Toni Medcalf Oration: The past 25 years of APLS in Australia 

Sat 22nd Oct
9.20am

Chris is a Paediatric Emergency Physician working in Sydney. He completed his degree at the University of Queensland and initially worked in a variety of sites from Townsville to Mt Isa then Richmond (Qld) and the Gold Coast. As a medical student he was licenced as an x-ray technician, one level below a radiographer and worked as nurse’s aide in his home-town of Dalby. He recalls defibrillating a woman so quickly in her VF arrhythmia that she screamed (maybe it wasn’t VF!)

He “fell into” paediatrics when completing a Diploma of Obstetrics at the Gold Coast Hospital. He commenced training in Paediatrics at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Brisbane, then moved to Sydney completing his training at Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick where he has remained since.

He was one of twelve candidates on the first Australian APLS course held in 1997 at Westmead. He continues to teach APLS but focuses more on the GIC as well as supporting Fiji with APLS and Generic Instructor Courses. Chris was part of the first faculty in New Zealand in 1998 and continues to support in New Zealand periodically.

He has been an APLS Board member and Chair, as well Board sub-committee member and Chair. Chris is a current member of the Instructor Development Committee.

Chris is renowned for his “post-it notes”, not answering emails and taking photos on APLS courses; all bar the first course! He enjoys trying to tell jokes, risky attempts at sarcastic humour and a good banter with Jane Stanford, the APLS Educator.

His passion now is with teaching, training and mentoring. Chris can be an emotional fellow but he’s not a bad chap.