Health Career Pathways
How I became an Emergency Physician
with Dr Kim Hansen
Dr Kim Hansen was initially attracted to emergency medicine because of its dynamic and chaotic environment. She enjoyed organising the chaos of the emergency department and working with a variety of patients, from newborn babies to centenarians. Dr Hansen found it fulfilling to help people get better or provide them with assistance and guidance when they couldn’t be cured. The unpredictability of the work was also part of the appeal, and she dedicated herself to developing the skills required to be a good emergency doctor.
To prepare for this role, the Dr Hansen worked in various specialties, including intensive care, paediatrics, anaesthesiology, general medicine, and infectious diseases. She also served as a board member and Chair for the Emergency Medicine Foundation and contributed to the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine in numerous ways, such as advancing women in emergency medicine and promoting patient safety and quality.
Dr Hansen acknowledges that emergency medicine can be a challenging field, as it involves shift work and can be emotionally taxing. However, she remains passionate about what she does to continue to contribute to her department, hospital, and the broader field of emergency medicine. Dr Hansen encourages medical students and junior doctors who enjoy working in a fast-paced, unpredictable environment to consider emergency medicine as a career.
Reflecting on her experience and career pathway, emergency medicine offers a broad range of opportunities, from working in a hospital emergency department to pre-hospital care, retrieval coordination, virtual healthcare, and other specialties such as intensive care, palliative care, or sports medicine. Dr Hansen sees emergency physicians as a cohesive group who support each other and enjoy each other’s company, and the field offers great mobility and work-life balance.
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Streamlining and centralising training for gastroenterologists
Dr Amit Saha is a Paediatric Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist and trained paediatric endoscopist based in Perth. He underwent his higher specialist training in Paediatrics within the NHS in the UK, and sub-specialised in Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology & Nutrition at busy and prestigious centres in London including The Kings College Hospital.
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Foundation outlines breast cancer research strategy
Australian Health Journal met with Associate Professor Cleola Anderiesz, CEO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation to hear of the new 5 year Pink Horizon research strategy. Those with lived experience of breast cancer, along with researchers, clinicians, and other funding organisations, have contributed to the development of the foundation’s new five-year Pink Horizon research strategy. This ambitious plan aims to invest $125 million to accelerate research efforts towards the vision of ending deaths from breast cancer.
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Unleashing the potential of Paramedic skills and knowledge
According to a prominent paramedicine academic and researcher, paramedics have the potential to provide much-needed care in the community, changing the traditional healthcare model. Research points to paramedics having a wider healthcare workforce impact based on their ability to identify and fix problems 24/7.
Dr. Brendan Shannon is Head of Postgraduate Programs in the Department of Paramedicine at Monash University and a member of The Australasian College of Paramedicine. His interests including refining healthcare models, to ensure underserved communities receive requisite care. These alternative care pathways, like outreach programs, can work out of hospitals to provide care in underserved communities with social and complex chronic conditions.
