Anaesthetics @ Western Health

Western Health includes Western, Sunshine and Williamstown Hospitals and does over 25,000 operations in 14 operating rooms and over 3,500 deliveries a year. All surgical specialties are represented except Cardiac. Western Health does a significant amount of Paediatric Surgery with over 1300 cases per year involving patients who are less than 10 years of age. The department has 21 Consultant staff, 15 VMOs, 21 Registrars and 2 HMOs working in Anaesthesia at any given time across the 3 sites.

Special interests include:

• Pain Medicine with 6 pain specialists, 2 pain nurses, an acute and chronic pain service and several outpatient clinics and block lists per week
• Cardio-Pulmonary eXercise (CPX) testing
• Regional Anaesthesia and the use of ultrasound
• Medical education

The department provides well-developed supervision, a primary and final exam tutorial program and conducts research, audit, mortality and morbidity meetings and journal club. There is ample opportunity for trainees to complete their formal projects.

Before you start each rotation you will be contacted to find out your specific needs in terms of exam preparation, module requirements etc. On starting you will be orientated to the department and the department to you. You will meet with the Supervisor of Training at the start, after 3 months and at the end of your rotation. Training at Western Health also involves: a "Beyond Level One Supervision" program, a "Constructive Performance Feedback" system at the end of operating lists, an Epidural Training and Competency package and a Mentor program.

The Western Health Service is accredited for 2 years of Anaesthetics experience and 4 years in total within Western Health. The Western Health Anaesthetic Training Scheme (rotations outlined below) currently appoints 2 new trainees per year. All modules and therefore all training can be completed within the scheme.

• BTY1 9/12 Anaesthesia, 3/12 ICU Western Health
• BTY2 6/12 Anaesthesia Western Health 6/12 Anaesthesia Goulburn Valley Base
• ATY1 Obstetric and Paediatric Training Scheme
• ATY2 Royal Melbourne Hospital
• ATY3 Provisional Fellowship Year

Other Anaesthetic registrar positions at Western Health rotate from the following training schemes:

• Royal Melbourne/Western/Ballarat/Albury
• Austin/Northern/Western/Bendigo
• OPATS Obstetric and Paediatric Anaesthesia training scheme
• Western Health Emergency Department
• Western Health Intensive Care

Further information can be obtained from Dr Richard Horton e-mail: richard.horton@wh.org.au or Dr Mark Adams email: mark.adams@wh.org.au