Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists

29/01/2026

When Dr Cristy Rowe’s alarm sounds in the early hours of a Darwin morning, she’s never quite sure what the day will bring. Within minutes she could be airborne − heading hundreds of kilometres across the Northern Territory to retrieve a critically ill patient from a remote community or hospital.

Dr Rowe is one of two ANZCA trainees currently working as registrars with CareFlight Top End, the aeromedical retrieval service based in Darwin. Alongside fellow registrar Dr Max Margalit, she is spending six months with the service as part of her final year of anaesthesia training.

Both doctors say the experience has been one of the most challenging and rewarding of their careers.

“Anaesthesia gives you such a strong foundation in airway management, resuscitation, and critical care physiology,” Dr Rowe says.

“Out here, you use all of that but you’re also operating with limited resources, often in very small teams. It really develops your adaptability and your non-technical skills.”

That adaptability can be crucial. A typical shift may involve several flights to retrieve multiple patients based on clinical need, all while the logistics team and pilots are balancing factors such as flight hours and weather conditions.

CareFlight’s retrieval teams usually comprise just two clinicians − a doctor and a highly skilled flight nurse − working alongside the pilots or helicopter crew.

“You can’t press a buzzer and call for help,” Dr Margalit says.

“So the induction training is very rigorous. There’s a huge focus on simulation, planning and minimising human error. It’s about making sure you can safely manage those uncommon but high-acuity situations.”

That preparation is essential for the diverse range of missions CareFlight undertakes.

Both registrars note the unique professional mix within the Darwin base. Registrars rotate through from anaesthesia, emergency medicine and intensive care, and the retrieval consultants hail from those same disciplines.

The registrars also undertake regular education and simulation days at the Darwin base, reinforcing the clinical and procedural skills needed for such diverse retrievals.

Both Dr Rowe and Dr Margalit encourage other ANZCA trainees to consider a CareFlight rotation if the opportunity arises.

Read the full story in the latest ANZCA Bulletin: https://bit.ly/45Ev6Fb

24/12/2025

The college will be closed from 2pm (AEDT) on Wednesday 24 December until Monday 5 January 2026. We wish you a happy and safe festive season!

22/12/2025

ANZCA President Professor Dave Story was interviewed by the ABC about patients not declaring their use of GLP-1 receptor agonists ahead of surgery. Professor Story highlighted the potentially life-threatening consequences to patients, and urged them to be honest with their doctors about the medications they are on.

🎧 Listen to the interview here: https://bit.ly/4pP6vFw
📰 Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4p2SG5b

Doctors say they are forced to delay some procedures due to the risk of serious consequences for patients on Ozempic-like drugs.

18/12/2025

The latest edition of the ANZCA Bulletin is out now!

Meet the ANZCA trainees flying high with CareFlight NT in Darwin; a new professional document on practitioner substance use disorder for use in anaesthesia departments and practices; read about the projects our 2026 ANZCA Foundation research grants are funding; and much more.

Read it here: https://bit.ly/4pOIzSO

11/12/2025

Professor Mary Ellen McCann is the ASM Organising Committee Visitor at the 2026 ANZCA ASM in Auckland . She has been a paediatric anaesthesiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital for more than 30 years and is a Professor of Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School.

Her clinical research has focused on the safety of general anaesthesia and sedatives with regard to the neurodevelopmental outcomes of human infants and toddlers. She has collaborated and led several multinational outcome studies including the GAS trial which determined that short to medium length general anaesthetic exposure early in life did not increase the risk of poor neurodevelopmental outcomes compared with awake regional anaesthesia exposure.

Catch Professor McCann speaking at plenary session two on anaesthesia for the infant vulnerable brain, in the neuroanaesthesia SIG session on cerebral perfusion pressure in the neonate and infant, and at plenary session four on work/family balance.

Find out more here: https://bit.ly/48MH14y

09/12/2025

Anaesthetists and pain medicine specialists need quick access to evidence, whether you’re in the hospital, commuting or at home.

LibKey Nomad is a browser extension available through the ANZCA Library that makes finding full-text articles simple and fast. No extra log-ins, no wasted time.

Why use LibKey Nomad?
• Instant access to full-text articles on publisher websites, PubMed and more.
• Seamless integration with ANZCA Library resources.
• Saves time by reducing manual searching and log-in steps.
• Works anywhere: hospital, home or while travelling.

See how easy it is to install and use LibKey Nomad: https://bit.ly/3Ko0CQq
Install now: https://bit.ly/44boU6U

05/12/2025

The call for abstracts for the Malcolm Fisher Prize is closing soon! Submit an abstract relating to perioperative allergy or anaphylaxis by 11.59pm on Monday 15 December for your chance to present at the 2026 ANZAAG (Australian and New Zealand Anaesthetic Allergy Group) Symposium.

The authors of the five best abstracts will be invited to present at the Malcolm Fisher Prize session, receiving complimentary meeting registration and additional financial assistance to attend the symposium. Remaining abstracts will be published in the meeting app and will be available for viewing as ePosters at the meeting.

The best presentation will be awarded the Malcolm Fisher Prize, worth A$1000.

Find more details here: https://bit.ly/4iYa4qB

03/12/2025

MyPortfolio is now live and ready to use!

MyPortfolio has officially replaced the anaesthesia training portfolio system (TPS).

The ANZCA website and portal, as well as your saved TPS links will automatically redirect you to MyPortfolio. We've also migrated all trainee data across from TPS.

We're committed to continuously improving our systems so feel free to share your feedback. Look out for further enhancements in 2026.

Got questions? Head to our FAQs page:

Everything trainees and supervisors need to know about our new cloud-based training platform, MyPortfolio, due to replace the Trainee Portfolio System (TPS) in November 2025.

01/12/2025

Registration is now open for the 2026 FPM Symposium! Join us on Friday 1 May in Auckland. We'll focus on the science that underpins the practice of pain medicine and the importance of high-quality, evidence-based pain management solutions in achieving brighter futures for our patients.

Find out more and register here: https://bit.ly/49PJDRm

01/12/2025

Registration is now open for the 2026 ANZCA ASM, taking place in Auckland from 1–5 May!

So, as the year draws to a close make sure you…
1. Check out the ASM program and bookmark your “must dos”: https://bit.ly/4rl1Dcx
2. Request your leave.
3. Book your flights and accommodation.
4. Register now!
5. And get ready to embark on a journey – “Herenga waka herenga tāngata: From home to home.”

Register here now: https://bit.ly/4pbzm6T

01/12/2025

We spoke to the FPM Dean Dr Dilip Kapur during one of his monthly visits to the Port Lincoln Aboriginal Health Service (PLAHS).

In 2021, the South Australian Rural Doctors Workforce Association sought to expand their chronic disease program for First Nations communities and Dr Kapur was invited to provide specialist support.

For First Nations communities across Australia, chronic pain is often a silent companion to chronic disease − frequently under-recognised and under-treated.

Find out how PLAHS and Dr Kapur are working to help the local First Nations communities across the Eyre Peninsula have a culturally safe place to seek support for chronic pain.

We spoke to the Faculty of Pain Medicine Dean Dr Dilip Kapur during one of his monthly visits to the Port Lincoln Aboriginal Health Service (PLAHS). In 2021,...