Regional Anaesthesia at SCGH

Eligibility: ANZCA trainees in their provisional fellowship year, and senior trainees from the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada.

Depending on the applicant’s year of training, the base annual salary starts at $194,000 AUD with overtime pay in excess of this.

Fellows are required to work one half day a week and some evening and weekend shifts in clinical anaesthesia. The week also includes an office session to allow time to complete audits and research projects. Our six month fellowships are usually attached to a six month general fellowship to extend the employment to a 12 month period.

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The aim of the SCGH Fellowship is to produce regional anaesthesia “champions”, who are skilled to develop the regional anaesthesia services in their future hospital. This involves having experience and understanding the following

  1. Who to Block – Patient selection, Surgical consultation, Informed Consent
  2. How to Block – Safety, Ergonomics, Needling skills, Alternatives
  3. Optimising the Block – Additives, Rescue techniques, Step down analgesia, Integration with the Acute Pain Service (APS) and Chronic Pain Service.
  4. Closing the Loop – Follow up of patients, Managing complications, Patient information, staff education, Audit and Research. 
  5. Learning to Teach Regional Anaesthesia.
  6. How to set up a Regional Anaesthesia Service

 Most registrars in Perth will have experience well in excess of the minimal requirement set by the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetist and most are well positioned to start independent practice.  Our fellowship is not aimed at polishing these personal skills, but to develop a regional anaesthetist who can contribute to the growth of regional anaesthesia. The SCGH Aneasthesia department has been a leader in regional anaesthesia in both Perth and Australia. The department was an early adopter of ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia techniques and now has a large number of modern ultrasound machines.  Most blocks in the department are performed as ultrasound-guided procedures.  At least 30 of the 62 consultants in the department regularly practice ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia in their public or private practice. 8 consultants have completed regional anesthesia fellowships. There are approximately 1500 peripheral nerve blocks performed each year at SCGH.


SCGH employs four regional fellows each year, starting in February or August.  It is a 12 months fellowship with 6 months in Regional Anaesthesia and a 6 months General Fellowship, which can occur in either order.  During the 6 months general fellowship some time will be spent working in the chronic pain service. 

During the 6 months regional anaesthesia fellowship, fellows can expect the following weekly schedules

  • At least 2 full days of elective orthopaedic each week.  Normally the roster includes at least an additional trauma list.
  •  Most fellows will complete in excess of 300 blocks over the 6 months, plus half this number of central neuraxial blocks.  The majority of these procedures will occur in consultant lead lists, maximising the learning experience.  However it is stressed that the value of this fellowship is not the number of procedures, but quality of teaching received and the knowledge gained of how a full regional anaesthesia service works.
  • ½ day Acute Pain Service.  This round commonly follows the days of elective orthopaedics and allows follow up of patients and the ability to review the effectiveness of blocks and stepdown analgesia. The APS is run by an Acute or Chronic Pain consultant and is a very popular component of the fellowship.

Once experienced the fellow is expected to be able to lead this service when required.

  • ½ day non-clinical time
  • ½ day off – to take advantage of the fantastic weather, the wonderful beaches, and extensive water sports that Perth has to offer.
  • A share of after-hours roster (evening and weekend) with the other registrars.
  • No night shifts!

 The fellowship is open to Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists applicants in their last year of training (Provisional Fellow or ATY3).  For applicants from overseas training programs, the ‘last’ year of training is not a strict requirement, so long as the applicant has completed at least two years of advanced training. Interstate and overseas applications are encouraged as part of the department’s commitment to educational exchange.  Temporary Medical Board registration is available for overseas trainees taking part in a structured accredited training program.

The SCGH Regional Anaesthesia fellowship program was the first in Australia, starting in 2005.  The success of the program has seen it expand from 1 to 4 positions per year.  The application process is competitive and positions are filled with a mixture of local, interstate and international registrars.
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital is one of the main metropolitan tertiary hospitals in Perth, Western Australia.  The Hospital is 3km from the city, opposite the bushland of Kings Park and 9 km from Cottesloe beach.  The anaesthesia department covers about 18000 procedures per year in all adult surgical specialties except obstetrics and gynaecology.  There are 15 theatres in the main theatre suit, which includes an 1-2 elective orthopaedic, 1 emergency orthopaedic.  There is also 4-6 additional out of theatre anaesthetic areas. The department has 62 consultants (43 FTE), about 20-22 registrars in their first four years of training, and up to ten fellows, who are usually in their last year of training

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To apply, please send email to the fellowship supervisor, Dr Chris Mitchell mitchwa@gmail.com

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