All tagged Wellbeing
‘When you’re a trainee you may have difficult experiences such as exams or patient interactions, so finding support to overcome those is so important.’ The value of having a mentor through ACEM’s Mentor Connect program is explored as we talk to a mentor and a trainee who said mentoring provided her with invaluable support and made her more ‘resilient’.
‘Now it was my turn to be on the other side’. Retired Fellow Dr Alan Broomhead’s son Andy was involved in a motor bike accident late last year and had a right below knee amputation. The former Director of Emergency Medicine Training at Adelaide’s The Queen Elizabeth Hospital reflects on his family’s journey from the day of the accident to where his son is now, mobile on his prosthetic leg, the exceptional care he received in the ED and beyond, and how this experience has affected them all.
Later career FACEMs can continue to make a valued contribution to the specialty and patients - and it begins with reflection and having the conversation with family, friends, and colleagues. ACEM’s Statement for Later Career FACEMs provides guidance and support for career flexibility and longevity.
After spending a life balancing demanding clinical work with family responsibilities, retired FACEM Dr Diana Badcock now finds fulfilment in treasuring what she calls the essentials: ‘silence, stillness and solitude.’ Diana shares her insights on how to reclaim yourself and find genuine joy in retirement.
A precautionary MRI for an aching hip gave FACEM Dr Tariq Nehvi a new appreciation for what patients experience when facing the unknown.
After being an ED director and practicing emergency medicine for five decades, FACEM Dr Bryan Walpole one day came to the realisation that while he was ready for life beyond the ED, he still had more to give as a doctor. He decided to have an adventure, and he never looked back.
FACEM Dr Krupa Mehta, Staff Specialist at the Campbelltown Hospital and a Retrievalist for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and the Royal Flying Doctor Service, shares some insights with YourED about her pathway to becoming a recent Fellow.
Three years ago Albury Wodonga Health had just two ACEM trainees in its emergency department. Today it boasts eight trainees, with the regional ED becoming an option of choice for emergency physicians looking for career development opportunities.
This isn’t a piece about being nice. It’s about choice, about what it means to care when it is hard to care. Not when things are calm, but when someone’s screaming, the phone won’t stop, and another trolley rolls in. Because this is where it matters most.
ACEM Wellness Week ran from 8-14 June 2025. Read about what Mt Barker ED did to mark ACEM Wellness Week last year and how it still has an impact today.
ACEM’s mentoring program, Mentor Connect, matches participants with an EM colleague and provides support in their role as mentor or mentee. It’s a rewarding journey of learning and growth for both participants, and a chance to give back and share wisdom. Hear from a recent FACEM mentor/mentee about how they both benefitted from taking part.
For Retired Fellow Dr Bruce Lambie, saying goodbye to shiftwork in the ED means having more time to focus on his much-loved hobbies and interests.
“What do I do in retirement? My partner and I love travelling,” says FACEM Dr Paul Pielage. “I never wake in the morning and wonder how to fill my day. The whole retirement process was quite simple and painless.”
FACEM and “fitness addict” Dr Roxy Shahtahmasebi is grateful for the ability to be there for her two children while maintaining her sense of identity – “and sanity” – by working part-time.
“My greater goal is to use Wellness Week as a platform to create networks to support more sustainable wellness activity that helps everyone feel better and perform better,” says FACEM Dr Bishan Rajapakse as he and Dr Alison Robinson share what their ED teams are doing for Wellness Week – and beyond.
“Keeping people healthy is our job – but we must take the time to do it for ourselves too,” says Dr Rajesh Sehdev, as he and Dr Ina Schapiro share how they help drive wellness initiatives in their emergency departments.
“Wellness is not something I can do intermittently and store away for later,” writes FACEM Dr Amaali Lokuge. “My personal cup of wellness is usually completely depleted at the end of one emergency shift, so it needs to be replenished daily.”
As well as juggling work and parenthood, managing the ongoing education that a career in medicine requires is an important consideration that FACEM Dr Sara Towle says she’s “continuously working on”.
“I was the first person in my family to go to university and into medicine,” writes FACEM Dr Andy Tagg. “Everything I knew about being a doctor came from watching fictional doctors on TV shows.”
In some ways, writes Dr Juan Carlos Ascencio-Lane, working as an emergency physician perfectly mimics the random and chaotic multi-tasking necessary when you’re a parent with four young kids.
