Episodes
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Mastering Intensive Care is back after a long hiatus between episodes, and a fun divergence into a series about at athletic adventure.
This episode features Dr Andrew Holt, a highly experienced intensivist at Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide, who was one of the mentors who significantly shaped my career.
You’ll discover why Andrew was pivotal in my journey, what he sees as the key aspects of a good intensivist, what he has done in coaching and supporting trainees, how he was nearly waylaid by an early career mishap, and what's been profoundly challenging him in recent years.
This conversation is personal, candid, sombre and essential listening - even if it has taken me longer to publish than I would have liked.
I’m grateful to Andrew for courageously and vulnerably sharing his recent difficulties in amongst some valuable lessons and wisdom.
Thank you for listening to Dr Andrew Holt.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to the Intensive Care bedside, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
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Relevant links
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care at Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on X (Twitter): @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
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Thank you for listening to the ninth and final episode of the Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta series.
If you’ve listened to the series, you’ll know my friend Ed Litton and I entered a four-day stage trail running event, the Run Larapinta Stage Race, and ran, climbed, descended, scrambled and walked with 200 other enthusiastic participants along a mountainous and rugged trail in the spectacular red centre of Australia.
Ed and I thought these conversations on the podcast might help others in setting and completing endurance exercise challenges, something we both prioritise in supporting our well-being to keep bringing our best selves to work in the ICU.
In this episode, we thought we’d record a final episode to reflect on how we have recovered, what the whole experience meant, what we learned from the challenge and what might be next for each of us?
Thank you for listening.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to the Intensive Care bedside, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
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Relevant links
Image Credit: James Tudor from Forktail
Ed Litton on Twitter: @ed_litton
Ed Litton at University of Western Australia
Ed Litton on Strava
Andrew Davies on Strava
Run Larapinta Stage Race
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 40 with Ed Litton
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 1
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 2
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 3
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 4
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 5
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 6
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 7
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 8
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care page on Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
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Missing episodes?
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This is the 8th episode of the "Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta" series and if you’ve been listening to the previous ones, you’ll know that this episode is coming out after the four day stage race that fellow intensivist Ed Litton and I set ourselves the challenge of running many months ago.
Two Intensive Care doctors, both novices at trail running, looking for something moderately hard, something we could do together, and something we could talk about on the show to hopefully inspire you and other listeners to go for a run or to set yourself your own exercise challenge.
We’ve had regular conversations in the lead up to the event, held from August 24th-27th, on the spectacular Larapinta trail, near Alice Springs in the red centre of Australia, and now it’s time to tell you how it all played out.
Did we make it? Were there obstacles? How hard was it? And did it measure up to our expectations?
Thanks for listening.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to the Intensive Care bedside, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
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Relevant links
Image Credit: James Tudor from Forktail
Ed Litton on Twitter: @ed_litton
Ed Litton at University of Western Australia
Ed Litton on Strava
Andrew Davies on Strava
Run Larapinta Stage Race
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 40 with Ed Litton
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 1
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 2
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 3
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 4
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 5
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 6
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 7
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care page on Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
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Fellow intensivist Ed Litton and I signed up for a big challenge 10 months ago when we registered to run in the Run Larapinta, a 4-day stage race in central Australia. We’ve both completed many endurance events, however neither of us have done any serious trail running nor have we ever run 130km in 4 days on a rocky and mountainous trail like the beautiful Larapinta trail in the Northern Territory of Australia.
It’s now only a week away so Ed and I had a conversation to update each other on our recent training before answering 5 questions we thought were worth asking each other at this final stage of our preparations.
What’s worked well in our preparations? What’s not worked well in our preparations? What’s the focus of the remaining time? What have we learned from taking on this challenge? What is exciting us about the upcoming challenge?We hope you’ll enjoy listening to the conversation, and that it might inspire you to get out for a run or for any type of exercise that suits you.
Thanks for listening.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to the Intensive Care bedside, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
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Relevant links
Ed Litton on Twitter: @ed_litton
Ed Litton at University of Western Australia
Ed Litton on Strava
Andrew Davies on Strava
Run Larapinta Stage Race
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 40 with Ed Litton
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 1
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 2
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 3
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 4
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 5
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 6
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care page on Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
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To help Ed Litton and I get really prepared for the Run Larapinta stage race we are only a few weeks away from competing in, today we bring a seasoned ultra trail running doctor on to the podcast to share her advice.
In this sixth episode of the Mastering Intensive Challenges series, we welcome Dr Cheryl Martin, who is an Emergency Medicine specialist, a podcaster and has huge experience in trail running, including ultra marathons.
Cheryl’s podcast, the Mind Full Medic podcast, explores health, wellbeing, optimal performance and professional fulfilment, with a focus on doctors and healthcare. I love listening to it, and the best bit for me is that Cheryl has interviewed a bunch of endurance athletes including several high performing ultra runners.
Today we thought we’d ask Cheryl lots of questions about our training and our preparations including heat adaptation, nutrition, footwear and other aspects that will hopefully help us to complete this event successfully.
We hope you’ll enjoy listening to the conversation, especially if you are a trail runner yourself. If not, hopefully it might inspire you to get out for a run or for any type of exercise that suits you.
Thanks for listening.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to the Intensive Care bedside, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing
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Relevant links
Dr Cheryl Martin on LinkedIn
Cheryl Martin on Twitter: @mindfullmedic
Cheryl Martin on Instagram: @themindfullmedicpodcast
Cheryl Martin on Strava
The Mind Full Medic podcast
The Mind Full Medic podcast - Episode with Dr Kellie Angel
Ed Litton on Twitter: @ed_litton
Ed Litton at University of Western Australia
Ed Litton on Strava
Andrew Davies on Strava
Run Larapinta Stage Race
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 40 with Ed Litton
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 1
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 2
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 3
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 4
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 5
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care page on Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
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This is the fifth episode in the Mastering Intensive Care - Run Larapinta series. Ed Litton and I are back on opposite sides of Australia, and neither of us has had the perfect three weeks since we last chatted.
There are now less than seven weeks until the event starts, so we chat about our training, then swing over to what we are each thinking about the logistical challenges we will be presented with.
We hope you’ll enjoy listening to the conversation, even if you prefer the couch to your running shoes. If we can inspire you to get out for some exercise, that would be even better.
Thanks for listening.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to the Intensive Care bedside, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
--------------------Relevant links
Ed Litton on Twitter: @ed_litton
Ed Litton at University of Western Australia
Ed Litton on Strava
Andrew Davies on Strava
Run Larapinta Stage Race
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 40 with Ed Litton
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Run Larapinta - Episode 1
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Run Larapinta - Episode 2
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Run Larapinta - Episode 3
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Run Larapinta - Episode 4
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care page on Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
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Here is another episode in the Mastering Intensive Care - Run Larapinta series. For this one, I travelled to Perth to meet with my Run Larapinta co-participant Ed Litton and to head out for a few runs together over a three day weekend.
We also set up the microphones to update each other with our preparations and to discuss our perspectives on the social aspects of exercise, mainly endurance sport. We talked about group training, family support, and even using the social media platform Strava to share inspiration.
We hope you’ll enjoy listening to the conversation, whatever exercise you choose to do.
Thanks for listening.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to the Intensive Care bedside, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
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Relevant links
Ed Litton on Twitter: @ed_litton
Ed Litton at University of Western Australia
Ed Litton on Strava
Andrew Davies on Strava
Run Larapinta Stage Race
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 40 with Ed Litton
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Run Larapinta - Episode 1
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Run Larapinta - Episode 2
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Run Larapinta - Episode 3
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care page on Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
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This is a follow on episode as Ed Litton and I continue our discussion about the Run Larapinta Stage Race we will be participating in soon.
Ed and I tell each other how our running training is going. Then we talk about our general views on nutrition and sleep, especially as we lead into a multi-day endurance event.
One of us has picked up a little niggle. And each of us has a different approach to what we consume during long runs.
It might not be what we talk about on regular episodes of Mastering Intensive Care but we hope you’ll enjoy listening to the conversation, whether you run, walk, cycle, hike, workout in the gym, or do whatever is your style of physical activity.
Thanks for listening.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to the Intensive Care bedside, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
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Relevant links
Book “Community" (by Hetty McKinnon)
Book “Eat & Run” (by Scott Jurek)
Rich Roll podcast
Ed Litton on Twitter: @ed_litton
Ed Litton at University of Western Australia
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 40 with Ed Litton
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Run Larapinta - Episode 1
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Run Larapinta - Episode 2
Run Larapinta Stage Race
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care page on Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
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This episode features the wise perspectives of an Advanced Trainee in Intensive Care Medicine, Dr William Bonavia.
The discussion covers:
Why he chose medicine and Intensive Care His training journey and his learning strategy What makes a good ward round Learning from colleagues The principles of good communication and collaboration The value of work being fun Making mistakes Dealing with the pressures of the job His thoughts on sleep, exercise, resilience and burnout Gender inequity in training The future of his career Tips for fellow traineesWill Bonavia is an Intensive Care Trainee at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne and has previously worked at Peninsula Health ICU. He has an interest in teaching, having previously played a role in tutorial, simulation and workshop environments, as well as coordinating a training program for ICU trainees sitting the CICM first part examination. He is also interested in staff welfare and has worked as a trainee representative within his intensive care department at Peninsula Health.
Will has an interest in the long term outcomes of ICU patients and has published research in the area of delirium prediction models. He is currently working on research in the area of persistent critical illness and long term outcomes of critically ill ICU patients with COVID-19. Outside of work, Will enjoys a rotating roster of hobbies but is currently an avid squash enthusiast.
Will has a highly compassionate and careful communication-focused approach. Whether you are a trainee, a fully fledged consultant or someone else involved in the practice of Intensive Care, I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dr Will Bonavia.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to the Intensive Care bedside, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
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Relevant links
Life In The Fast Lane
Book “One Billion Years to the End of the World” (by Arkady Strugatsky & Boris Strugatsky)
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care at Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
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In this second of a different style episode, Ed Litton and I continue our discussion about the Run Larapinta Stage Race we will be embarking on in August 2023.
Ed and I talk about our preparation and then tell each other why we run, and what we get out of it.
Ed is a multi-sport endurance athlete whose reasons for getting out in nature are deep and truly inspiring.
We hope you’ll enjoy hearing this conversation, whether you run, walk, cycle, hike, work out in the gym, or do whatever is your style of physical activity.
Thanks for listening.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to the Intensive Care bedside, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
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Relevant links
Ed Litton on Twitter: @ed_litton
Ed Litton at University of Western Australia
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 40 with Ed Litton
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Run Larapinta - Episode 1
Run Larapinta Stage Race
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care page on Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
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This episode features the memories, experiences and wisdom of Dr Lindsay ‘Tub’ Worthley, AM.
The discussion covers the following:
Tub’s training to become an intensivist when no specific training existed His experience at a time when Australian ICUs were in their infancy The difference between the beginning and the end of his clinical career His eventual transition to retirement His writing of textbooks, scientific papers, editorials and a memoir What he learned about humanity in the ICU Working and communicating with various team members Enthusiastic leadership and the importance of a smooth-running team How he maintained his wellbeing His potential concern for the future of intensive care Some long-lasting career adviceTub worked as an intensive care medical specialist at the Royal Adelaide hospital ICU between 1971 and 1991, before moving to the Flinders Medical Centre ICU, where he worked until 2007. He retired from active clinical intensive care practice in 2009 although his legacy remains through his prolific writing (of scientific papers, editorials and books).
Tub has been a passionate and highly respected postgraduate teacher in intensive care medicine, establishing and running the Adelaide Short Course on Intensive Care Medicine (known colloquially as “Tub’s course) from 1983 – 2005. The course continues today and is now known as the South Australian CICM Fellowship Exam Course.
He created the journal “Critical Care and Resuscitation” and was the inaugural Editor-In-Chief for 6 years. He has also served as President of ANZICS, as an examiner for several Colleges and as a convener of many conferences.
Tub is married to Janice and has 3 sons and 8 grandchildren, all of who he loves dearly. In 2010 he was appointed as a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for “Service to medical education, particularly in the area of intensive care medicine, as a clinician, mentor and educator, and through contributions to professional associations”.
His books are:
- Worthley LIG. Synopsis of Intensive Care Medicine. London: Churchill Livingstone, 1994.
- Worthley LIG. Handbook of Emergency Laboratory Tests. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1996.
- Worthley LIG. Clinical examination of the critically ill patient, 3rd Ed. Melbourne: The Australasian Academy of Critical Care Medicine, 2006.
- Worthley LIG. Inside God’s shed: memoirs of an intensive care specialist. Adelaide: JANDL Holdings Pty Ltd, 2014.Most importantly, Tub was one of the consultants responsible for my training, so this episode is a big thrill for me.
Thanks for listening to a true colossus of intensive care, Dr Tub Worthley.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to the Intensive Care bedside, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
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Relevant links
"Tub's Course"
Book “Inside God's shed: memoirs of an intensive care specialist" (by Lindsay Worthley)
Journal “Critical Care and Resuscitation”
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care page on Life In The Fast Lane
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 5 with Jamie Cooper
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
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We are trying something different on Mastering Intensive Care.
My friend and fellow intensivist Ed Litton has cajoled me into joining him in a running event.
We will be running the Run Larapinta Stage Race in August 2023.
In this episode, we commence a mini-series discussing our lead up to the event.
Ed and I have different backgrounds as amateur endurance event participants, and in this episode, you’ll hear some of Ed’s endurance accomplishments, what the Run Larapinta event involves, and what we are both pondering as we start ramping up our training.
If you are a runner, an endurance activity participant, a person who exercises regularly, or someone who enjoys hearing about other people’s challenges, I hope you will enjoy listening in.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to the Intensive Care bedside, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
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Relevant links
Ed Litton on Twitter: @ed_litton
Ed Litton at University of Western Australia
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 40 with Ed Litton
Run Larapinta Stage Race
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care at Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
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This episode features the thoughts and perspectives of A/Prof Chris Nickson.
The topics covered include:
How Chris became an intensivist and then an educator How he began working on Life In The Fast Lane (LITFL) The network of Clinical Educators he leads and the “Incubator” program Simulation and debriefing The current place of FOAM and podcasts in education What he tries to achieve on his ward round Clinical leadership, team dynamics and the necessity of psychological safety The difficulties of fatigue and undervaluing sleep Other aspects of personal wellbeing His reading (including a book recommendation) The future of Intensive Care, especially after COVID-19 Advice for new intensivists Advice on teaching the human aspects of ICUChris Nickson is an Intensivist and ECMO specialist at the Alfred ICU in Melbourne and a Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University. He is the Lead for the ANZCEN Clinician Educator Incubator programme, a Director of the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Foundation, and a First Part Examiner for the College of Intensive Care Medicine. He is an internationally recognised Clinician Educator with a passion for helping clinicians learn and improving the clinical performance of individuals and collectives.
After finishing his medical degree at the University of Auckland, he continued post-graduate training in New Zealand as well as Australia’s Northern Territory, Perth and Melbourne. He has completed fellowship training in intensive care medicine and emergency medicine; and post-graduate training in biochemistry, clinical toxicology, clinical epidemiology, and health professions education.
Chris is involved in the Alfred ICU’s education and simulation programmes and runs the unit’s education website, INTENSIVE. He created the ‘Critically Ill Airway’ course and teaches numerous courses worldwide. He is one of the founders of the FOAM movement (Free Open-Access Medical education) and is co-creator of litfl.com, the RAGE podcast, the Resuscitology course, and the SMACC conference.
His one great achievement is being the father of three amazing children.
On Twitter, he is @precordialthump.
Thanks for listening to my conversation with Chris Nickson.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to the Intensive Care bedside, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
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Links related to Chris Nickson
Chris Nickson at Life In The Fast Lane
Chris Nickson on Twitter: @precordialthump
Chris Nickson on LinkedIn
Life In The Fast Lane
Intensive blog
Links to other resources (in order of mentioning)
David Galler
Mike Cadogan
Aequanimitas
Clinician Educator Incubator program
Cameron Knott
Manisa Ghani
Deb Massey
Kylie Moon
Steve Philpot
FOAM
Scott Weingart
EMCrit
Academic Life In Emergency Medicine blog
SMACC conference
Deranged Physiology
Steve McGloughlin
Marcus Aurelius
William Osler
Book “How The World Really Works" (by Vaclav Smil)
Bill Gates
Links related to Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care at Life In The Fast Lane
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 5 with Jamie Cooper
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 45 with Scott Weingart
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 59 with Steve McLoughlin
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 63 with Steve Philpot
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
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Mastering Intensive Care is returning from being offline for a full 12 months. In this episode, I ask you to ponder, “how are you going?” after the lengthy pandemic, which has lulled after the worst of the storm but has not yet settled into a state of calm.
Whilst few intensive care clinicians have actively diminished what we’ve been through over the last few years, the relentless world of Intensive Care continues unabated. There have been many learnings from the pandemic, but we mustn’t sweep the emotions we’ve witnessed under the carpet.
As you listen to this shorter episode than usual, I hope you’ll ponder questions about how you have managed yourself during the pandemic, both individually and in your local ICU community. I share what I’ve witnessed in myself and my colleagues before offering a few thoughts on where we might focus our actions in recovering from what we’ve been through.
Thank you for listening as I use this opportunity to reinvigorate this podcast after 12 months of languishing.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower Intensive Care clinicians through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care to bring their best selves to work by focusing on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
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Links to resources discussed (in order of mentioning)
Article in New York Times “There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing” (by Adam Grant)
Article in New York Times “There’s a Specific Kind of Joy We’ve Been Missing” (by Adam Grant)
Mastering Intensive Care episode - Persevering Through A Pandemic - 1 - Sick Of COVID
Mastering Intensive Care episode - Persevering Through A Pandemic - 2 - It Was Inconceivable
Mastering Intensive Care episode - Persevering Through A Pandemic - 3 - Ultramarathon
Mastering Intensive Care episode - Persevering Through A Pandemic - 4 - Best & Worst Year
Mastering Intensive Care episode - Persevering Through A Pandemic - 5 - 'Life' Support For Our People
Mastering Intensive Care episode - Persevering Through A Pandemic - 6 - Learnings We Might Take Away
Links related to Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care at Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
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This episode focuses on learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic. Important lessons our global Intensive Care community, your local ICU and you personally might take away from what the novel coronavirus has caused - at least so far.
Previous episodes of this series (a series best listened to in episode order) have allowed you to hear the experiences of busy ICU clinicians, the work of an ICU clinical psychologist, and some supportive strategies different institutions have used during the pandemic. Here you’ll listen to the valuable thoughts and considerations about topics including personal wellbeing, awareness of mindset, effects on healthcare workers as a group and even some possible gains from the pandemic hardship.
In this sixth episode of the “Persevering Through A Pandemic” series, the guests (in order of appearance) are Dr Rana Awdish, Dr Hayley Gershengorn, Dr Laura Rock, Dr Wes Ely, CCRN Simone Hannah-Clark, Dr Peter Brindley, Dr Matt Morgan, Dr Hugh Montgomery, Dr Georg Auzinger and Dr Julie Highfield.
I firmly believe that ICU clinicians across the world need to spend time reflecting, processing or simply healing from this pandemic. Reinvigorating ourselves from the difficulties we’ve suffered and restoring ourselves for whatever is to come. My hope is this episode will help you to do this.
Thank you for listening to these wise and thoughtful Intensive Care clinicians speak about how they’ve been “Persevering Through A Pandemic”.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower Intensive Care clinicians through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care to bring their best selves to work by focusing on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
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Links to featured guests (in order of appearance)
Dr Rana Awdish
Dr Rana Awdish on Twitter @RanaAwdish
Dr Hayley Gershengorn
Dr Hayley Gershengorn on Twitter @HBGMD
Dr Laura Rock
Dr Laura Rock on Twitter @drlaurarock
Dr Wes Ely
Dr Wes Ely on Twitter @WesElyMD
CCRN Simone Hannah-Clark
CCRN Simone Hannah-Clark on Twitter @kiwi_yankee
Dr Peter Brindley
Dr Peter Brindley on Twitter @docpgb
Dr Matthew Morgan
Dr Matthew Morgan on Twitter @dr_mattmorgan
Dr Hugh Montgomery
Dr Hugh Montgomery on Twitter @hugh_montgomery
Dr Georg Auzinger
Dr Julie Highfield
Dr Julie Highfield on Twitter @DrJulie_H
Links to other resources (in order of mentioning)
Book "Every Deep-Drawn Breath" (by Wes Ely)
Links related to Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 15 with Peter Brindley
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 33 with Wes Ely
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 36 with Hayley Gershengorn
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 41 with Rana Awdish
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 47 with Matt Morgan
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 48 with Laura Rock
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 49 with Hugh Montgomery
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 57 with Georg Auzinger
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 60 with Simone Hannah-Clark
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care at Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
-
Intensive Care clinicians are used to being busy. Critically ill patients constantly arrive in the ICU with no awareness of staff workload at that moment. So being busy has not been the major problem of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The difficult emotional responses to physical exhaustion, mental strain, heart-breaking human loss and the unpredictability of SARS-CoV-2 have been significant, and the commonly held attitude of “just power through” has not been sustainable. Instead, the most critical influence on the overall wellbeing of Intensive Care practitioners has been the degree to which they have felt supported socially.
Maintaining social support and cohesion is hard. Intensive Care professionals have often depended on social support through camaraderie and workplace culture yet have been crying out during this healthcare crisis to hospital administrators, often in vain, for direct and valuable supportive measures for staff wellbeing.
The pandemic has therefore required a more healing and individual-focused type of supportive strategy. Coming up with successful strategies is not easy and a specific strategy will not support all individuals in all contexts. So, ICU teams have had to try a mixture of strategies, philosophies, support groups, or simply caring attitudes to provide effective staff wellbeing support.
In this fifth episode of the “Persevering Through A Pandemic” series, you’ll hear some of the types of supportive actions that my guests in this series have witnessed in their ICUs and hospitals. My guests on the episode (in order of appearance) are Dr Hugh Montgomery, Dr Rana Awdish, CCRN Simone Hannah-Clark, Dr Hayley Gershengorn, Dr Laura Rock, Dr Matt Morgan, Dr Peter Brindley, Dr Wes Ely and Dr Georg Auzinger.
There is so much we can learn from the COVID-19 pandemic. My hope is this episode will help you as a listener to reflect on and to process your own pandemic experience whilst hearing lessons you might take away to your Intensive Care community.
Thank you for listening to these wise and thoughtful Intensive Care clinicians tell you how they’ve been “Persevering Through A Pandemic”.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower Intensive Care clinicians through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care to bring their best selves to work by focusing on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
--------------------
Links to featured guests (in order of appearance)
Dr Hugh Montgomery
Dr Hugh Montgomery on Twitter @hugh_montgomery
Dr Rana Awdish
Dr Rana Awdish on Twitter @RanaAwdish
CCRN Simone Hannah-Clark
CCRN Simone Hannah-Clark on Twitter @kiwi_yankee
Dr Hayley Gershengorn
Dr Hayley Gershengorn on Twitter @HBGMD
Dr Laura Rock
Dr Laura Rock on Twitter @drlaurarock
Dr Matthew Morgan
Dr Matthew Morgan on Twitter @dr_mattmorgan
Dr Peter Brindley
Dr Peter Brindley on Twitter @docpgb
Dr Wes Ely
Dr Wes Ely on Twitter @WesElyMD
Dr Georg Auzinger
Links related to Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 15 with Peter Brindley
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 33 with Wes Ely
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 36 with Hayley Gershengorn
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 41 with Rana Awdish
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 47 with Matt Morgan
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 48 with Laura Rock
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 49 with Hugh Montgomery
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 57 with Georg Auzinger
Mastering Intensive Care podcast - Episode 60 with Simone Hannah-Clark
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care at Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
-
The physical, mental and emotional burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on Intensive Care clinicians has been colossal. Many ICU staff, of all types and at all levels, have suffered significant psychological effects.
After hearing the pandemic experiences and perspectives of bedside clinicians in recent episodes, the focus of today’s episode is a clinical psychologist who’s been working inside several busy ICUs and supported hundreds of people across the United Kingdom during the pandemic.
In this fourth episode of the “Persevering Through A Pandemic” series, you’ll hear the thoughts of Dr Julie Highfield who has led a national UK-based wellbeing program in response to COVID-19. Dr Highfield works as a consultant clinical psychologist in several ICUs in Wales and has an additional role as the National Wellbeing Director for the Intensive Care Society in the UK.
In this episode Julie talks about:
The first year of the pandemic feeling like the best and worst year of her life Her witnessing of ICU staff “just getting on with it” and “shelving their feelings” The types of support she provided – in both her local ICUs and across the UK Which support worked best for which staff The value of one-on-one sessions - yet their impracticality in a pandemic The types of group sessions she led Two typical examples of who Julie has been supporting What surprised her about the ICU teams The rise in the number of UK ICUs with a clinical psychologist The value of having a clinical psychologist embedded in an ICU How Julie fared herself during the height of the pandemic Her thoughts on the restrictions to visitors caused by COVID-19 The lingering effects of this pandemic Advice for people who are considering championing wellbeing in their ICUs.The culture around wellbeing in our ICUs is slowly changing and the effects of the COVID-19 may accelerate this. A good psychologist is vital to stimulating that change and to providing valuable assistance.
My hope is that this episode, as part of a focused series of episodes, will help Intensive Care clinicians to reflect on their own experiences and to learn valuable lessons about psychological aspects of the pandemic. Thank you for listening to the wise and supportive Dr Julie Highfield, an ideal person to share perspectives on how ICU clinicians have been “Persevering Through A Pandemic”.
Andrew Davies
--------------------
About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower Intensive Care clinicians through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care to bring their best selves to work by focusing on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
--------------------
Links to featured guests
Dr Julie Highfield
Julie Highfield on Twitter @DrJulie_H
Wellbeing Hub at Intensive Care Society website
Psychologists In Critical Care UK (PINC-UK)
Links related to Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care at Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
-
Whilst some people choose to run long distances, caring for patients in the ICU is not supposed to feel like an ultramarathon.
If you work in the complex, high stress, emotion-generating environment of an ICU, it might sometimes feel like you are the logistics organiser of an ultimate endurance event, but you should hardly feel like you are a competitor.
Yet when COVID-19 arrived, the initial sprint became a marathon and that’s now turned into a seemingly never-ending ultramarathon.
In this third episode of the “Persevering Through A Pandemic” series, you’ll hear about this pandemic ultramarathon and the effects it’s had on the people working in ICUs in the UK. A period which has been physically and emotionally difficult yet has provided glimpses of career satisfaction along the journey.
Amongst other topics, UK intensivists Drs Matt Morgan, Hugh Montgomery & Georg Auzinger talk honestly about their worst pandemic days, the discomfort that they and their colleagues felt, how their teams kept afloat in such an overwhelming situation and the lingering effects on clinician mental health. There is mention of an interesting letter one of them sent and a special kind of chocolate cake!
My hope is this will help you as a listener to reflect on and to process your own pandemic experience whilst hearing lessons you might take away to your Intensive Care community.
Thank you for listening to these wise and thoughtful Intensive Care clinicians tell you how they’ve been “Persevering Through A Pandemic”.
Andrew Davies
--------------------
About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower Intensive Care clinicians through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care to bring their best selves to work by focusing on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
--------------------
Links to featured guests
Dr Matthew Morgan
Matt Morgan on Twitter @dr_mattmorgan
Book "Critical" (by Matt Morgan)
Matt Morgan – Previous episode on Mastering Intensive Care
Dr Hugh Montgomery
Hugh Montgomery on Twitter @hugh_montgomery
Hugh Montgomery – Previous episode on Mastering Intensive Care
Dr Georg Auzinger
Georg Auzinger – Previous episode on Mastering Intensive Care
Links related to Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care at Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
-
Just like a surf beach shore, waves of COVID-19 keep crashing over the world’s Intensive Care Units. The waves have been unpredictable and pattern less, ravaging the ICUs and the people that work in them, often inconceivably.
In this second episode of the “Persevering Through A Pandemic” series, you’ll hear from Intensive Care professionals about the COVID-19 pandemic which continues to affect ICUs across the globe.
Amongst other topics, US intensivists Drs Rana Awdish & Dr Hayley Gershengorn, and Critical Care nurse Simone Hannah-Clark talk honestly about their worst pandemic days, the feelings of guilt, fear, anxiety and overall depletion, the effects on their family, what they witnessed in their struggling colleagues and how they dealt with the strain. You’ll also hear valuable thoughts on the nursing perspective, the difficult experience of being a patient in a pandemic, and the tension between the support from the community and the flagrant COVID-19 deniers.
There have been many emotional and heart-breaking conversations in ICUs all over the world during this pandemic. And we as their healthcare providers have emotions to express too. My belief is that we need to have conversations as colleagues, and as an Intensive Care community, about what we have been and are continuing to go through.
My hope is that this series will help you as a listener to reflect on and to process your own pandemic experience whilst hearing lessons you might take away to your Intensive Care community.
Thank you for listening to these wise and thoughtful Intensive Care clinicians tell you how they’ve been “Persevering Through A Pandemic”.
Andrew Davies
--------------------
About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower Intensive Care clinicians through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care to bring their best selves to work by focusing on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
--------------------
Links to featured guests
Dr Rana Awdish
Rana Awdish on Twitter @RanaAwdish
Book "In Shock" (by Rana Awdish)
Rana Awdish – Previous episode on Mastering Intensive Care
Dr Hayley Gershengorn
Hayley Gershengorn on Twitter @HBGMD
Hayley Gershengorn – Previous episode on Mastering Intensive Care
CCRN Simone Hannah-Clark
Simone Hannah-Clark on Twitter @kiwi_yankee
Simone Hannah-Clark – Previous episode on Mastering Intensive Care
Links related to Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care at Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
-
Are you sick of COVID?
How have you coped in this pandemic?
And what’s it actually felt like to live and work throughout this last two years?
Concerned for the wellbeing of healthcare professionals in the hardest hit ICUs during the COVID-19 pandemic, I interviewed a group of clinicians previously featured on the podcast.
With an emphasis on personal wellbeing, I aimed to uncover their feelings, their struggles, their perspectives and their take-aways from this prolonged global healthcare crisis.
My hope is to help you to reflect on and to process your own pandemic experience and to hear lessons you might take away to your Intensive Care community.
In this first episode of a series focusing on Intensive Care clinician wellbeing during the pandemic, you’ll hear the voices of Dr Laura Rock, Dr Peter Brindley and Dr Wes Ely.
Thank you for listening to these wise and thoughtful Intensive Care clinicians tell you how they’ve been “Persevering Through A Pandemic”.
Andrew Davies
--------------------
About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower Intensive Care clinicians through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care to bring their best selves to work by focusing on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
--------------------
Links to featured guests
Dr Laura Rock
Dr Laura Rock on Twitter @drlaurarock
Dr Laura Rock – Previous episode on Mastering Intensive Care
Dr Peter Brindley
Dr Peter Brindley on Twitter @docpgb
Dr Peter Brindley – Previous episode on Mastering Intensive Care
Dr Wes Ely
Dr Wes Ely on Twitter @WesElyMD
Book "Every Deep-Drawn Breath" (by Wes Ely)
Dr Wes Ely – Previous episode on Mastering Intensive Care
Links related to Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care at Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on Twitter: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on LinkedIn
Email Andrew Davies
Audio Producer Chris Burke
Burke Sound & Media
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