Obstetric Anaesthesia Fellowship

The obstetric anaesthesia fellowship post is a 12month position, and is accredited for the ANZCA PF year.  The focus of the fellowship is increased exposure to obstetrics, particularly high risk obstetrics. 

There is a significant high risk obstetric population in the Waikato catchment area, and there are systems set up to identify and manage these women safety.  High BMI patients are commonplace, and the large catchment area offers exposure to a range of comorbidities and abnormal placentations.

On average, the fellow will have 3-4 sessions in obstetrics each week, split between Delivery Suite, elective Caesarean Section lists, and the High Risk Obstetric Clinic.  The fellow also attends and represents the Anaesthetic Department at the High Risk Obstetric MDT meeting.

The fellow has 2 sessions of non-clinical time per week, apportioned to allow them to achieve their research, audit and educational requirements.  They will also be rostered to non-obstetric lists in our main theatre suite.  As we are a large tertiary-referral centre hospital, this means that the fellow can maintain a broad skill-base in acute, elective and trauma cases as they move into consultant practice, and is a unique feature of a fellowship at Waikato Hospital.

The fellowship will consist of:

• A regular weekly session as anaesthetist in Delivery Suite where the fellow will be the anaesthetist primarily responsible for the anaesthetic management of women requiring labour analgesia, caesarean sections, or other peripartum obstetric procedures. The fellow will also be involved in the assessment and management of high risk antenatal patients on the ward, the Delivery Suite, High Dependency Unit (HDU), and the Women’s Assessment Unit.

• Participation in the High Risk Obstetric Anaesthetic Clinic where the fellow will have the opportunity to see and assess women with high risk pregnancies or significant medical conditions and make plans for the anaesthetic and medical management.  Work in the High Risk clinic is well supported, and it is encouraged that the fellow takes the lead in running this clinic.  In addition, the fellow attends the High Risk MDT meeting fortnightly to follow high risk patients.  The anaesthetic rostering team are supportive and flexible, allowing the fellow to be involved in the operative care of these patients also.

• There is an expectation that the fellow will undertake an audit or research project.  Quality improvement activities are encouraged by both the Anaesthetic and Obstetric services, often in collaboration.

• Attendance at relevant courses and conferences (such as, but not limited to, MOET, Sol Schnider Obstetric Conference, ANZCA Obstetrics SIG meeting) is encouraged and will be funded as per the ASMS contract for consultant CPD.

• Teaching. This may be in the form of formal Part 1/2 teaching for anaesthetic registrars, teaching sessions with obstetric medical staff, or midwives for epidural recertification and other topics of anaesthetic or medical relevance.

• Participation on the fellow afterhours roster (evening shifts).  There is no night component to this roster.  As part of the transition to a senior role, the fellow is progressively rostered to the duty anaesthetist role, as ‘first on’ consultant for the evening.

• Acute, elective and trauma lists in the main theatre suite, either as primary anaesthetist or as second anaesthetist paired up with a consultant. Regular lists in specialty areas of interest beyond obstetrics may be available.