Intensive Care
Experience unique and complex medicine in the Northern Territory
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Central Australia
Alice Springs Hospital is home to a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) treating more than 600 patients per year, and is approved for 6 months of accredited training by all colleges.
Seventy per cent of the patients are Aboriginal with complex undifferentiated pathology, including highs rate of sepsis, renal disease, diabetes, rheumatic and ischaemic heart disease, bronchiectasis, and alcohol misuse. Ninety per cent of admissions are emergent with little post-operative elective work.
With the complex emergency undifferentiated medical case load it is a great learning environment for medical trainees in emergency and intensive care.
As there are few specialist services in the hospital it allows trainees to develop problem solving skills, aided by telephone assistance from specialists, and exposure to a greater number of technical skills than would normally only be covered in larger hospital intensive care units.
The size of the unit allows a strong relationship to be developed between trainee and consultant, with ample bedside and formal teaching opportunities. Registrar terms are generally 6 months, and the unit is accredited to host an intensive care transitional year fellow for those who require this to complete their ICU training.
A 3 month rotation is available for PGY2/3 residents.
Top End
Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) has the only Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the Top End of the Northern Territory. It services a population of 180,000 in an area of more than 500,000 square kilometres with 6,200 kilometres of coastline, from East Arnhem to the Kimberley. RDH is the forward receiving hospital for Northern Australia and plays a major role in disaster management in the region through the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre.
RDH ICU is a mixed Adult/Paediatric Level 3 ICU with 18 beds. In addition to Paediatrics, the case mix includes sepsis, trauma, and neurosurgery. There are 1,200 admissions annually.
The ICU department employs:
- 8 ICU specialists
- 1 ICU Fellows
- 7 ICU Registrars
- 5 ICU RMOs.
Indigenous Australians are one third of the population of the Top End but represent more than 50 per cent of the intensive care patients. Many Indigenous patients come from remote communities. There is a strong emphasis placed on cultural sensitivity in the ICU.
RDH ICU is accredited for general, paediatric (AP12), neurosurgery and trauma training in the new College of Intensive Care Medicine (CICM) curriculum. In addition CICM has recently accredited RDH ICU for a Transition Fellow position.
RDH ICU has cardiac echo qualified ICU specialists on staff, including CICM qualified assessors. The ICU runs an echo training program for registrars and the ability to provide support for higher ultrasound qualifications.
The unit is accredited for 12 months advanced training in the pre-2014 curriculum (C12).
We are an active member of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) Clinical Trials Group with a full time research coordinator and an active research program.
The Royal Darwin Hospital offers an RMO pathway to critical care training. This will generally be available to those who have demonstrated an extended service commitment greater than 12 months.
The registrar role is suitable for PGY 3-4 College of Intensive Care Medicine, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists or Australasian College of Emergency Medicine trainees. It provides the opportunity to complete up to 12 months as ICU registrar and up to 12 months acute general medicine.
One hundred percent of candidates who have sat the CICM primary while at RDH have passed.
Successful candidates will have the opportunity to apply for 12 months anaesthesia training. Trainees may also consider CareFlight Registrar options.
Accredited training positions:
- Registrar
Prevocational doctor placements:
- RMO – 5 positions (average 13 week rotation).
We have trainees rotating from ICU, ED, and RMOs from the Critical Care and Rural Generalist streams.
Entry requirements
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Exams/Assessments | Exam:
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Accredited training | RDPH is accredited to provide:
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Unaccredited positions |
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RDH ICU registrar applicants will need to fulfil the following criteria:
- PGY 3 to 4 or above
- ICU experience of 3 to 6 months
- Airway experience
- College membership
Exam Progress:
- For ICU trainees evidence of progress towards the CICM primary.
- For ACEM registrars success at college primary. ACEM trainees not enrolled in CICM should apply through RDH Emergency Department (ED) in the first instance.
- A mixture of other experiences in acute medicine/ED/paediatrics or remote medicine are also useful for potential ICU registrar applicants.
Courses such as ALS, APLS, EMST, and BASIC are good preparation for an ICU registrar post.
Why work with us
Aly Knell
Rural Generalist / Specialist Anaesthetist
Fiona
Specialist Anaesthetist
Royal Darwin and Palmerston Hospitals
Get in touch
Central Australia
Dr Paul Secombe, MedicalRecruitmentASH@nt.gov.au.
Top End
Director of ICU training, SurgicalRecruitment.THS@nt.gov.au.