by Australian Society of Anaesthetists
The Australian Society of Anaesthetists (ASA) was formed in 1934 as a not-for-profit member organisation dedicated to supporting and connecting anaesthetists in Australia. Join Dr Suzi Nou as she talks about all things relevant to anaesthesia in Australia with experts, peers and members of the ASA. These conversations serve to inform, challenge and inspire you to be the best and safest throughout your career. Send your ideas and feedback to podcast@asa.org.au
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Publishing Since
9/3/2020
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June 21, 2026
<p>I am so grateful to Dr Gaby Bolton for taking time out of her exam preparation to have this conversation with me. Not only has she spent the last 6 years training in anaesthesia but she was also the lead applicant in a landmark class action lawsuit against Peninsula Health over unpaid overtime. Her journey began in 2020 as the HMO Society President, representing her peers as they sought a uniform allowance as they faced the COVID-19 pandemic. </p><p>Dr Bolton took on significant professional and personal risks, and made huge efforts to support others. She spent months preparing for trial and endured days of cross examination in the witness box. It comes as no surprise that all of this, plus the media attention that ensued took a toll on her exam preparations. I am so pleased to announce that Dr Bolton has passed all exams! </p><p>Dr Bolton also shares some great insights into performance anxiety and what drives her to advocate for those unable to speak up for themselves. A true inspiration!</p><p>Our March 2026 edition of <a href="https://asa.org.au/publications/australian-anaesthetist#latestAA" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Australian Anaesthetist</a> is all about advocacy. Read it <a href="https://asa.org.au/publications/australian-anaesthetist#latestAA" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>Other podcasts you might be interested in:</p><p><a href="https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/c6370e3b-5786-45dc-9055-1c5a03a058f6.mp3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ep115. How the ASA can support you</a></p><p><a href="https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/b3ec0d08-4d34-4f45-b417-ac217979226b/EP62-20I-20didn-27t-20pass-20my-20exam-20AAP-converted.mp3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ep64. If you've failed exams</a></p><p><a href="https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/3ae30b18-665f-4bb8-aaa1-dfe703f235bb/EP84-Ahpra-with-AMA-Policy-Manager-Nick-Elmitt-AAP-converted.mp3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ep84. If you're navigating Ahpra</a></p><p>Buy your discounted ASA scrubs <a href="https://asa.org.au/shop" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> (login required).</p><p></p><p>Some AI generated notes:</p><p><strong>Episode Highlights </strong></p><p>00:02:15: I congratulate Dr. Bolton on passing her exams and contextualise why I delayed publishing this episode, setting up the significance of her journey</p><p>00:04:45: Dr Bolton explains the catalyst for the class action—a refused $8.87 weekly uniform allowance during the pandemic when junior doctors were required to wear scrubs to protect families</p><p>00:09:30: Legal firm Hayden Stephens approaches Dr Bolton after an AMA survey, warning her of potential career damage and requesting her to be the lead applicant for Peninsula Health</p><p>00:15:20: Bolton describes her meticulous documentation process, creating dossiers of two years of work records including pay slips, rosters, WhatsApp chats, and car park records for legal evidence</p><p>00:22:40: The trial is scheduled for June 2022, just six weeks before Bolton's primary exam, creating significant stress during her introductory training time</p><p>00:28:15: Bolton spends three-and-a-half days in the witness box, undergoing intensive trial preparation with barristers and facing cross- examination that challenges her authority as a junior doctor</p><p>00:35:50: A barrister questions Bolton's use of "my patients," implying she lacks authority; she responds by articulating the reality of junior doctor responsibility and accessibility</p><p>00:42:30: Bolton fails her primary exam four to five weeks after the trial, attributing it partly to performance anxiety that has affected her since age nine</p><p>00:48:15: Bolton discusses how performance anxiety only affects her in high-stakes personal evaluations, not in clinical emergencies or advocacy work for others</p><p>00:54:00: Bolton ultimately passes her primary exam in October 2024, with support from mentors who had also failed multiple times</p><p>01:01:20: Discussion of media involvement post-settlement, including media training and how Bolton balanced public advocacy with exam preparation</p><p>01:07:45: I ask about Dr Bolton's future interest in medical politics and wellbeing advocacy; Bolton reflects that advocacy "usually finds her" rather than being a deliberate choice</p><p><strong>Key Takeaways </strong></p><p><strong>Systemic injustice requires individual courage: </strong>Bolton's decision to become the lead applicant, despite explicit warnings of career damage, demonstrates that protecting vulnerable colleagues, particularly IMGs reliant on supervisor sign-offs, sometimes requires personal sacrifice from those with more privilege or security</p><p><strong>Meticulous preparation mitigates risk: </strong>Bolton's obsessive documentation and organisation, combined with professional legal support and intensive trial preparation, enabled her to withstand three-and-a-half days of cross-examination and emerge credibly despite being a junior doctor facing institutional power</p><p><strong>Performance anxiety is context-dependent and treatable: </strong>Bolton's insight that anxiety affects personal evaluations but not clinical emergencies reveals the psychological distinction between ego-threat and external responsibility; reframing exams as service to patients rather than self-judgment may help trainees</p><p><strong>Peer support and realistic mentorship matter more than false reassurance: </strong>Bolton valued mentors who acknowledged uncertainty ("I don't have a crystal ball") over well-meaning colleagues offering hollow guarantees; normalising exam failure and creating space for multiple attempts reduces shame and isolation</p><p><strong>Advocacy often emerges from proximity to injustice: </strong>Bolton's journey from HMO representative to class action lead applicant to potential future medical politician illustrates how systemic problems, combined with individual values and opportunity, can reshape career trajectories toward advocacy</p><p><strong>Quotable Moments </strong></p><p>"I think they went around every single loophole they could to get out of paying something that wouldn't cover even a half a pair of scrubs to people to protect their families."</p><p>"I felt at the time, maybe it was a little bit self-destructive and maybe has been in some ways, but I thought, well, I'm in a position to do it. It's something I think I'm capable of. It's something that I think I won't suffer consequences as badly as probably some other people would. And somebody has to do it."</p><p>"They are totally your patients... I'm the one that's doing all their paperwork, putting all their drips in, changing all the medicines, talking to their families that no one's called for three days."</p><p>"It doesn't affect me in anything except something that I value as affecting me personally. I've never had it at work in no way in any emergencies of work. It doesn't come up when it involves doing things for other people. But as soon as it becomes really personal and a direct judgment on me; it hadn't happened for a really long time."</p>
June 13, 2026
<p>In this episode I chat with Sydney General Practitioner and social media expert, Dr Maria Li on the best practices for doctors on social media. Dr Li has created tonnes of content, collaborated with over 100 professionals and organisations and is a member of the WHO's global FIDES network.</p><p>We focus on 5 key principles for responsible social media use because I would love to see more doctors being a credible source of accurate information for patients on social media.</p><p>I encourage you to look at the other content we produce and let me know what you think!</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AustraliaAnaes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a></p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/anaesthetists/?viewAsMember=true" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AustralianSocietyofAnaesthetists" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a></p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/asa_australia/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a></p><p><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@asa_australia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TikTok</a></p><p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/asa-australia.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bluesky</a></p><p></p><p>Useful articles from Ahpra and Dr Li:</p><p><a href="https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Resources/Social-media-guidance.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Resources/Social-media-guidance.aspx</a></p><p><a href="https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2025/14/social-media-is-media-a-crucial-reminder-for-doctors/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2025/14/social-media-is-media-a-crucial-reminder-for-doctors/</a></p><p><a href="https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2025/21/social-media-for-doctors-popularity-is-not-respect/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2025/21/social-media-for-doctors-popularity-is-not-respect/</a></p><p><a href="https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2025/27/social-media-for-doctors-your-posts-should-reflect-your-judgement-not-your-stream-of-consciousness/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2025/27/social-media-for-doctors-your-posts-should-reflect-your-judgement-not-your-stream-of-consciousness/</a></p><p><a href="https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2025/30/social-media-for-doctors-making-fun-of-patients-is-never-ok/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2025/30/social-media-for-doctors-making-fun-of-patients-is-never-ok/</a></p><p><a href="https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2025/38/social-media-for-doctors-your-comments-and-messages-count-as-your-content/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2025/38/social-media-for-doctors-your-comments-and-messages-count-as-your-content/</a></p><p></p><p>Some AI generated notes:</p><p><strong>Episode Highlights</strong></p><p>00:02:15: Maria Li explains how she started an Instagram account during lockdown in 2020 out of boredom, initially posting bland health promotion content that unexpectedly grew into a major passion project.</p><p>00:05:30: Maria discusses her organic collaboration approach—reaching out to subject matter experts on social media to co-create content, offering graphic design services as an incentive, and iterating through multiple drafts before publishing.</p><p>00:12:00: Maria establishes the foundational principle that social media is media—a public broadcast stage, not intimate conversation—using the example of a Victorian doctor deregistered by AHPRA for posting negative commentary about gay, Chinese, and Muslim people.</p><p>00:16:30: Maria explains how social media algorithms amplify content triggering outrage, fear, and anger, creating a trap where doctors unconsciously drift toward sensationalism.</p><p>00:22:15: Maria provides the example of a nurse who went viral crying in a hospital corridor after a patient death, only to face intense backlash for appearing to exploit the tragedy for engagement.</p><p>00:28:45: Maria warns against making fun of patients through role-plays and mocking videos, citing the Santa Barbara urgent care clinic staff who were terminated after posting videos laughing at patient bodily fluids.</p><p>00:35:20: Maria addresses patient privacy concerns, explaining that identifiers extend beyond names to include tattoos, distinctive features, and contextual details that could enable identification even without explicit consent.</p><p>00:42:00: Maria illustrates how comments are public content through the example of "Dr. Jane," an obstetrician who received a formal complaint after arguing heatedly in a local Facebook mums group</p><p>00:48:30: Maria emphasizes that following trends exhausts creators and confuses audiences.</p><p><strong>Key Takeaways</strong></p><p>Treat every social media post as a televised interview with your name and credentials displayed—the regulatory standard for online behavior mirrors in-person professional conduct.</p><p>Prioritize credibility and respect over viral engagement; algorithms reward emotional arousal and controversy, but this conflicts with building sustainable professional reputations.</p><p>Comments, screenshots, and deleted content remain permanent evidence; assume all social media activity is discoverable and can trigger formal regulatory complaints or reputational damage.</p><p>Quality and authenticity matter far more than posting frequency; doctors can build loyal followings by staying true to their genuine interests rather than chasing algorithmic trends.</p><p>Patient privacy extends beyond names to distinctive features, contextual details, and even background appearances; when in doubt, obtain explicit consent or increase anonymization.</p><p><strong>Quotable Moments</strong></p><p>"Social media is media. That's the principle. Social media is actually really good at fooling us into thinking that it's intimate and it's personal."</p><p>"The moment you do post, you actually completely lose control of who sees your content. Kind of like a radio interview. Once you say what you say, you have no idea who's listening."</p><p>"Before you make a post I want you to actually ask yourself this question: would I say this on TV with my name and my job title on the screen? If the answer is no why would you say it on social media?"</p><p>"Attention doesn't equal respect. Attention doesn't equal credibility. So that's what I mean when I say popularity isn't respect."</p><p>"You don't need to win arguments online. People get really up in arms about winning an argument against someone they've never met. You don't need to. You can just walk away."</p><p>"Your superpower is whatever you genuinely care about, even when nobody's watching. Create what you're passionate about and you don't need to attract an audience. They will find you."</p>
June 5, 2026
<p>In this episode I chat with Dr Yasmin Endlich, Medical Director at webAIRS, web based Anaesthesia Incident Reporting System. We currently have over 13,000 reports in webAIRS, making it one of the world's largest incident reporting systems.</p><p>We chat about the various analyses (currently over 30 underway!), what's happening behind the scenes and how we will be discussing de-identified incident reports at the up and coming Australian Society of Anaesthetists M&M meeting. I also couldn't help discussing safety-II principles - examining what went right to prevent harm rather than only analysing failures.</p><p>Three action items to consider:</p><ol><li>Come to the next ASA M&M meeting! 29th June 2026. Complimentary registration for ASA members. Register or find the next event <a href="https://asa.org.au/asaeducation/events" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a></li><li><a href="https://www.anztadc.net" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Join</a> webAIRS user, if you haven't already. Any anaesthetist or trainee member of the ASA is eligible. </li><li>Report your incidents. Including the near misses. Help us better develop a safety-II approach</li></ol><br/><p>Three more podcasts on webAIRS:</p><p><a href="https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/5940c2ae-2f7a-4174-ad3a-869ac46ccc64/ASA-2054.mp3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ep54. webAIRS with Prof Martin Culwick</a></p><p><a href="https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/f4cc8ce3-390c-42f2-8e3f-d44917dfdba1/EP57-20Lingual-20Nerve-20Injury-20AAP-20.mp3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ep57. webAIRS: Lingual Nerve Injury</a></p><p><a href="https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/cf949d95-0e23-4fc7-bded-e54dabe7c75d/EP79v2-jaw-dislocation-AAP.mp3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ep79. webAIRS: Jaw Dislocation</a></p><p></p><p>Some AI generated notes:</p><p><strong>Key Takeaways</strong></p><p>webAIRS is the world's largest anesthetic incident reporting system with over 13,000 reports, enabling rare event analysis and evidence-based safety improvements across Australia and New Zealand.</p><p>Safety-II methodology—analysing what went right in near misses and no-harm events—offers a complementary approach to traditional incident analysis and may drive more effective safety interventions</p><p>Implementation science remains underdeveloped in anaesthesia. Most institutions adapt to safety recommendations but rarely publish their implementation processes, limiting knowledge sharing and replication</p><p>webAIRS supports institutional M&M programs through anonymous, de-identified case access with categorization tools. ASA is launching exclusive member M&M events using webAIRS data</p><p>Registration with webAIRS offers dual benefits: self-reflection and learning for individual reporters, plus contribution to community-wide safety analysis. Reporting is legally privileged, anonymous, and eligible for CPD credit</p><p><strong>Quotable Moments</strong></p><p>"We understand that the health system is a complex beast, which we as humans are constantly adapting and adjusting or creating workarounds to keep things safe for our patients and usually efficient as well."</p><p>"We report a lot. So the numbers of our reports are there. Then they get assessed. But the reporting back and then looking at systems and then looking how to improve things and going up the pyramid to reduce adverse events, that's basically where it stops in most healthcare areas."</p><p>"It's not only important for oneself when you report as it's a part of self-reflection. It is a part of working through an incident yourself as well. But it also benefits the wider community."</p><p>"We don't want is anybody who has reported an incident feel like, oh, we are not treating the data safely. We 100% are. And it will stay anonymous and it will stay completely de-identifiable as well."</p>
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The Australian Society of Anaesthetists (ASA) was formed in 1934 as a not-for-profit member organisation dedicated to supporting and connecting anaesthetists in Australia.
Join Dr Suzi Nou as she talks about all things relevant to anaesthesia in Australia with experts, peers and members of the ASA. These conversations serve to inform, challenge and inspire you to be the best and safest throughout your career.
Send your ideas and feedback to podcast@asa.org.au
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