On The Wards: On The Pods Medical Podcast for Doctors

In this podcast, Abhi Pal chats to Elie Matar about his journey and insights on research and clinical medicine.

Summary Writer:  Laura Park

Script Writers:  Abhi Pal, Elie Matar

Editors:  Elie Matar, Evangelie Polyzos

Interviewer:  Abhi Pal

Interviewee:  Elie Matar

About Dr Elie Matar

Elie Matar is a Neurology Advanced Trainee and a NHMRC postgraduate scholar based in Sydney, Australia. He is a Clinical Lecturer with the University of Sydney and has a strong passion for medical education and clinical research. Having co-founded a hospital clinical redesign committee, Elie believes junior doctors have an important responsibility in pioneering innovation to improve the healthcare systems within which they work.

About Dr Abhi Pal

Abhi Pal is a Medical Oncology Staff Specialist at Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, Australia.  In his non-existent spare time he is completing a part time PhD through Sydney University in informed consent and clinical ethics during communication with patients with advanced cancer. He has a strong interest in drug development, clinical trials, communication and also in hospital culture, burnout and doctor welfare.

Jules Willcocks chats to Jessica Stokes-Parish about simulation, a growing area of medical education and training.

Summary Writer:  Lucy Coles

Script Writer:  Jessica Stokes-Parish, Jules Willcocks

Editor:  Jessica Stokes-Parish

Interviewer:  Jules Willcocks

Interviewee:  Jessica Stokes-Parish

About Assistant Professor Jessica Stokes-Parish

Jess is an ICU Registered Nurse and Assistant Professor of Clinical Practice at Bond University. She has worked as an educator in a variety of settings, and holds a PhD in Medical Education – where she explored authenticity in simulation. Jess has an interest in social media as a means of science communication and equity in healthcare. She’s also a co-producer of Simulcast – a podcast all about simulation.

About Dr Jules Willcocks

Jules Willcocks is an Emergency Medicine Consultant and the Director of Prevocational Education and Training at Gosford Hospital.

His interest is in bringing out the best in people principally through mentoring and coaching. He firmly believes that wellbeing is a crucial part of this and that you cannot look after someone to the best of your abilities if you yourself are not well.

He trained as an executive coach and has a particular interest in financial wellness for doctors.

He is married with two boys, which is why he’s not living a degenerate life in Las Vegas and loves playing poker and fine single malt Islay whisky.

In this podcast, Jules Willcocks chats to Kirsten McKenna about self-efficacy.

Summary Writer:  Alice Sun

Script Writers:  Kirsten McKenna, Jules Willcocks

Editor:  Kirsten McKenna

Interviewer:  Jules Willcocks

Interviewee:  Kirsten McKenna

About Kirsten McKenna

Kirsten is Founder and principal consultant of two purpose driven businesses - Cortex Consulting and Winefulness in Sydney, Australia. Kirsten focuses on igniting and cultivating curiosity within individuals, inspiring teams and engendering positive change in organisational cultures. As an accomplished leadership and performance coach, well-being expert & author of the book Lead Well: How to Show Up Consistently Well in Leadership and Life, Kirsten is passionate about human potential.

With degrees in psychology, education and physical and health education, Kirsten translates science into practical tools to help individuals, teams and organisations thrive. As a transformational coach, she supports others in sifting through the overwhelm in order to cultivate clarity, confidence and grit. A soccer-Mum, avid runner, triathlete, insatiable reader and yoga teacher, the free time that Kirsten does have is all about family, friends, fitness and personal growth.

About Dr Jules Willcocks

Jules Willcocks is an Emergency Medicine Consultant and the Director of Prevocational Education and Training at Gosford Hospital.

His interest is in bringing out the best in people principally through mentoring and coaching. He firmly believes that wellbeing is a crucial part of this and that you cannot look after someone to the best of your abilities if you yourself are not well.

He trained as an executive coach and has a particular interest in financial wellness for doctors.

He is married with two boys, which is why he’s not living a degenerate life in Las Vegas and loves playing poker and fine single malt Islay whisky.

Chris Elliot speaks to Karly Casamento about the unsettled infant. A crying baby is a common presentation to General Practice and Emergency Departments and can be very distressing for the parents. In this podcast, Karly and Chris chat about how to assess an unsettled infant. They talk about red flags and differential diagnoses, what is normal infant behaviour, when it's time to refer, and how to reassure parents.

Summary Writer:  Lucy Coles

Script Writer:  Karly Casamento

Editor:   Karly Casamento

Interviewer:  Chris Elliot

Interviewee:  Karly Casamento

About Dr Karly Casamento

Karly Casamento is an Advanced Trainee in General Paediatrics based out of Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick. She is passionate about anything to do with the health of babies and children and is committed to improving Junior Medical Officer education, mental health and wellbeing. Karly is currently undertaking a research project on virtual learning environments with the University of New South Wales. She dedicates most of her time to chasing around her two energetic young boys and trying to get them to bed on time.

About Dr Chris Elliot

Chris is a Consultant Paediatrician who works in a teaching hospital in Sydney and in private rooms. As well as clinical medicine he is enthusiastic about health communication and teaching. Chris is a Conjoint Lecturer for the University of New South Wales and writes the occasional article on child health for mainstream media. He also teaches Advanced Paediatric Life Support and sits on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. Chris completed his Internship at Bankstown Hospital and Paediatric training through the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network. On the days when he is not at work he enjoys playing with his children, and also when they play by themselves.

In this podcast, Becky Taylor and Blake Kesby discuss spinals and epidurals, what they are, what the difference is, and how to manage patients going into labour requesting an epidural. Becky and Blake discuss when you might encourage spinals and epidurals, considerations to keep in mind, anaesthetic contraindications, and risks. They also cover an approach to postdural puncture headache (PDPH).

Summary Writers:  Becky Taylor and Jane McDonnell

Script Writer:  Jane McDonnell

Editor:  Blake Kesby

Interviewer:  Becky Taylor

Interviewee:  Blake Kesby

About Dr Rebecca Taylor

Rebecca (Becky) Taylor is a 5th year O&G trainee. Originally hailing from the UK, she trained at the University of Edinburgh where she also completed her internship and residency, before moving to Australia. She undertook her basic O&G training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney and is currently undertaking a six-month fertility fellowship at Westmead Hospital. When Becky’s not knee-deep in amniotic fluid she is a keen swimmer and free diver, a terrible cook and married to an anaesthetist she met at a Cat One Caesarean.

About Dr Blake Kesby

Blake Kesby is a Consultant Anaesthetist at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia. He has a special interest in medical education, particularly simulation-based training. When he's not putting people to sleep he's a keen free diver, an excellent cook, and married to the O&G Reg who roped him into this podcast.

Join Tony Sloman, Sarah Dalton and Rita Holland in this podcast on coaching. Learn more about what coaching is, what to expect from a coaching session and how it's different from mentoring. You'll hear about why seeing a professional coach can be very beneficial to medical trainees.

Summary Writer:  Eloise Sobels

Script Writer:  Tony Sloman and Sarah Dalton

Editor:  Jules Willcocks

Interviewer:  Tony Sloman

Interviewees:  Sarah Dalton and Rita Holland

About Tony Sloman

Tony Sloman is the director of Passion and Purpose. P&P and Associates is a transformational learning organisation that has developed unique programs for over 15 years. Tony is a Lead Facilitator/Coach who designs and delivers most of the P&P programs. P&P techniques are underpinned by the P&P EMPOWER model and evidence-based practical application. P&P serve government, large to medium corporations, NFP and the medical sector. Through a successful collaboration with Dr Jules Willcocks, an Emergency Physician, they created and deliver a highly successful program across Australia that empowers medical practitioners to ‘show up’ when the pressure is on.

Tony studied at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London and is passionate about developing leaders and professionals that inspire change. Tony’s qualifications; Bachelor of Science (IT, psychology, philosophy), Diploma of Professional Acting, two graduate certificates in executive coaching, training & assessment. Tony enjoys ocean swimming throughout the year and time with family.

About Dr Sarah Dalton

Sarah Dalton is a Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead as well as Director of Clinical Engagement at eHealth NSW. Sarah is President for the Division of Paediatrics and Child Health at the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and holds a Masters in Applied Management in Health. Sarah has a long-standing interest in trainee development, and is a strong advocate for improving Quality and Safety in Healthcare. She has a particular interest in clinicians leading change and has completed a Fulbright Scholarship to evaluate Clinical Leadership Development Programs in the United States.

About Rita Holland

Rita is the founding Director of Capstan Partners, a company she started specifically to meet the coaching needs of doctors and healthcare professionals. Rita’s experience includes over 2,000 hours of coaching conversations with senior leaders and executives, with experience in individual and group coaching for wellbeing and resilience, leadership development, and organisational cultural alignment programs within and beyond the healthcare sector.

Her coach-specific training includes a Master of Applied Science in Coaching Psychology from Sydney University and she is a credentialed Professional Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation.

Feeding difficulties are a common problem in infants and can cause a lot of concern for new parents who often present to the Emergency Department or their GP for help. In this podcast, Karly Casamento and Chris Elliot discuss an approach to early evaluation and management of feeding difficulties as well as how to reassure new parents.

Summary Writer:  Lucy Coles

Script Writers:  Karly Casamento and Chris Elliot

Editor:  Chris Elliot

Interviewer:  Karly Casamento

Interviewee:  Chris Elliot

About Dr Chris Elliot

Chris is a Consultant Paediatrician who works in a teaching hospital in Sydney and in private rooms. As well as clinical medicine he is enthusiastic about health communication and teaching. Chris is a Conjoint Lecturer for the University of New South Wales and writes the occasional article on child health for mainstream media. He also teaches Advanced Paediatric Life Support and sits on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. Chris completed his Internship at Bankstown Hospital and Paediatric training through the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network. On the days when he is not at work he enjoys playing with his children, and also when they play by themselves.

About Dr Karly Casamento

Karly Casamento is an Advanced Trainee in General Paediatrics based out of Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick. She is passionate about anything to do with the health of babies and children and is committed to improving junior doctor education, mental health and wellbeing. She is currently undertaking a research project on virtual learning environments with the University of NSW. She dedicates most of her time to chasing around her two energetic young boys and trying to get them to bed on time.

Jules Willcocks interviews John Scott about the importance of wellbeing. They discuss wellbeing within the medical profession, how to identify burnout, as well as some methods junior doctors can utilise to thrive in the workplace.

Summary Writer:  Theoni Haralabopoulos

Script Writer:  Jules Willcocks

Editor:  Jules Willcocks

Interviewer:  Jules Willcocks

Interviewee:  John Scott

About Dr John Scott

John Scott is an Emergency Physician working on the central coast of New South Wales.

A naturally optimistic, outgoing and energetic person he was quite shocked to find himself burnt out and depressed at the end of his advanced training in Emergency Medicine. To overcome this unpleasant condition much research and soul searching has lead to John’s passion for mindfulness meditation, the field of positive psychology, the many benefits of regular exercise (crossfit and surfing) and other practices that lead to personal and institutional resilience, personal growth and movement towards our peak performance.

John runs a wellbeing program at Gosford Hospital Emergency Department and is currently undertaking a diploma in positive psychology and wellbeing.

About Dr Jules Willcocks

Jules Willcocks is an Emergency Medicine Consultant and the Director of Prevocational Education and Training at Gosford Hospital.

His interest is in bringing out the best in people principally through mentoring and coaching. He firmly believes that wellbeing is a crucial part of this and that you cannot look after someone to the best of your abilities if you yourself are not well.

He trained as an executive coach and has a particular interest in financial wellness for doctors.

He is married with two boys, which is why he’s not living a degenerate life in Las Vegas and loves playing poker and fine single malt Islay whisky.

Sarah Dalton speaks to Tony Sloman and Jules Willcocks about techniques and strategies for high performance under pressure and for exams. Doctors are bound to face stressful and anxiety-inducing situations, whether it's preparing for exams, going for job interviews or situations on the wards. In this podcast, you'll learn more about a long-term approach to practice techniques for high performance under pressure so that they will eventually become hard-wired and automatic.

Summary Writer:  Peter Hoppett

Script Writers: Sarah Dalton, Tony Sloman and Jules Willcocks

Editor:  Jules Willcocks

Interviewer:  Sarah Dalton

Interviewees:  Tony Sloman and Jules Willcocks

About Tony Sloman

Tony Sloman is the director of Passion and Purpose. Passion & Purpose (P&P) and Associates is a transformational learning organisation that has developed unique programs for over 15 years. Tony is a Lead Facilitator and Coach who designs and delivers most of the P&P programs. P&P techniques are underpinned by the P&P EMPOWER model and evidence-based practical application. P&P serve government, large to medium corporations, NFP and the medical sector. Through a successful collaboration with Dr Jules Willcocks, an emergency physician, they created and deliver a highly successful program across Australia that empowers medical practitioners to ‘show up’ when the pressure is on.

Tony studied at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London and is passionate about developing leaders and professionals that inspire change. Tony’s qualifications; Bachelor of Science (IT, psychology, philosophy), Diploma of Professional Acting, 2 graduate certificates in executive coaching, training & assessment. Tony enjoys ocean swimming throughout the year and time with family.

About Dr Jules Willcocks

Jules Willcocks is an ED consultant and the Director of Prevocational Education and Training at Gosford Hospital.

His interest is in bringing out the best in people principally through mentoring and coaching. He firmly believes that wellbeing is a crucial part of this and that you cannot look after someone to the best of your abilities if you yourself are not well.

He trained as an executive coach and has a particular interest in financial wellness for doctors.

He is married with 2 boys, which is why he’s not living a degenerate life in Las Vegas and loves playing poker and fine single malt Islay whisky.

About Dr Sarah Dalton

Sarah Dalton is a Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead as well as Director of Clinical Engagement for eHealth NSW and Medical Advisor for Capstan Partners. Sarah holds a Masters in Applied Management in Health. She has a long-standing interest in trainee development, and is a strong advocate for improving Quality and Safety in Healthcare. She has a particular interest in clinicians leading change and has completed a Fulbright Scholarship to evaluate Clinical Leadership Development Programs in the United States.

John Scott talks to Jules Willcocks about financial wellness for doctors. Good financial health includes having a plan in place for investments and passive income to support your passions outside of work. John and Jules also discuss the importance of income protection, life insurance and cover different investment categories you may want to consider.

Summary Writer:  Peter Hoppett

Script Writers:  Jules Willcocks and John Scott

Editor:  Jules Willcocks

Interviewer:  John Scott

Interviewee:  Jules Willcocks

About Dr Jules Willcocks

Jules Willcocks is an ED consultant and the Director of Prevocational Education and Training at Gosford Hospital.

His interest is in bringing out the best in people principally through mentoring and coaching. He firmly believes that wellbeing is a crucial part of this and that you cannot look after someone to the best of your abilities if you yourself are not well.

He trained as an executive coach and has a particular interest in financial wellness for doctors.

He is married with 2 boys, which is why he’s not living a degenerate life in Las Vegas and loves playing poker and fine single malt Islay whisky.

About Dr John Scott

John Scott is an emergency physician working on the central coast of NSW.

A naturally optimistic, outgoing and energetic person he was quite shocked to find himself burnt out and depressed at the end of his advanced training in emergency medicine. To overcome this unpleasant condition much research and soul searching has lead to John’s passion for mindfulness meditation, the field of positive psychology, the many benefits of regular exercise (Crossfit and surfing) and other practices that lead to personal and institutional resilience, personal growth and movement towards our peak performance.

John runs a wellbeing program at Gosford Hospital Emergency Department and is currently undertaking a diploma in positive psychology and wellbeing.