Selection Criteria

General Information

Department of Anaesthesia

Duties of a Provisional Fellow (PF)

Selection Criteria

Applications should include a current CV with 3 referees and a letter addressing the following selection criteria.

Essential

1.       Primary medical degree registrable with the Medical Board of Western Australia.

2.      Successful completion of the FANZCA Final Fellowship Examination prior to proposed commencement date.

3.      Completion of BTY years 1 & 2 and ATY years 1 & 2 prior to proposed commencement date.

 Desirable

1.       Demonstrable interest in obstetric anaesthesia, acute pain management, research, teaching and/or quality improvement.

2.      Strong academic record.

3.      Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

4.      Ability to work as part of a team.

5.      Good time and stress management skills.

For more information, please contact Dr Katherine Shelley, Supervisor of Training on 9340 2222, page 3241 (Monday, Tuesday or Thursday) or via e-mail

Katherine.Shelley@health.wa.gov.au

 Applications to Dr K Shelley by email or mail by Friday  11^th July, 2008.

General Information

 King Edward Memorial Hospital was established in 1916 and is the major teaching hospital for Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Western Australia.  It also offers a statewide speciality service in Neonatal Paediatrics and Gynaecological Oncology.

 The hospital has 120 adult beds plus 60 neonatal intensive care beds. During 2007there were approximately 6,100 deliveries and 5,000 operations (including 2000 Caesarean sections and 500 major Gynaecological Oncology procedures).  Approximately 50% of women in labour are managed with epidural or combined spinal-epidural analgesia and 95% of Caesarean sections with regional block (epidural, combined spinal epidural and spinal anaesthesia).

 The hospital complex consists of several buildings dating from the turn of the century, plus a multistorey Ward, Theatre, Delivery Ward and Services block completed in 1979.  The Delivery Ward contains preparatory and observation rooms and fifteen individual birthing suites.  A Midwifery run Family Birth Centre is on site.  The Theatre area consists of four theatres and recovery room.  In addition, there is a six bed High Dependency Unit for both high risk Obstetric and Gynaecological patients.  A modern Day Care Facility with minor procedures theatre and capacity for 18 patients has been open for several years.  The hospital is dedicated to a wide range of other services related to Women's health and is situated on a four-hectare site five kilometres from central Perth and within 10 minutes of the beach.  It is close to the University of Western Australia and other Perth teaching hospitals.

Department of Anaesthesia

 The Department consists of a Head (full time, Dr Tim Pavy),  Staff Specialists (Drs Mike Paech , Jamie Salter, Suzanne Bertrand, Lloyd Green, Lukas Tan, Nolan McDonnell, Joel Butler, Steen Petersen, Kath Shelley, Tom Duffy, Roger Browning and Chris Cuerden), and is approved for a total of 8.0 FTEs.

 Specialists share a seven-day per week after hours on-call service.  There are 6 Registrars and 5 positions for a Provisional Fellow or similar (approved for training by the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists).  Four of these training positions (2 for each 6 month period of the year) are predominantly clinically orientated whilst the fifth is that of the Research Fellow.

 In addition, the Department trains visiting Medical Staff, including General Practitioner Anaesthetists from the Remote and Rural Medical and Family Medicine Programmes of the College of General Practitioners, and by arrangement with the Head, other Specialist and GP Anaesthetists. 

 The Department takes a major role in the provision of the following clinical services

            1          Analgesia in labour (a 24 hour seven day a week service)

            2          Anaesthesia for Obstetrics

            3          Anaesthesia for Gynaecological Oncology

            4          Anaesthesia for Gynaecology and Urology, including day-case surgery and minimally-invasive surgical procedures.

            5          Clinical Care within the Adult Special Care (High Dependency) Unit

            6          Preoperative assessment and consultation (outpatient clinic and inpatient consultative service; pre-admission clinic)

            7          Consultative antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum management of high risk obstetric patients

            8          Pain management, mainly acute postoperative, but also other acute and chronic pain.

 The Department is actively involved in teaching and training.  Anaesthetic training is accredited by the College of Anaesthetists. Dr Polly Booth is the Supervisor of Training.  There is an extensive commitment to teaching and continuing education, including 

            1          Medical Students having undergraduate teaching on rotation

            2          Theatre Anaesthetic Technicians and Recovery Room Nurses

            3          Midwives and Student Midwives    

            4          Junior Obstetric and Gynaecological staff

            5          Adult Special Care and general Ward Nurses

            6          Various other Nursing groups

            7          Outside groups on request

            8          Parent Education Classes

The Department is actively involved in clinical research and quality improvement activities.  This includes

            1          Monitoring and review of an obstetric and a gynaecological regional anaesthesia/analgesia database

            2          Clinical audits and clinical indicator monitoring

            3          Clinical research studies.

Since 1988 the Department has had almost 30 trials published, with several in progress currently.  Clinical research is supported by the Foundation for Women’s and Infant’s Health in addition to other sources.  Major research interests relate to labour analgesia, central regional techniques, acute pain management and postoperative care and consumer opinion.

The Department has a commitment to improving the quality of day care anaesthetic services ; acute pain services; high dependency - intensive care; and high risk perinatal medical services.  In addition to the hospital library, a Departmental library is well stocked with recent books and journals relevant to anaesthetic practice at this hospital. The research team share an office equipped with a PC and printer, the registrars share a PC in the departmental library.

Duties of a Provisional Fellow (PF)

 These will be similar to those described in the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Guidelines TE13 (2003) for a Provisional Fellow (post-Fellowship 5th year training position).

The Provisional Fellows /ATY 3 will be directly responsible to the Head of Department (Dr. Tim Pavy) and the hospital Supervisor of Training (Dr Katherine Shelley). The Clinical (Research) Fellow is also responsible to the Director of Research  (Prof Michael Paech).

 Clinical Duties

The PF has an opportunity to pursue clinical interests in obstetric analgesia and anaesthesia, central neuraxis block, day-care anaesthesia, acute pain management and perioperative care of major oncological surgery patients. Rostered clinical duties will involve all aspects of obstetric and gynaecological clinical care, both in normal and some (limited) after-hours rotations. The PF will be asked to supervise and provide informal teaching for routine surgical lists with a Registrar in training, and to conduct outpatient clinics.

 Rostering

The PF will work a 40-hour week over 4 days. Two days will be anaesthetising for elective operating lists, predominantly in a supervisory capacity or being supervised by a Consultant Anaesthetist. One day will be set aside for research. The fourth day will be an afternoon shift (1300-2300hrs) either in the emergency theatre or anaesthetising for an elective list. There is one designated day off per week.

The afternoon shift will be followed by an on-call (from home) shift, with primary responsibility for the on-site registrar. In accordance with College guidelines, a Consultant Anaesthetist will available in a second on-call capacity. The Fellow is not expected to work regular night or weekend shifts although these may be rostered periodically for example at junior registrar changeover. The PF may work additional after-hours shifts if they desire.

 Teaching

The Department is actively involved in teaching of student and post-graduate midwives, ward and theatre nurses, junior medical staff and medical students. This is in addition to informal teaching and the formal weekly tutorial for the Department and specifically, trainees.  An active journal club exists and attendance is encouraged.  The PF will be requested to make presentations at tutorials, Departmental clinical meetings, and some nursing and other courses.

 Research

The Department has an outstanding record for clinical research in areas such as obstetric analgesia and regional anaesthesia, postoperative pain management, consumer and patient surveys and opinion, and day-care anaesthesia.  An average of 6-8 peer-reviewed publications have been achieved per year recently.  The PF is thus readily able to assist with clinical research projects, and is strongly encouraged to arrive with detailed plans for an achievable personal project, should they be interested in this area. 

 Quality Improvement (QI) and Administration

The PF may be expected to play a role in the ongoing QI activities of the Department, which include monitoring of obstetric epidural and spinal complications and early postoperative problems.  Administrative duties are usually minimal. A detailed plan for the PF period can be made with the successful applicant in advance, by negotiation.