In this episode of The Thought Broadcast, Australasian Psychiatry's Dr Ed Miller, Dr Andrew Amos and Dr Michael Weightman discuss the relevance of psychiatric journal clubs and the importance that psychiatric professionals of all stages should place on knowing how to critique scientific papers. They discuss the history of journal clubs in medicine and some of the common flaws of academic publishing that can be mitigated by knowing how to critique scientific papers. They also consider best...

In this episode, Australasian Psychiatry's Trainee Editor Dr Ed Miller of the Thought Broadcast interviews Dr Mark Lawrence who shares his personal experiences of racism and challenges growing up as a Māori in New Zealand. He discusses the impact of colonization on indigenous communities and the need for open conversations about racism. Mark also highlights the importance of addressing racism within the medical profession and the need for cultural sensitivity and understanding in psychiatric...

In this two-part episode, the Thought Broadcast interviews the RANZCP’s Appointed Trainee Board Director, Dr Ava Carter. Dr Carter is dual qualified in dentistry and medicine, and is currently the consultation liaison advanced trainee and senior psychiatric registrar at Canberra Health Services in the Australian Capital Territory. She’s been involved with the College since beginning her training. In this podcast Dr Carter discusses her personal background, as well the nature and goals for her...

In this two-part episode, the Thought Broadcast interviews the RANZCP’s Appointed Trainee Board Director, Dr Ava Carter. Dr Carter is dual qualified in dentistry and medicine, and is currently the consultation liaison advanced trainee and senior psychiatric registrar at Canberra Health Services in the Australian Capital Territory. She’s been involved with the College since beginning her training. In this podcast Dr Carter discusses her personal background, as well the nature and goals for her...

The 2023 RANZCP Congress was held in Perth in May this year, on the theme New Horizons, Connected Futures. With almost 1800 delegates in Perth and over 450 online, it was the biggest Congress yet! Ashna Basu and Andrew Amos chatted to delegates with a roving mic, covering their stories, thoughts on the talks, and even the experience of bringing a child to Congress! Music: https://freesound.org/people/ShadyDave/sounds/277375/  Logo: Sidonie Prentice Disclaimer:  This podcast is provided to...

The RANZCP has recently stopped conducting OSCE examinations in the hope of diversifying the examination and assessment pathway. In this two part episode, recorded at the RANCZP 2023 annual congress in Perth, Dr Nick O’Connor, RANZCP Board Director and head of the RANZCP Education Committee, discusses these changes with Australasian Psychiatry’s Trainee Editor, Dr Ed Miller. The discussion ranges from the history of the RANZCP OSCE examinations, why the recent changes were enacted, and future...

The RANZCP has recently stopped conducting OSCE examinations in the hope of diversifying the examination and assessment pathway. In this two part episode, recorded at the RANCZP 2023 annual congress in Perth, Dr Nick O’Connor, RANZCP Board Director and head of the RANZCP Education Committee, discusses these changes with Australasian Psychiatry’s Trainee Editor, Dr Ed Miller. The discussion ranges from the history of the RANZCP OSCE examinations, why the recent changes were enacted, and future...

In this episode, we welcome and introduce Australasian Psychiatry’s two new Associate Trainee Editors for 2023 - Dr Ashna Basu and Dr Ed Miller. Ashna is a stage two trainee working in Sydney. Ed is a stage two trainee originally from Adelaide but now living in Auckland. Ashna and Ed discuss their backgrounds, what the interview and appointment process to the position was like, and how they look forward to contributing to both the podcast and the Australasian Psychiatry journal across 2023....

The second instalment from Dr Zoe Kristensen and Dr Theo McTigue shifts focus from training to treatment of trans and non-binary people. Treatment being discussed in the broadest sense of the word. With the authority of lived experience, Zoe and Theo offer a critique of psychiatry’s historical mistreatment of gender diversity, placing this in the sociocultural context of the day. They also summarise approaches to the treatment of mental illness within this vulnerable population across the...

Dr Zoe Kristensen and Dr Theo McTigue are pioneers. As trans and non-binary people respectively, they are living, working, and training openly in psychiatry. In years gone by, and indeed even now, there are risks associated with this visibility. Zoe and Theo explore these in depth; being pathologized, excluded, and othered. They also speak to signals of change and of allies in unexpected places. This conversation should encourage trainees and fellows of any gender to ask, if they don’t know...

 Dr Pramudie Gunaratne is a newly appointed director of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP); the first ever from the trainee cohort. Representative of a new era in RANZCP governance, Pramudie has gone straight to work engaging stakeholders across the training region. Canvassing this trainee group has identified a deficit in trainee engagement and uncertainty around the proposed changes to trainee education. Listen as Pramudie articulates these concerns and...

A year since first release, The Thought Broadcast has discussed the Scholarly Project in detail. The aim of demystifying this learning goal has been perused, and perhaps achieved. This round table discussion revisits the lessons learned from our previous episodes on the Scholarly Project. Serving both as summary for regular listeners and an introduction for new ones. Leading the conversation is Trainee Editor Oliver Robertson, who is joined by Associate Trainee Editors Michael Weightman and...

Starting her family in Europe, Dr Sonja Cabarkapa is taking an international approach to her psychiatry training. This requires a positive mindset and determination, both of which she employed when completing her scholarly project on profiling absconders from public and private wards in Australia. While Sonja has a global attitude to life and training, her research has a distinctly local focus. The idea forming in the aftermath of a critical incident, and the subsequent work driven by a...

Further exploring the fallout of the aborted November 2021 Audio-Visual Objective Structured Clinical Examination (AVOSCE), this episode of The Thought Broadcast considers the trainee perspective. The panel speaks to Dr Skye Kinder, a strong trainee advocate and former member of the Trainee Representative Committee (TRC). Dr Kinder discusses the impact of the AVOSCE cancellation on trainees (especially women), perceptions of the College’s response, and constructive criticisms of the path...

Following a series of podcasts exploring trainees’ experiences of the Scholarly Project assessment task, the latest episode of The Thought Broadcast shifts focus to the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). In response to the imbroglio arising from the failed delivery of the November 2021 audiovisual OSCE, we speak to Dr Nick O’Connor – RANZCP board member, and Chair of the Education Committee. Dr O’Connor provides candid responses to questions relating to how and why the AVOSCE...

Dr Alisha Thomson takes trainee welfare personally. Her journey from psychiatry trainee, to patient, to a career in medical administration, is the backdrop to her scholarly project looking at after-hours workflow and its impact on registrar well-being. Listen to Alisha speak passionately about her drive to build healthy and effective workplaces in Australian hospitals. She also highlights the novice investigator’s tendency for non-specific data collection and emphasises the benefits of...

In this episode, guest Dr Malcolm Forbes tells the story of his scholarly project on neuroimaging in first episode psychosis (1, 2) and provides a how to guide on the systematic review process (3). With its origins in his former life as a general medical registrar, Malcolm’s project challenged conventional wisdom and shows trainees that their work can have global significance. Malcolm is joined by a full complement of Associate Trainee Editors in Michael Weightman and Bryan Bui, along with...

This episode is a continuation of episode two Start Early, the interview with chair of the Scholarly Project Subcommittee Assoc. Professor Jeremy Couper. In this extended discussion, Jeremy covers the exemption pathway in greater depth. Then, along with panel member Andrew Amos, Jeremy offers guidance around the publication cycle and identifies ways that supervisors and trainees can troubleshoot faltering projects. The conversation moves to ideas on how trainees can support one another in the...

The second episode of the series welcomes Assoc. Professor Jeremy Couper, chair of the Scholarly Project Subcommittee, to provide trainees with valuable insights into the make-up of successful projects. Jeremy offers an open discussion on the expectations of the college, common trainee pitfalls, and tips for completing and submitting work of publishable standard. Not only for trainees, this primer will also be appreciated by supervisors who are looking to maximise the output of their...

The first episode of this trainee generated podcast series explores the journey of an original research project from real-world clinical observation through to publication. Focussing on the scholarly project of podcast co-creator and Associate Trainee Editor of Australasian Psychiatry Dr Bryan Bui(1), the conversation demonstrates how trainees can find meaningful research opportunities in their routine clinical care. Dr Bui is also candid about the challenges, and great benefits, of...