ETM Course Podcast

The prehospital management of trauma has undergone what can only be described as a revolution over the last two decades. From humble beginnings, PHaRM has become a specialty in its own right, and the standard and complexity of critical trauma care that can be delivered prior to the patient arriving at hospital is simply mind blowing, with patients now arriving partly or wholly resuscitated, and hospital teams have had to up their game to receive these patients. We are so fortunate to have some of the most humble, yet most experienced and skilled clinicans in the world who work in this space in Australia, and we are proud to bring you the inaugural ETM webinar starrring several of them.

Join ETM Director Andy Buck and our panel of experts including: Libby Hanrahan, (NSW), Gary Berkowitz (QLD), Dave Tingey (SA), Paul Reeves (NT) and Samantha Bendall (NSW) as they discuss:

Notification, preparation and travel to the scene – what do the experts think about/plan for on the way to a trauma job?
Trauma scene and patient assessment – how does an expert approach a scene, and assess a trauma patient?
Critical care in the air – what’s changed over the last decade in pre-hospital trauma treatments?
Short vs long distance trauma transports – what’s different between inner-urban and rural/remote trauma transports in Australia?

Over 800 people from 23 countries registered for this webinar, which reflects the calibre of the speakers and there so many pearls of wisdom shared. This is a long episode at just over 1.5 hours, but we're sure you'll enjoy every minute.

In this episode we interview world leading teamwork expert Dr Scott Tannenbaum, co-author of the journal article that formed the foundation for the team model taught on the ETM Course, as well as the more recent book Teams That Work - The Seven Drivers of Team Effectiveness, which is the most comprehensive and practically usefual resource for anyone who works in or with teams, and wants know what really makes teams work. Scott has spent decades researching, publishing and consulting on teams and teamwork across mulitple industries, and  in this interview shares his deep insights and wisdom, with a focus on healthcare, Emergency Department and Trauma teams. 

Dr Scott Tannenbaum has a PhD in Industrial & Organizational Psychology with particular expertise in the areas of team effectiveness, learning, and change. He is president of the Group for Organizational Effectiveness, where he has supported more than 600 organizations globally, and his research has been cited more than 27,000 times, having advised, coached, and researched all types of teams, including corporate, medical, and military teams, as well as more “extreme” teams, such as smoke jumpers, deep sea dive teams, and aerospace crews.

We highly recommend Teams That Work, and if your local book store can't order it in for you, you can get it here:

teamsthatwork.com

The Nile Books (AU)

Booktopia (AU)

Oxford University Press

Amazon (AU)

Amazon

Audible (Audiobook)

Code Brown is a nationally recognised code for an external emergency that threatens to overwhelm the capability or capacity of a hospital. On December 14th 2025, several hospitals in Sydney activated their code brown procedure in response to the Bondi Beach shooting attack. Dr Matt Oliver is an Emergency Physician and Co-Director of Trauma at Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital, one of Sydney's Major Trauma Centres, and was on duty in the ED when this situation unfolded. In this episode Matt describes how a Code Brown, or Mass Casualty Incident unfolds in real life, in an Australian Major Trauma Centre. Matt provides a unique insight into what actually happens before, during and after a Code Brown/Mass Casualty Incident, tips for clinicians and hospitals on preparing for these events, and some really useful, practical pearls that came from being directly involved in treating patients on this day, and in the days and weeks that followed.

PLEASE NOTE: Code Browns and Mass Casaulty Incidents are rare events. The purpose of this episode is to educate clinical staff in hospitals about how these events unfold, to share experience and provide expert insights from a senior clinician who was directly involved in this event. Out of respect for the victims, their families, witnesses, first-aiders, the Bondi Life Guards, first responders including Paramedics and Police, hospital clinicians, and anyone else directly or indirectly affected by this tragedy, we do not discuss any individual cases, nor any specific clinical situations that could indentify any of the victims.

ETM would like to formally acknowledge the bravery, skill, compassion and care displayed by all who helped on this day, as well as commend everyone in the NSW Health System for being able to provide such a high level trauma care to so many people in what was an incredibly demanding and stressful situation. If you live in NSW and need support related to this incident, the NSW Government has provided a large list of resources/supports you can access here: https://www.nsw.gov.au/nsw-government/bondi-beach-attack

In this episode of the ETM Course Podcast we talk to Dr Chris Partyka, Emergency Physician and Prehospital and Retrieval Specialist from Sydney and lead author for the recently published SABRE trial which compared Serratus Anterior Plane Blocks to a standard analgesia package for patients with rib fractures. This was a really well designed and executed study, and the results will be practice changing for anyone who treats trauma patients.  In this episode we drill down into the design, execution and results of the study, and discuss the benefits of using this block as well as some tips on how to introduce this procedure into your ED in a structured and safe fashion.

You can access the article here:

Serratus Anterior Plane Blocks for Early Rib Fracture Pain Management The SABRE Randomized Clinical Trial

We have finally re-booted the ETM Course Podcast after a long hiatus, and for our first episode back we have a very special guest, Dr Christine Bowles. Chris is a FACEM but is also a Trauma Physician working on the inpatient Trauma Service at one of Sydney's Major Trauma Centres. We talk in detail about the evolution of the "Trauma Physician" role and Emergency Physicians working on inpatient trauma services, the skill-mix they bring to the job and some of the challenges of working in a traditionally "surgeons only" niche. Chris also tells us about her exciting work with the University of Sydney developing and launching modules on Major Trauma and Advanced Trauma management, and plans for an upcoming module specifically for those who want to work as inpatient Trauma Physicians, which to date there has been no formal training program for.

Huge thanks to Chris for being our first guest on the new-look, reinvigorated ETM Course Podcast!

If you're interested in taking your trauma knowledge and skills to the next level, check out these units from the Masters of Critical Care at University of Sydney. 

CRIT5016: Major Trauma Management

CRIT5019: Advanced Trauma Management