Medical Mums chat

In this cross over chat between Medical Mums and Coda, Dr Chris Bowles & A/Prof Nada Hamad discuss Gender Equity in Medicine – What is it & Why Does it Matter? Chris and Nada take a deep dive into gender equity in medicine. Including the impact of the pandemic and the possible solutions. First, they discuss the difference between gender equity and equality. Equality is the act of treating everyone the same. Whereas equity, focuses on levelling the playing field so that there is more representation and participation. This includes asking questions such as why inequity exists? And why aren’t women progressing? Evidently, women experience gender inequity at different times of their career. It may be after they’ve had children, or it may be when they want to step up and take on leadership roles. What is most obvious however, is that the impact of gender inequity in medicine extends far past the individual. Gender inequity impacts how we look after female patients, what kind of questions we ask in research and how we perform and apply that research in the context of women’s healthcare. Chris and Nada discuss what needs to happen to make the system more accommodating. This includes implicit bias training, intersectionality training and leadership training. Investment in leadership skills and training is crucial. We can have all of the right policies in place, however, if leadership doesn’t set the standard to encourage uptake, inequity will always exist. Join Emergency & Trauma physician, Dr Chris Bowles and Haematologist, A/Prof Nada Hamad, as they discuss gender inequity in medicine. They inspire us to identify and challenge the inequity that exists today.

In this episode Dr Bek Ledingham chats to Dr Talat Uppal about Heavy menstrual bleeding in a peri-menopausal woman. We recorded it on World Menopause day we aim to share up to date information about managing this common problem that often does not get the attention it deserves.  Key take home messages-  1) Initiate treatment of symptomatic women at the first visit  2) Order pelvic ultrasound day 5-10 of cycle 3) Mirena is the most effective management option 4) Uterus sparing surgical procedures are preferred to hysterectomy.  References mentioned during the show  https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/publications-and-resources/resource-library/heavy-menstrual-bleeding-clinical-care-standard-2017 https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/menopause?gclid=Cj0KCQjwtrSLBhCLARIsACh6RmgRy9D2b18efnY6i4-2CiA4us-55aTwNLLQXUBegh9VJuwDn6gPGfwaAkbvEALw_wcB https://ranzcog.edu.au/womens-health/patient-information-resources/heavy-menstrual-bleeding https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/patients/patient-information-leaflets/recovering-well/endometrial-ablation-for-print.pdf http://oxfordstmedical.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Mirena-Information-Booklet.pdf https://ranzcog.edu.au/RANZCOG_SITE/media/RANZCOG-MEDIA/Women%27s%20Health/Patient%20information/Hysterectomy-pamphlet.pdf?ext=.pdf http://www.cincyobgyn.com/webdocuments/novasure-brochure.pdf ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Dr Talat Uppal is an Obstetrician & Gynaecologist who currently works both at the Northern Beaches and Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospitals as a Visiting Medical Officer. She is the Director of Women’s Health Road, and has set up an innovative integrated multidisciplinary ‘Journey’ model with a strong family centred approach to maternity care. www.womenshealthroad.com.au She is also a Clinical Senior lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Northern Medical School, University of Sydney. Her previous, decade long role was based at Manly and Mona Vale Hospitals, as a Senior Obstetrics Staff Specialist and Clinical Director of Women’s, Children & Family health. She is the past Chair of both the NSW State Reference Committee and NSW RANZCOG Education Subcommittee She is a Fellow of the Australian Association for Quality in Health Care as well as a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management She is the ex  joint co-ordinator of Diploma (DRANZCOG) OSCE examination as her special interest is supporting the role of General Practitioners in the Women’s health context. She is an RANZCOG media spokesperson. She is fluent in 3 languages and has much overseas exposure with volunteer teaching work.

Bec and Bek are back We also have a guest host to kick us off today. None other than Bek L's podcast inspiration- her daughter Lucy! We chat about Cinderella (movie)- Prime Coda (movie) - Apple TV  Solos (series) - Prime Vigil - Binge  On the Verge (series) - Netflix  Creamerie - SBS on demand  Quick mentions Chefs kiss once again to Michael Lucas as series one of The Newsreader (ABC I-view) wraps up. We're hoping for season 2. Also- well done to the RFDS team! (Channel 7)  Sex Education (Netflix) season 3 is here! YAY! Ted Lasso (Apple TV) season 2 is here. Morning Wars (Apple TV) season 2 is here.  Tell us what you want to hear about and if you want to come and be our guest! 

Dr Emily Amos is a GP and Board Certified Lactation Consultant who has walked a meandering path through medicine. Always intrigued by the role of mind/body complex in health she had already begun to pursue qualifications in yoga and meditation when she herself burnt out in clinical medicine in 2019. Using the outlet of blogging during her recovery she reflected on the path that lead her to burning out and how she could see many of her colleagues in similar states of distress. Now a qualified yoga and meditation teacher, she runs courses specifically for doctors to help them to understand how mastering skills such as mindfulness and self compassion can in fact make us not only happier, calmer people but also help us to better deal with the demands of this often challenging profession. You can find out more about Emily’s courses or read her blogs via her website www.dremilyamos.com We encourage anyone who recognises their own burnout while listening to seek some support and here is a list of places you might start.  http://www.dhaswa.com.au/ https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/the-essential-network/ https://theburnoutproject.com.au/ https://drolivialeeong.com/ https://wholeheartedmedicine.com.au/ Lifeline 131114 Please send through any resources you recommend and I will update this list in an ongoing manner. [email protected]

In our final episode in the Burnout series we meet Dr Kim Kilov, joining us all the way from Copenhagen, Denmark. She chats with Bek Ledingham about her decision to leave medicine as an advanced trainee in paediatrics and what life is like now. Kim says.. After 6 years in clinical medicine I became increasingly burnout. After pushing through for over a year, I hit a wall and realised I needed to make change for my health and wellbeing. It took over a year to recover but during this time I moved to Stockholm in 2019 to complete a Masters in Global Health.  This opened a  whole new world of opportunities within the health care field.  I landed up in Copenhagen, Denmark where I am now based.  I currently work as a Clinical Project Manager for a health tech company  which focus on clinical trials and patient-centred care.  It has been a challenging journey over the past few years, with a lot of emotional highs and lows, but I can now say I am completely content with my decision to take a different path.  I have found a new career that is both fulfilling and balanced and I haven’t looked back! We encourage anyone who recognises their own burnout while listening to seek some support and here is a list of places you might start.  http://www.dhaswa.com.au/ https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/the-essential-network/ https://theburnoutproject.com.au/ https://drolivialeeong.com/ https://wholeheartedmedicine.com.au/ Lifeline 131114 Please send through any resources you recommend and I will update this list in an ongoing manner. [email protected]

In this episode Bek Ledingham talks to to Professor Gordon Parker about Burnout.  Professor Gordon Parker AO is Scientia Professor of Psychiatry, UNSW, was Founder of the Black Dog Institute and its initial Executive Director, Head of the School of Psychiatry at UNSW and Director of the Division of Psychiatry at Prince of Wales Hospital. His positions with the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists include being Editor of its Journal. Positions with legal organisations include the NSW Guardianship Board and the NSW Administrative Appeals Tribunal. In 2004 he received a Citation Laureate as the Australian Scientist most highly cited in Psychiatry/Psychology’. In 2018 he received the prestigious James Cook Medal from the Royal Society of New South Wales and was afinalist for the NSW Senior Australian of the Year. He . recipient of the 2020 Australian Mental Health Prize. His research has focussed on the mood disorders. He has published 23 books and over 1,000 scientific reports. His first of fiction was published in 1966 and his latest novel (“In Two Minds”) in 2017. In the 60’s, he wrote for The Mavis Bramston Show and OZ Magazine, was an ABC Science broadcaster, a book reviewer for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian, and in 2004 had a play (“Personality Games”) produced by La Mama in Melbourne. His autobiography “A Piece of My Mind: A Psychiatrist on the Couch” was published in 2012. His co-authored book on Burnout (Burnout: A Guide to Identifying Burnout and Patterns to Recovery) was published in July 2021.

In this episode Bek Ledingham chats to Amy Imms about Burnout.  A doctor with a special interest in burnout counselling, mother of 5 and the creator of The Burnout Project. www.theburnoutproject.com.au She shares with us her experience of burnout, what she did to get through it, life after burnout and her tips for getting through.  We encourage anyone who recognises their own burnout while listening to seek some support and here is a list of places you might start.  http://www.dhaswa.com.au/ https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/the-essential-network/ https://theburnoutproject.com.au/ https://drolivialeeong.com/ https://wholeheartedmedicine.com.au/ Lifeline 131114 Please send through any resources you recommend and I will update this list in an ongoing manner. [email protected]

In this episode we talk to Dr Olivia Ong who we've already met in Medical Mums chat. She shares her burnout experience and has just released a book on burnout. Find more information at https://drolivialeeong.com/ Here's what Olivia says about burnout.  I was told I would never walk again. In 2008, I was walking to work when I was hit by a car travelling 60 km an hour. The impact rendered me a paraplegic. I spent 2 years in a wheelchair and was told I’d never be able to walk again. But I was resilient and never gave up hope. I spent 2 years in Project Walk, San Diego and I did learn to walk again with grit, determination, and the support of my husband, family, and close friends. I’d learnt what it was like to be a patient on the other side of the healthcare system and when I returned to Melbourne, I threw myself into my new private practice in rehabilitation and pain medicine. I became a mum and continued my studies. But the combination of living with a spinal cord injury, motherhood, full-time work, and studying for fellowship exams exhausted me. I ignored the warning signs, feeling that burnout was a sign of vulnerability and weakness. I just keep pushing through. Until eventually, I was burned out. I have visions of the doctor and mother I want to be. Deep down I knew there's got to be a way which I can build my career while growing my family, and become the leader and mother I envision myself to be without the burnout. I was determined to find the way, and I did. We encourage anyone who recognises their own burnout while listening to seek some support and here is a list of places you might start.  http://www.dhaswa.com.au/ https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/the-essential-network/ https://theburnoutproject.com.au/ https://drolivialeeong.com/ https://wholeheartedmedicine.com.au/ Lifeline 131114 Please send through any resources you recommend and I will update this list in an ongoing manner. [email protected]

Dr Clare Skinner is a specialist emergency physician with interests in leadership, advocacy, workplace culture, quality and safety, clinical redesign and health system reform. Her current areas of focus include transformation of the emergency department workforce, improving care of people with mental health symptoms, building positive culture in hospitals, and fostering diversity and inclusion in health services. Clare works as a clinician, manager and educator. She is a frequent contributor to academic journals, mainstream media and medical blogs on topics related to hospital practice and culture. Clare is a regular speaker at emergency medicine and leadership conferences. She was selected in the Top 50 Public Sector Women NSW in 2018. In this chat with Bek Ledingham, she shares her experiences with burnout and tips for anyone who may be feeling burnout. They also realise that without the tyranny of distance and pandemic border restrictions, they should really catch up in real life ASAP.  Thanks so much Clare.  You can find more about Clare and all her various interests and achievements at www.clareskinner.com We encourage anyone who recognises their own burnout while listening to seek some support and here is a list of places you might start.  http://www.dhaswa.com.au/ https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/the-essential-network/ https://theburnoutproject.com.au/ https://drolivialeeong.com/ https://wholeheartedmedicine.com.au/ Lifeline 131114 Please send through any resources you recommend and I will update this list in an ongoing manner. [email protected]

In this episode Bek Ledingham introduces a series of chats about a topic that she is more acquainted with than she would like to be, and thinks we should talk about more, particularly after the 18 months we have just endured in health.  You see- Bek has realised she is burnt out. It's been a long road to get here, but it's time to make some changes. So she set on a journey to meet other people who've experienced burn out to find out what it looks like, what helps people recover, what life after burnout is like and get some tips for anyone else who may be going through it.  Thanks so much to Penny and Danelle for sharing their stories in this first episode.  Dr Penny Alexander is a Dermatologist who reflects on a time she suffered burnout and how she made it through.  Dr Danelle Ward, a specialist Obstetrician/Gynaecologist is still working her way through burnout and was very generous with her time and raw emotion to share the important lessons she is learning along the way.  In the other episodes we will chat to other medical mums who've experienced burnout, some of whom who have changed direction in their work to help others going through it.  We also meet Prof Gordon Parker, a psychiatrist from UNSW who co-authored book on Burnout (Burnout: A Guide to Identifying Burnout and Patterns to Recovery) was published in July 2021. Finally we will meet Kim Kilov who after completing her paediatric fellowship exams recognising her burnout made the decision to leave medicine. She talks to us about making that decision and the exciting path she finds herself on now.   We encourage anyone who recognises their own burnout while listening to seek some support and here is a list of places you might start.  http://www.dhaswa.com.au/  https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/the-essential-network/  https://theburnoutproject.com.au/  https://drolivialeeong.com/  https://wholeheartedmedicine.com.au/  Lifeline 131114  Please send through any resources you recommend and I will update this list in an ongoing manner. [email protected]