Discipline of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care

To ensure medical students graduate ready to care for patients on a ward, it is important to teach them skills to recognise patients who are critically ill and how to manage their emergency care. This will ensure junior doctors are prepared for life in the health workforce and reduce any clinical errors through lack of knowledge and experience. To achieve this, the Discipline delivers a Critical Care Course as part of student rotations through clinical schools and disciplines in Phase 2 of the medical program. The Critical Care Course covers the specialties of Emergency Medicine, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care and addresses the theoretical and practical aspects of Critical Care. 

The course is delivered using a range of mechanisms including:

• e-learning
• practical bedside learning in hospitals
• simulation learning

The Discipline of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care has a rich and diverse research community, working across several areas of priority in the field.

These areas include:

• all aspects of infection in critically ill patients;
• acute chest pain pathways;
• multicentre studies in intensive care medicine; and
• assessment of cardiac function in critically ill patients.

Guidelines for Critical Care away rotation

1. It is preferable for the whole 8 week rotation to be undertaken in one location only. However, if it is completed at multiple locations, they must be all outside UQ Queensland Clinical Schools.
2. The external location must be able to provide hands-on clinical experience in anaesthesia, intensive care and emergency medicine, so as to develop clinical and practical skills in managing the acutely ill patient. Students also need to learn and gain theoretical and practical knowledge in anaesthesia, care of the patient in emergency and care of the patient in intensive care.
3. Of the eight week rotation, the student must spend four weeks in emergency medicine, as well as two to three weeks in anaesthesia and the remaining time in intensive care.
4. The location needs to provide the student with IT access and internet access to allow for completion of all on-line components of Critical Care. It is the responsibility of the student to complete all components within the time allocated. The time allocated will always be referenced to Queensland time, rather than time at the external location. The student is expected to complete all tasks of Critical Care in parity with UQ students at a clinical school.
5. A clinical supervisor for Critical Care must be present at the location and there must be a recognised intensive care physician, emergency care physician and anaesthetist to supervise and teach in the relevant specialty.
6. The CPAs and Key Learning Activities Record must be completed and submitted.
7. The student and the facilities are required to send feedback regarding the rotation and problems at the end of the student’s rotation at the facility.

In order to obtain Discipline approval, students are required to provide the following documents:

• Nominate a consultant from each of the specialties of anaesthesia, intensive care and emergency medicine who is willing to supervise you during a placement in that specialty and obtain written confirmation from each consultant on the hospital/university letterhead and with the consultant’s signature.
• If the rotation is to be completed at one location, the student should nominate one consultant from the three specialties who would be willing to act as the overall clinical supervisor during the 8 weeks of Critical Care and obtain written confirmation from this consultant on the hospital/university letterhead and with the consultant’s signature.
• Obtain written confirmation from the nominated clinical supervisor that you will be able to cover the course set out in the document Critical Care Information for Instructors.

Please note the following:

• Students are responsible for contacting any proposed teaching institution and for seeking agreement that a teaching program will be available consistent with the published Learning Objectives and Goals. Students are required to establish that supervision will be provided by a recognised Consultant in the nominated Specialty and that a teaching program is available.
• Students need to justify that the teaching program is similar to the teaching in Queensland hospitals. Students will need to provide the potential supervising Consultant with the Learning Objectives & Goals of the nominated specialty. This will ensure that the proposed supervising Consultant is aware of the requirements of the Discipline of Anaesthesiology & Critical Care MEDI4019 Critical Care clinical placement.

To apply please follow the instructions on the Faculty of Medicine webpage.

Discipline Coordinator
Address: 3rd floor, Ned Hanlon Building, Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital, Herston, Qld 4006
Phone: +61 (0)7 3646 1847
Email: acc.admin@somc.uq.edu.au