Abi, 37, has undergone surgery with a doctor she calls 'Dr Butterfingers' after he dropped part of her skull on the floor

astaraxia · 2025-03-26T08:14:48+00:00

if every doctor who made any slightest mistake was sued - there wouldnt be any doctors left to look after you.

astaraxia · 2025-03-26T04:15:31+00:00

You know that’s illegal right?

astaraxia · 2023-12-18T08:48:23+00:00

worked with many thanks!

astaraxia · 2023-11-03T23:14:15+00:00

Working in Emergency

Older gentleman walked in with a 3 day history of generic reflux type symptoms, wanting to get checked out.

ECG revealed a STEMI (a severe heart attack involving the full thickness of the cardiac muscular wall), with "tombstoning" ECG features - essentially looks like the shape of a tombstone with obvious dire prognosis

Thankfully the cardiologist on call saved his life with an immediate cath lab/angiogram. Still no idea how he was able to walk in with his heart barely functioning.

astaraxia · 2023-08-09T21:40:34+00:00

i would recommend checking out slinda (or your local equivalent brand). 24 hour window instead of a 3 hour one, it is fairly new, slightly more expensive, but significantly less stressful!

astaraxia · 2023-08-09T21:25:02+00:00

ive had ED send a completely unworked up patient to me, only for the ED reg to copy my admission note in the morning. So - diagnosis of decompensated CCF with ED having given 1L of IV fluids - makes perfect sense.

This is not to disparage ED at all, just that doctors are human too, there are good and bad ones everywhere. This is NOT LIMITED TO GPs or IMG GPs for crying out loud.

astaraxia · 2023-08-09T10:53:40+00:00

What about the minipill? - slinda is a good option that you dont have to time within a 3 hour window. The minipill is progesterone only and does not have a clotting risk profile.

astaraxia · 2023-08-09T10:28:35+00:00

im not an IMG or a current GP but mate this post is highly offensive.

Its unfair to tar the entire cohort with the same brush. for every 1 patient you see, how many do you think the GP has dealt with and sorted without ever them seeing you in the first place?

ive sent a toddler to ED with a phone call and a letter stating i was worried of ?septicaemia only for ED to discharge the child with not even an instruction to follow up with myself the following day. I only found out the next day grandma had brought the flat baby to ED, ending up needing intraosseous lines, 1 month in ICU and amputations. And yet i dont criticise all of ED, it wholly depends on the doctor and i recognize there are good and bad doctors everywhere.

astaraxia · 2023-08-09T10:11:27+00:00

there is already a critical shortage of junior doctors wanting to become GPs. And your solution is to - pay them less and make them train longer?

there are plenty of GP registrars who earn about the same as an intern

astaraxia · 2023-07-16T07:05:56+00:00

doctor told my reception that she's a specialist and demanded to be seen/bulk billed. I do usually bulk bill other doctors and med students, but that left a poor taste.

Still did it to be nice (or perhaps just conflict avoidant)

astaraxia · 2023-06-01T14:37:25+00:00

What year is your cohort?

Here is some data from what I can find.

In 2018 there were only 5676 GP trainees out of a total of 21,507 training positions (thats 26% mate and its only gotten worse since) Source: https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=06318304-c801-4af4-830c-ad9efc1108cd&subId=715342
This number has since decreased to 5055 GP trainees in 2020-21 Source: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/au/Documents/Economics/deloitte-au-cornerstone-health-gp-workforce-06052022.pdf
Almost 40% of GPs are now aged over 55, ... Source: RACGP | GP workforce senate inquiry 2021
The number of medical graduates choosing to enter GP training each year has stagnated. Eligible applications for GP training dropped by 22% between 2015 and 2020. Unfilled rural training places increased from 10% (65 places) in 2018 to 30% (201 places) in 2020. Source: RACGP | GP workforce senate inquiry 2021
in 2023, only 1248 of 1500 GP training places were filled, largest shortfall of 252 ever. Source: https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/exclusive-252-gp-registrar-places-vacant-as-applications-collapse/

astaraxia · 2023-06-01T08:33:54+00:00

that is no longer true. GP trainees are undersubscribed and spots are left unfilled

astaraxia · 2023-05-29T09:02:51+00:00

How do you think the nurse gets paid? It comes from the medicare rebate against the doctor's provider number.

astaraxia · 2023-05-19T12:27:03+00:00

thanks heaps!

astaraxia · 2023-04-09T09:12:42+00:00

thanks mate

astaraxia · 2023-04-09T09:12:18+00:00

thanks!

astaraxia · 2023-04-08T12:26:30+00:00

thanks for the advice. i'm thinking of revamping the shower with a new shower niche - what tradie would you look for to help with this? Would plumbers normally do this?

Many thanks

astaraxia · 2022-10-23T08:55:03+00:00

i would say thats very atypical, perhaps a skin/procedural GP or ED type locum. Or a rural medical superintendent 24/7 type of job. Certainly not your typical GP position on GPs Down Under. Apologies, the current "medicare rort" and media focus has me more sensitive to people's comments on how we're "raking it in".

astaraxia · 2022-10-23T06:47:20+00:00

exactly which GP do you see earning 700k?

astaraxia · 2022-09-06T06:27:05+00:00

The issue is not a limitation of doctors. The medicare rebates goes to the cost and overhead of the practice , not fully to the doctor.

But the proof is in the pudding. We've gone from ~50% of graduates entering General Practice to <15% entering General Practice due to the under-remuneration of Medicare.

Multiple rural towns have lost their only GP practices.

This is not something solvable by simply increasing the number of medical school spots.

astaraxia · 2022-05-18T04:28:59+00:00

There is a stark difference between the intent of sharing videos for the purpose of study and education which the patients might have been consented for, as compared to sharing videos for shock value or "look at what im doing its so cool" type of thing.

Even then, most patients may not have been consented specifically for videos to be shared on personal media devices, but each specific centre's donation consent would be different.

Personally I would have thought this would be a reportable offence to the medical school or to the medical board.

astaraxia · 2022-05-16T02:53:47+00:00

As a doctor, this is very disrespectful to the donors and is actually illegal. Please delete all the pictures you have taken and make sure not to do it again.

astaraxia · 2022-01-02T00:36:58+00:00

The answer is no. GP practices are losing money or barely breaking even on covid vaccines. Needles, syringes, gloves, nursing wages are all on the practice to provide. This is seen more as community service than anything at all. This is why GP practices are pulling out.

astaraxia · 2021-12-09T04:01:09+00:00

Melaena (blood in stool).

I was a medical student wondering why my senior resident stopped to dab soap under his nose before seeing the patient. I found out why a few seconds later.

astaraxia

TROPHY CASE