In the latest episode of the CCIM Podcast, host Elise Putt sits down with Dr Richie Austerberry to explore his unique journey from a musical background to the field of medicine and ultimately to his role as a pioneer in healthcare technology. Richie shares his experiences that led him away from a career in music and into the halls of medical school, where he found a passion for neurosurgery, only to later realise that his true calling lay elsewhere.

Richie reflects on the pivotal moment when he decided not to continue his pursuit of neurosurgery, which opened the door for his exploration into the world of urgent care. This transition was the catalyst for his interest in coding and the conception of Night Doctor, a service that underwent a rigorous ten-month planning period before its launch in 2016. He delves into the creation of Night Doctor's web application, developed using Ruby on Rails to ensure a mobile-first approach and compatibility with various devices, emphasising the strategic benefits of cloud-based applications in healthcare such as portability, cost efficiency, and convenience.

Richie highlights the broadening of his team's vision to extend their design principles across various healthcare specialties, fostering an inclusive approach to healthcare innovation. At the heart of Airclinix, the health tech startup where Richie serves as co-founder and CEO, lies a commitment to practitioner collaboration in the development of practice management systems that are both principled and practitioner-involved.

Also sharing some intimate insights into his personal life, discussing his passion for language learning, especially Chinese, which has become a therapeutic hobby providing him with balance and control. Despite facing regulatory hurdles that affected Knight Doctor and Perth Home GP, Richie's dedication to improving patient experiences through advanced software remains steadfast.

Delving into the future of healthcare, with predictions about automation's role in enhancing efficiency and making healthcare provision more rewarding for professionals. Richie encourages listeners to follow careers that genuinely satisfy them, using his own experience of leaving clinical practice to focus on technology as an illustration of finding fulfilment in one’s work.

Join host Elise Putt as she unpacks these topics and more on this enlightening instalment of the CCIM Podcast, which offers a glimpse into the evolving landscape of healthcare and the potential impacts of technology on medical practice.

To get more CCIM, subscribe so you never miss an episode, join our Facebook community and subscribe to our newsletter!

Creative Careers in Medicine

CCIM on Facebook

The CCIM Podcast is a proud member of the Talking HealthTech Podcast Network - the premier audio destination for cutting-edge insights and thought leadership in healthcare delivery, innovation, digital health, healthcare ICT, and commercialisation. Learn more at Talking HealthTech