About

A caring approach to anaesthesia and the experience behind it.

What characterises my practice isn't any single technique; it's a belief that the experience a patient has matters as much as the clinical outcome. My focus is not only on safety, but on helping patients settle, adjust, and move through their procedure with more ease.

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BMedSc (Tas), MBBS (Tas), GradDipEc (UNE), GDipLifestyleMed (JCU)
FANZCA FASLM
MHST FPS-ST
ASCH

The thinking behind
the practice

There are two things I pay attention to in every procedure: what's happening clinically, and what's happening for you as a person. In my experience, the two are inseparable. A patient who feels informed and settled tends to respond better (physiologically and emotionally) than one who doesn't. Through deliberate language, carefully chosen techniques, and an unwavering presence, I help patients move through their procedure in a way that feels guided rather than endured. And if I can bring order to that experience, then I’ve done what I’m here to do.

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Background

Shaped by experience

Before anaesthesia, I served as a Medical Officer in the Australian Army – deploying to East Timor, Afghanistan, and Indonesia, and posted to an aviation regiment where establishing effective medical care under pressure was simply expected.

That background shaped the way I think. The military taught me that every variable should be accounted for, that nothing should be left to assumption, and that continuous, unwavering presence matters. Those aren't just military values. They're the values I bring to every procedure.

My approach to patient care

Some of the areas that inform my approach to patient care.

Point-of-care ultrasound

I carry portable ultrasound equipment to procedures and use it where clinically appropriate to assist assessment, vascular access and other aspects of anaesthetic care.

Medical hypnosis

I incorporate evidence-informed hypnotic techniques into anaesthetic care where appropriate, particularly to support comfort, reduce procedural anxiety and influence the experience of sedation. These techniques are used as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, conventional anaesthetic care.

Lifestyle medicine

I hold a Graduate Diploma in Lifestyle Medicine and a Fellowship of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine – and where relevant, I use the pre-admission consultation to address factors that influence how well a patient handles major surgery and recovery.

Teaching

I contribute to teaching at Campbelltown Hospital, staying connected to the broader clinical environment and the next generation of practitioners.

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Qualifications, Training & Professional Associations

University qualifications

Bachelor of Medical Science — University of Tasmania, 1994
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery — University of Tasmania, 1997
Graduate Diploma of Economics — University of New England, 2014
Graduate Diploma of Lifestyle Medicine — James Cook University, 2023

Fellowships & professional memberships

Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, 2009
Fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, 2024

Full International Member of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis
Member of the Australian Society of Anaesthetists
Member of the Australian Medical Association
Associate Member of the Australian Society of Psychological Medicine

Clinical Hypnosis & Psychotherapy training

Dr Michael Yapko 60-hour Comprehensive Clinical Hypnosis and Strategic Psychotherapy Training
American Society of Clinical Hypnosis ongoing certification program
Professional Hypnotherapy Diploma — Jacquin Hypnosis Academy
GPMHCC Mental Health Skills Training Level 1
GPMHCC Focused Psychological Strategies Level 2
FPS-ST-ED Eating Disorders — ASPM CPD
Motivational Interviewing in Healthcare — Psychwire
CBT Foundations — Psychwire
Gastrointestinal Hypnosis Master Class — Rome Foundation

Other relevant formal training

Certificate of Clinician Performed Ultrasound (CCPU) — Rapid Cardiac Echo, ASUM, 2020
ADF Rotary Wing Aeromedical Evacuation Course, 2000
Royal Australian Air Force Aviation Medicine Course, 2000
ADF Medical Officers’ Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence Course, 2001