views two attributes as key to our future prosperity. Leon gives us his two cents as to why it

  • TMC025: Anaesthetics/MSF with Dr Chris Brasher

    23/07/2017 Duración: 31min

    Dr Chris Brasher is an anaesthetics consultant who has worked extensively for Medicines Sans Frontieres (MSF). He was inspired by the calmness of anaesthetists in "coping with" and "fixing" chaotic situations. After training as a junior doctor in Melbourne, Chris flew over to the UK to complete his training out of "fear of boredom", wanting to broaden his view of the world. This led to his involvement with MSF. Chris has worked mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa and extensively in war-torn Rwanda, after the genocide. He tells many fascinating stories about the colleagues and patients he met (no spoilers here!). This includes dealing with issues rarely seen in metropolitan Australia, such as gunshot trauma, malnutrition, and tropical diseases. He described how he was able to adapt to the vastly different working conditions and available resources. Dealing with the sudden death of patients, interpersonal conflicts with staff and fear of physical safety were everpresent difficulties on the 30 missions he undertook ov

  • TMC024: Ophthalmology with Dr Ahmed Hassan

    16/07/2017 Duración: 29min

    Dr Ahmed Hassan is an ophthalmologist working in Victoria. We begin our conversation today with how Ahmed stumbled into ophthalmology during his HMO 2 year in Bendigo (quite literally!). Having entered medicine with a background interest in fine arts and crafts, the skill of "bloodless" surgery appealed to Ahmed, who hasn't looked back since entering the field (no pun intended). Since that time, his work has taken him from Australia - predominantly in Wonthaggi but also in Alice Springs performing outpatient procedures - to Myanmar and Ethiopia. We learn about what other specialties aside from ophthalmology are useful for this doctors aiming to work internationally. Ahmed believes ophthalmology to be one of the most rewarding specialties. For example, we learn that cataract surgery ranks second in operations in terms of improvement in quality of life (number one will shock you!! #clickbait). It is this patient satisfaction that drives him to pursue his line of work. However, some aspects of the job, includin

  • TMC023: Infectious Diseases with Dr Jillian Lau

    09/07/2017 Duración: 33min

    Dr Jillian Lau is an Infectious Diseases registrar at Box Hill.  Throughout her junior doctor years, various specialties stood out to Jillian. Her enthusiasm for surgery and cardiology were dampened by the lifestyle sacrifices she would have to make, while the variety of ED was made too stressful with the introduction of the infamous "4 hour rule". We learn why the simple reason she chose to do an ID rotation in her residency led to her pursuing it as a career pathway, despite failing her first exam! Jillian touts the myriad "lifestyle" benefits of ID, including the lack of bedcards, emergencies, overtime and on-call work. Working mainly with other teams, she is able to both enjoy the benefits of liaising with a multidisciplinary team - ranging from podiatrists and pharmacists to allied health and nurses - while structuring her own day based on the priority level of her referrals. The specialty keeps her on her toes with the variety of patients encountered, most of which she is able to cure or restore qualit

  • TMC022: Orthopaedics with Dr Rabi Solaiman

    02/07/2017 Duración: 44min

    Dr Rabi Solaiman is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon working in metropolitan Melbourne. Initially drawn to cardiology and neurology, Dr Solaiman's experience in his ED rotation as an intern solidified his career outlook, where he contrasted the uncertain and "longitudinal" journey of medical patients with the "acute" issues and quick fixes offered to surgical patients. However, for those of us still uncertain of where our future lies, Rabi encourages us to consider a general year or taking some time off. Dr Solaiman's love for "instant gratification" has been fulfilled in his time as an orthopaedic surgeon. We discuss with him why the nature of operations satisfy both the patient and treating team, despite their difficulty and complexity. We also touch on the tougher aspects of public surgery: he extrapolates on the difficulty of operating on other doctors' patients, and losing your own to other consultants. In perhaps a topic of discussion not raised enough with medical students, he also gives us fantastic

  • TMC021: General Medicine with Dr Eugene Teh

    25/06/2017 Duración: 37min

    Dr Eugene Teh is a General Medicine consultant working in metropolitan Melbourne. Our discussion with him today centres around the growing and ever-changing role of the generalist, which is no longer a "specialty by default". Indeed, Dr Teh explains why the idea of dual specialties is becoming increasingly popular in his field. We chat with Eugene about the benefits of the "holistic" approach general medicine offers to doctors. This not only involves a breadth of systems but considerations of the patient, including psychological and social needs. We talk about the "challenge" of diagnosis, an aspect of the specialty he stresses students must enjoy. However, with an increasingly ageing population with multiple chronic illnesses, Eugene finds it difficult to "cure" his patients. Instead, he has learnt to manage them, a distinction we must keep in mind in order to prevent becoming disillusioned by or frustrated with our goals. As students, Eugene, like most, encourages us to "enjoy student life" while making s

  • TMC019: Endocrinology with Dr Eleanor Thong

    11/06/2017 Duración: 24min

    Dr Eleanor Thong is an endocrinology fellow at Monash Health. She settled upon endocrinology as a resident, where she gleaned satisfaction from the "direct results" she saw when treating patients. It was this "black and white" nature of the specialty that drew her towards it. Endocrinology seems to be a specialty filled with uncertainty and plenty of public health. While she thoroughly enjoys this aspect, she finds the complex patients difficult to piece together, an aspect of her job which keeps her on her toes! We talk about the variety of paths one can take as a doctor that don't involve metropolitan medicine. This includes degrees we can study - ranging from masters in public health to diplomas in tropical medicine - to research, taking time off after our intern or residency, and interstate/overseas placements. For instance, Eleanor details for us the indigenous clinics she is proud to be a part of in the Northern Territory. Eleanor fills in the gaps on what her daily routine involves in Melbourne and ho

  • TMC018: Radiology with Dr Sid Levy

    04/06/2017 Duración: 26min

    Dr Sid Levy is an advanced radiology and nuclear medicine trainee. He originally intended to be a surgeon, only changing his career pathway late in his training (during his PhD). However, while his career "took a hit" in making this choice, he explains to us why he does not regret his decision. Indeed, he encourages us all to make sure we are fully invested in the field we are pursuing when we discover what that is. For Sid, radiology offers a world of "changing technologies" and the opportunity to "branch out" into myriad subspecialties once established. The enviable work-life balance and novel technologies outweighed any doubts he had about the field. Sid's typical day involves a mix between performing and reporting on scans. He works with a variety of fields, from cardiology to neurology to his personal favourite in oncology. In this field, he is pioneering the use of PET scans in identifying and managing tumours. Indeed, Sid sees the future of radiology as involving much more nuclear medicine as our relia

  • TMC017: Psychiatry with Dr Jeffrey Kirwan

    28/05/2017 Duración: 40min

    Dr. Jeffrey Kirwan is a psychiatry consultant at Eastern Health who hails from a small town in New Zealand. His experience in rural hospitals, he feels, greatly accelerated his learning as a junior doctor. He explains when the best time to undertake a rural rotation is and the myriad benefits we can glean from it, as well as why some of the disadvantages regarding references and lack of support are overblown. As interns, he implores us to speak us should we feel like we're not being given enough clinical exposure.  We discuss with Jeffrey how a consultant persuaded him to switch from physician training to psychiatry, and why he has stayed in this specialty ever since. His typical week involves great variety, switching from inpatient, outpatient, and community work to interaction with the legal system and consultant liaising. Each of these are rewarding in their on right: he sees community visits, for example, as an "intrinsic" part of the service, and finds it "enlightening" and a privilege to step into some

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