Mastering Intensive Care
Episodes
What Happened After Run Larapinta – Mastering Intensive Challenges Recap (Episode 10)
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From finish-line highs to injury, doubt, and rebuilding. Over two years ago, Run Larapinta ended in triumph. But the months that followed brought inju...
98 - Forbes McGain - Every decision has a footprint
21 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The guest on this episode is Dr Forbes McGain, who speaks about what sustainability really means in healthcare, and why it's inseparable from good med...
97 - Nhi Nguyen - From refugee to purposeful leadership in Intensive Care
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The guest on this episode is Dr Nhi Nguyen, who as a six-year-old escaped Vietnam by boat. Today, she is an intensivist, a healthcare leader, and a vo...
96 - Rob Mac Sweeney - The man behind Critical Care Reviews
07 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The guest on this episode is Professor Rob Mac Sweeney, who founded and leads the hugely valuable organisation Critical Care Reviews. Rob is a Consul...
95 - Rinaldo Bellomo - A Tribute
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is a rebroadcast of Episode 3 (from 2017) featuring the late Professor Rinaldo Bellomo, who unexpectedly died in May 2025. There is also ...
94 - Michael Clifford - A paediatric intensivist willing to talk about his mental health
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, you'll hear from a wise and thoughtful paediatric intensivist. Michael Clifford is a Paediatric Intensivist and Anaesthetist from the...
93 - Jeram Hyde - Teaching non-technical skills
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
My guest in this episode is Dr Jeram Hyde, an intensivist in Newcastle with a special interest in teaching non-technical skills. Jeram is the force b...
92 - Emily Amos - From burnout to educating doctors on mindfulness and wellbeing
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
My guest in this episode is Dr Emily Amos, a general practitioner and a passionate educator on mindfulness in Melbourne. Emily might not be an intensi...
91 - Peter Brindley - Clinical leadership, podcasting and identifying when patients are dying
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
My guest in this episode is Dr Peter Brindley, an intensivist in Edmonton, Canada. Peter is a tenured full Professor of Critical Care Medicine, Anesth...
90 - Andrew Holt - Dealing with a progressive condition towards the end of a long & supportive career
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mastering Intensive Care is back after a long hiatus between episodes, and a fun divergence into a series about at athletic adventure. This episode fe...
Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 9
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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,...
Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 8
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 7
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 c...
Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 6
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 5
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 4
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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-pa...
Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 3
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
82 - Will Bonavia - An ICU trainee's perspective on learning, culture and wellbeing
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode features the wise perspectives of an Advanced Trainee in Intensive Care Medicine, Dr William Bonavia. The discussion covers: Why he chos...
Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 2
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 Aug...
80 - Tub Worthley - A pioneering "Grand Master" of intensive care
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode features the memories, experiences and wisdom of Dr Lindsay 'Tub' Worthley, AM. The discussion covers the following: Tub's training to b...
Mastering Intensive Challenges - Run Larapinta - Episode 1
14 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
78 - Chris Nickson - Modern & innovative clinician education
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode features the thoughts and perspectives of A/Prof Chris Nickson. The topics covered include: How Chris became an intensivist and then an ...
77 - Recovering from the pandemic
24 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 le...
Persevering Through A Pandemic - 6 - Learnings We Might Take Away
20 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode focuses on learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic. Important lessons our global Intensive Care community, your local ICU and you personally...
Persevering Through A Pandemic - 5 - 'Life' Support For Our People
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Intensive Care clinicians are used to being busy. Critically ill patients constantly arrive in the ICU with no awareness of staff workload at that mom...
Persevering Through A Pandemic - 4 - Best & Worst Year
06 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Persevering Through A Pandemic - 3 - Ultramarathon
29 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 comp...
Persevering Through A Pandemic - 2 - It Was Inconceivable
22 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 les...
Persevering Through A Pandemic - 1 - Sick Of COVID
15 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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? Conce...
Persevering Through A Pandemic - Series Trailer
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I'm trying something different on Mastering Intensive Care. Welcome to a special series named "Persevering Through A Pandemic". Aghast at the stories ...
69 - Emma Ridley - Advocacy, communication and leadership as an ICU dietitian
23 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mastering Intensive Care is back after a lengthy break with an episode featuring senior ICU dietitian Dr Emma Ridley. Emma is a Senior Research Fellow...
68 - David Tuxen - Making life and work fun (including ward rounds)
16 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode features Professor David Tuxen, a pioneer of Intensive Care in Australia, who recently retired after 38 years at the Alfred Hospital in M...
67 - Rupert Pearse - Responding to the stress and the strain of COVID-19 in the UK
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode the focus is on our Intensive Care friends in the UK and what they are going through right now with COVID-19. My guest is Rupert Pears...
66 - Todd Rice - Learning and teaching how to "not just do something, stand there"
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This wide-ranging episode, covering many angles of how we should consider doing less interventions to our patients and more transparent communication ...
65 - Five valuable lessons COVID-19 taught Intensive Care in 2020
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This first podcast episode of 2021 is my attempt to put into perspective at least some of what has happened over the whirlwind of the last 12 months. ...
64 - Roger Harris & Oliver Flower - The innovative educationalists behind SMACC and CODA
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Two inspiring and innovative educationalists, Dr Roger Harris and Dr Oliver Flower, are featured in this episode. Both of these Sydney intensivists ar...
63 - Naomi Pratt - A nurse practitioner's personal and debilitating experience of long COVID
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The guest on this episode is Nurse Practitioner Naomi Pratt who describes the lingering and harrowing effects of long COVID. Naomi is a Nurse Practiti...
62 - Steve Philpot - Communication, tribalism, shared decision making and the value of knowing you already know enough
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is a departure from recent conversations about COVID-19 material to cover some very important topics on the human side of what we do in t...
61 - A tribute to the global Intensive Care community for your COVID-19 efforts
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
2020 has been a roller coaster year and I wish to acknowledge my friends of the Intensive Care world for your outstanding and awe-inspiring efforts as...
60 - Simone Hannah-Clark - Firsthand COVID-19 clinical experience from a New York ICU nurse
20 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In many parts of the world the COVID-19 pandemic is overburdening Intensive Care Units with huge numbers of critically unwell patients, many of whom a...
59 - Steve McGloughlin - Preparing for the COVID-19 pandemic
19 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, this episode focuses on the pandemic planning all ICUs should be doing - if they haven't already been ov...
58 - We are all in COVID-19 together
15 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Our need to bring our best selves to work has become more important in the face of this COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe. Many intensive care clin...
57 - Georg Auzinger - Remembering to keep the patient at the centre of what we do
01 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Those of you who are consultant intensivists or attendings hopefully remember most of your trainees - especially the ones you met when you were a bran...
56 - What's in the February 2020 Journals to help you care
24 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode I talk about what's been recently published in the medical literature to help you master intensive care from a humanity point of view....
55 - Mervyn Singer - Career enjoyment, curiosity and a "can-do" attitude
16 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Anyone who has heard UK intensivist Prof Mervyn Singer speak at an Intensive Care conference will no doubt enjoy listening to him speak on this episod...
54 - Research success, end of life care, & clinical leadership pearls (Replay episode with Deborah Cook)
09 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Mastering Intensive Care podcast we replay a previous episode which featured Deborah Cook (broadcast originally as episode 46)....
53 - A passion to help patients fuelled by his own inpatient experience (Replay episode with Paul Wischmeyer)
26 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Mastering Intensive Care podcast we replay a previous episode which featured Paul Wischmeyer (broadcast originally as episode 3...
52 - Safer healthcare through human factors (Replay episode with Martin Bromiley)
19 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Mastering Intensive Care podcast we replay a previous episode which featured Martin Bromiley (broadcast originally as episode ...
51 - A Recap of Mastering Intensive Care in 2019
12 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year. Thanks for listening to Mastering Intensive Care in 2019. If you reflect on and put into action many of the perspectives shared on thi...
50 - Everybody has a story to tell on Mastering Intensive Care
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
To celebrate the 50 episode milestone, podcast host and intensivist Andrew Davies (yes that's me) is in the spotlight. Having started the show to lear...
49 - Hugh Montgomery - We've got to act right now
17 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Climate change is a conversation we need to be having in Intensive Care circles. Right now. If the environmental catastrophe that is unfolding around ...
48 - Laura Rock - Teaching and learning about communication
24 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Are you a good communicator? Can you identify the skills of optimal communication? Might you sometimes respond to emotion with facts? Communication i...
47 - Matt Morgan - Mixing science, history, emotion and humanity in telling Critical stories
23 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Have you visited any of your past patients or their families in their homes? Would this be difficult? What might you learn? Medicine is mostly a seri...
46 - Deborah Cook - The compassionate and world-leading Canadian granting wishes at end of life
29 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do for your patients around their dying experience? Do you celebrate their lives and support those left behind in grief? Could you bring m...
45 - Scott Weingart - Useful mental strategies of a thoughtful ED intensivist and hugely influential podcaster
22 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today's guest is Scott Weingart, the pioneer podcaster in the intensive care field through his EMCrit podcast. Scott is an ED Intensivist from New Yor...
44 - Geoff Toogood - From severe depression to mental health advocacy through #CrazySocks4Docs
24 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
To help raise awareness about #CrazySocks4Docs this episode's guest is Dr Geoff Toogood. Geoff is a Cardiologist at Peninsula Health and in Private Pr...
43 - Jo Stewart - Educating, leading, retaining and supporting Intensive Care nurses
12 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On International Nurses Day, please listen to Jo Stewart, the Clinical Nurse Unit Manager at the ICU in which I work - Frankston Hospital. On May 12th...
42 - Paul Young - Moving on as an ICU family after the death of a respected leader
26 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What it is like when a much loved and respected leader in your Intensive Care suddenly dies? And do you view the people you work with in your ICU as a...
41 - Rana Awdish - From In Shock to true connection with our patients
03 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you work in healthcare and haven't read the book "In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope" I really hope you w...
40 - Ed Litton - Exercise, adventure and excellent clinical care
04 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week's guest, Australian intensivist Dr Ed Litton, truly amazes and inspires me. Despite having a full-time clinical and research career, and a y...
39 - The Best of Mastering Intensive Care in 2018
20 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year. Here's hoping 2019 is a great one for you. Mastering Intensive Care is aimed to inspire and empower you, as an intensive care clinicia...
38 - June Goh - Leading by creating a family-like department culture (SG-ANZICS special episode)
23 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How well do you know your colleagues? How much do you socialise with them? Do you have an annual retreat for your colleagues and their families? Af...
37 - Michael O'Leary - Dealing with the frustrations of the changing ICU landscape (SG-ANZICS special episode)
06 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Our ICUs might be growing larger in size but there seem to be the same number of very sick patients to care for overall. All of which means we seem to...
36 - Hayley Gershengorn – Allocating ICU resources to optimise patient outcomes and job satisfaction
08 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What number of patients should an intensivist simultaneously care for to optimise outcomes? Is a system with different day and night intensivists best...
35 - Paul Wischmeyer - Never underestimate the simple things we do to our patients
28 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How did your patient feel that time you took several attempts to place a CVC? What might happen after a dose of haloperidol for delirium? In this c...
34 - Marianne Chapman – Keeping your focus of expertise purposefully narrow
12 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Do you have too many career interests outside of your basic clinical practice? Are your daily focus areas as few as three? Family, clinical and perhap...
33 - Wes Ely - Finding out what matters to our patients
23 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Do you spend time finding out what the "why" is for your patient? Have you considered it's not what is the matter with the patient but what matters to...
32 - Kate Harding - Losing Richard - What can we learn from her intensivist husband's shocking death?
27 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What is it like to witness an intensivist struggle? And what can we learn from the shocking death of an intensivist? This special Mastering Inte...
31 - Jean-Louis Vincent - The Intensive Care ward round should not be boring
12 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Is your ward round stimulating and educational? Do you help learning by creating debates on the ward round for and against the simple interventions...
30 - Francesca Rubulotta - Clinical simplicity, passionate leadership and educational innovation
29 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode you'll hear an invigorating conversation with Francesca Rubulotta. This power-packed, enthusiastic, passionate, water polo-play...
29 - Claire Davies - Listen to our intensive care nurses
10 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This week is International Nurses Week culminating in International Nurses Day on Saturday May 12th, the date on which Florence Nightingale was born. ...
28 - Simon Finfer - Querying clinical decisions and maintaining humanity in an intimidating environment
06 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Does each bedside decision you make actually help your patient to feel, function or survive? Have you considered how frightening and intimidating the ...
27 - John Santamaria - Genuine care for patients both during and after the ICU stay
08 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How well do you understand what happens to your patients after they leave the ICU? Do you find out how they go and feed this back to your ICU team? ...
26 - Peter Kruger - Does anecdotal experience help you provide better intensive care?
22 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How do you balance the use of your clinical experience with the literature-based evidence? Are you a good enough listener? Is the clinical handover in...
25 - Sarah Yong - Making an excellent start to an intensive care career
01 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What are the biggest challenges when beginning as a fully-fledged intensive care clinician? How do you best use your senior colleagues when your exper...
24 - The Best of Mastering Intensive Care in 2017 (Part 2)
17 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A year ago there was no such thing as the Mastering Intensive Care podcast. Now there are 21 separate interviews, each of which have helped me and see...
23 - The Best of Mastering Intensive Care in 2017 (Part 1)
03 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A year ago there was no such thing as the Mastering Intensive Care podcast. Now there are 22 episodes with 21 separate interviews, each of which have ...
22 - Felicity Hawker - A true female pioneer of Intensive Care
13 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week's Mastering Intensive Care podcast features Dr Felicity Hawker who is one of the true female pioneers of Intensive Care in Australia and New...
21 - Martin Bromiley - Turning tragedy into safer healthcare with attention to human factors (DasSMACC special episode)
01 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Are we truly making healthcare safer? Do we adequately understand human factors in how we work in hospitals? How would you respond if your partner die...
20 - Jack Iwashyna - ICU adventure camp, time-limited life support trials and regular talks with families (DasSMACC special episode)
10 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Do you play the role of the exemplary leader in the ICU? Are you charming, funny, friendly and extroverted – even when these aren't your natural per...
19 - Alex Psirides - Doing everything at the end of life (DasSMACC special episode)
26 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Are you receiving elderly intubated patients where someone else says they want "everything" done? Are the doctors who refer patients to intensive care...
18 - John Marshall - Getting patients out of the ICU as soon as we can
11 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Are your ICU patients ever in a holding pattern? Do you aim to liberate your patients from ICU as soon as possible? Is your caution about moving thing...
17 - Flavia Machado - Improving communication, saying "I don't know" and working with limited resources (DasSMACC special episode)
27 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Do you say "I don't know" when you really don't have an answer? Might seeking that knowledge help your patients? This is just one component of a wonde...
16 - Charles Gomersall - Training junior doctors in the BASIC practice of intensive care
13 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
How did you feel the first day you worked in ICU? Was it like walking on the moon? So foreign, because you didn't understand much about the machines, ...
15 - Peter Brindley - Human factors including being a good person, listening well and tackling burnout (DasSMACC special episode)
30 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Whilst the skills of applying life support and resuscitation take up most of our training, they are relatively easier to master than the skills that a...
14 - Brian Cuthbertson - On important non-technical skills like mentorship, teamwork and family meetings
23 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Do you think your procedural skills are more important than your ability to lead and to mentor? Do you have a department head who talks about your per...
13 - Sara Gray - Voices in my head (DasSMACC special episode)
16 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
What sort of things do you tell yourself when you are resuscitating a patient? Are you self-critical about your ability to deal with the situation? Is...
12 - Julia Wendon - Making the patient the centre of everything
09 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Is the patient the centre of every action you take in the ICU? Do you exude calm and enthusiastic energy and greet other team members warmly and genui...
11 - Colin McArthur - Superb career reflections on aspects like giving feedback, saying no and valuing intensive care nurses
26 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Do you give feedback to your intensive care colleagues when they do their job well? Have you become overscheduled because you have trouble saying no t...
10 - Imogen Mitchell - An intensivist and Dean of Medicine focused on communication and clinical decision-making
11 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Do you seek the relative at the bedside's help by asking them their opinion on whether their loved one is getting better or not? Do you even have fami...
9 - John Myburgh - The importance of the intensive care clinical ward round
26 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
How important is the main daily ward round we do each day in the Intensive Care Unit? Is the ward round in your ICU focused and concise? Do you adequa...
8 - Dianne Stephens - Developing a happy intensive care family by respecting and valuing everyone in the team
13 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Assoc Prof Dianne Stephens tells the story of how she moved to Darwin, a remote part of Australia, immediately after completing her intensive care tra...
7 - Charlie Corke - Communicating effectively to reach the best decision for your patient
30 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Assoc Prof Charlie Corke from Geelong, Australia outlines the importance of optimal communication in helping us arrive at the best decisions for our p...
6 - Craig French - Reflections of a contemporary and workplace culture-focused clinical director
16 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Assoc Prof Craig French from Western Health (where he is Director of Intensive Care) and Melbourne University in Melbourne, Australia ...
5 - Jamie Cooper - Managing your career over the long haul
02 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Prof Jamie Cooper from the Alfred Hospital and Monash University in Melbourne, Australia describes how purposeful management of our ow...
4 - Neil Orford - Seeking optimal communication, leadership and balance
18 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Assoc Prof Neil Orford from University Hospital Geelong in Geelong, Australia describes how he has had to learn key leadership skills,...
3 - Rinaldo Bellomo - Compassionate care combined with continuous enquiry
04 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Prof Rinaldo Bellomo from the Austin Hospital in Melbourne, Australia describes how he has always had an enquiring mind and how he jud...
2 - John Botha - Exemplary leadership in the ICU
21 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast Prof John Botha from Frankston Hospital in Melbourne, Australia discusses several aspects of exemplary leadership in the ICU. He talks...
1 - Introduction to Mastering Intensive Care
12 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This podcast was created to help and inspire intensive care clinicians to improve the care we give to our patients by providing interesting and though...