After a year in locum tenens assignments in New Zealand—hers in family medicine in Otautau, his in psychiatry in Invercargill—Kimball Chen and Amy Mullen have scoped out the highlights of what they call the sweetest place on the planet. From the best half-day hike to optimal weather conditions for a helicopter glacier tour to glow-worms dangling from the walls of a cave, they have made the most of their work and play time. And through the
Image courtesy of Red Floor Pictures
LIVING IN EMERGENCY: TRUE STORIES FROM DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS made its premier August 29th at the Venice International Film Festival. The film received a 10-minute standing ovation and very positive press attention. VISTA Staffing Solutions has had the opportunity to support this film throughout its production. It has been an intense process—and it is very gratifying to see such a great final product.
VISTA is co-sponsoring a screening of the
Waiting
Waiting for!
Labyrinths of desert landscape
Where owls hoot from dusk to dawn
The hope of the lily go gay in the wind
Sprawling to fate of death and dry
When mortals shuffle in hunger pangs
In search of fruit from chlorophyll
Waiting for!
Night awake in search of dawn
When the cock crows
To the time voyage of time
When the new born wails
To a welcome into pains
For the earth is all blurred and gloom
To lavish expectations of darkness and night
Waiting for!
The rays of hope eternity
When
Note: This is the seventh installment in a seven-part series Brian Doyle prepared to help colleagues make the most of an emergency medicine rotation Down Under. Click here to download the entire document.
Part VII:
Snakes, spiders, shark bites, manta rays, killer jellyfish!!
A lot is made in the American press about the dangerous animals in Australia. The reality is that the Australians are more fearful of the animals in the USA (killer bears and moose that
Note: This is the sixth installment in a seven-part series Brian Doyle prepared to help colleagues make the most of an emergency medicine rotation Down Under. Click here to download the entire document.
Part VI:
Utilization of technology
Australians tend to rely more upon the clinical exam rather than advanced imaging. I have yet to see anyone in the Emergency Department order a CT scan to rule out appendicitis except after they have been seen by the surgeon.
Note: This is the fifth installment in a seven-part series Brian Doyle prepared to help colleagues make the most of an emergency medicine rotation Down Under. Click here to download the entire document.
Part V:
Advanced Training in Emergency Medicine
In Australia, medical school is for six years commencing after high school.
After this, they do basic training for two years; an internship year and then at least one more year before they can apply to the Australasian
Note: This is the fourth installment in a seven-part series Brian Doyle prepared to help colleagues make the most of an emergency medicine rotation Down Under. Click here to download the entire document.
Part IV:
Rationalization of resources
The public seem to understand that the public system has limited resources and is “willing” to be inconvenienced at times. This is likely one of the cultural aspects that allows the public health system to function without becoming bankrupt.
Note: This is the third installment in a seven-part series Brian Doyle prepared to help colleagues make the most of an emergency medicine rotation Down Under. Click here to download the entire document.
Part III:
Relaxed Working Environment
Australians do not define themselves by their work. In general they do not look up to or emulate the worker who puts in a lot of extra time or hours. They think of this person as a bit misguided.
Note: This is the second installment in a seven-part series Brian Doyle prepared to help colleagues make the most of an emergency medicine rotation Down Under. Click here to download the entire document.
Part II:
Free Emergency Department Care
In general, the government provides free health care to all of its citizens… i.e., nationalized health care. There are some private hospitals in Australia and people can purchase private “health cover,” but most people go through the “public” system.
Note: This is the first installment in a seven-part series Brian Doyle prepared to help colleagues make the most of an emergency medicine rotation Down Under. Click here to download the entire document.
Part I:
There are many potential differences US trained Emergency Physicians encounter when adjusting to the Australian Emergency Department. The following are my biased observations… People may disagree with what I have written. I hope you find this helpful.
Since this paper is
