Dr Shannon Mulder1,2, Dr Warren Adie2,3,4
1Emergency Department, Royal North Shore Hospital, NSW Health, 2Central Australian Retrieval Service, Alice Springs Hospital, NT Health, 3Emergency Department, Alice Springs Hospital, NT Health, 4Australasian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM)
Biography:
Dr. Shannon Mulder is an Emergency Medicine registrar at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, and Simulation Fellow at the Sydney Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre. She was a Prehospital and Retrieval registrar in Alice Springs (2024), where she completed her postgraduate Associateship in Prehospital and Retrieval Medicine – A(PHRM).
Her foundational emergency training was in South Africa, before an unconventional role in maritime medicine led her to Australian-based emergency medicine. Passionate about prehospital medicine, paediatrics, and medical education, she enjoys the challenge of working in remote environments, along with an interest in the non-technical skills that impact personal and team performance.
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Dr Warren Adie is an Emergency Physician and Retrieval Consultant working out of Alice Springs.
He is co-Director of Emergency Medicine Training, ACEM NT Regional Deputy Censor, Coordinator of the Associateship in Prehospital and Retrieval Medicine, Associate Professor at Charles Darwin University and has an interest in using bedside ultrasound as a pillar of patient management.
He has a passion for supporting the next generation of doctors choosing to work in rural and remote regions.
He loves good wine which is predominantly red, great music which is mostly from the last century and busting moves on the dance floor which is always compulsory.
Conflicts of Interest:
– Coordinator of the Associateship in Prehospital and Retrieval medicine (CARS)
– ACEM Site accreditor APHRM
– ACEM Co-DEMT ASH
– Associate Professor/Lecturer Graduate Certificate of Aeromedical Retrieval Charles Darwin University
Abstract:
The Central Australian Retrieval Service (CARS) in Alice Springs offers a distinctive training environment for Associateship in Prehospital and Retrieval Medicine (APHRM) candidates. Beyond standard aeromedical and road-based experiences through fixed-wing and road ambulance shifts, CARS uniquely integrates rostered time within the Medical Retrieval and Coordination Centre (MRaCC). This provides invaluable exposure to coordination, critical care telemedicine, and clinical governance structures through a regional and remote lens.
CARS’ success hinges on a robust multi-agency collaboration between CARS, the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), and St John Ambulance (SJA). Assessors from all agencies deliver direct and remote supervision, fostering a nuanced understanding of transport logistics and the power of inter-agency partnerships, all within a supportive learning environment.
Remote retrieval services often face limitations in direct face-to-face supervision due to staffing and roster structures. Furthermore, the predominantly urban, rotary-wing focus of the Australian APHRM framework and logbook requirements can inadvertently undervalue the breadth of prehospital experience gained in remote and rural settings.
This presentation, co-delivered by an APHRM candidate and a FACEM Medical Retrieval Consultant with experience in APHRM accreditation, will showcase how CARS has addressed these challenges to meet APHRM requirements. Real logbook examples and consultant perspective will explore the successes of this model and propose a transferable ‘Hub and Spoke’ approach to remote supervision and training.
Our aim is to champion this innovative model, demonstrating its potential to support APHRM accreditation for other remotely located Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine training sites, ultimately strengthening the workforce serving Australia’s most remote communities