AMA VICDOC Autumn 2024 - Magazine - Page 59
C
hris graduated from medical school
in Edinburgh in 1964 and achieved his
Edinburgh Fellowship in Orthopaedics
in 1972. The positive impact of
orthopaedic surgery on quality of life
prompted Chris to choose this as his specialty.
Chris subsequently migrated to Australia and
received his Australian Fellowship in 1978.
He started work as an orthopaedic surgeon
at Western Health, then known as Footscray
Hospital, in 1978. In the 1970s the orthopaedic
unit at Footscray was a small ward and
looked after all age groups, including babies.
Often babies and young children would be
up in gallows traction in their cots to reduce
dislocated hips. At the time open surgery
on babies’ hips was also common. A lot of
patients treated in traction systems would
spend months in the hospital.
When Chris first started at Footscray
Hospital, the on-call rosters were one month
long and involved a lot of emergency surgery
during the night. Foostcray Hospital received
many serious trauma cases prior to the
establishment of the Level 1 trauma centres at
The Alfred and the Royal Melbourne Hospitals
in the late 1980s. The cases brought to the
Footscray Hospital included severe injuries
such as multiple fractures resulting from
major car accidents. This was very demanding
and exhausting for the surgeons involved, who
responded to these calls many nights in a row
while on-call, and then returned to operate
and attend outpatient clinics during the day.
Chris was head of the Orthopaedic Unit at
Western Health for 25 years, taking over from
Kevin King in 1985. In this role he oversaw
significant growth of the unit and the hospital,
a significant increase in research and many
new developments in orthopaedic techniques.
Chris was also the Footscray Football Club’s
orthopaedic surgeon for several years.
Chris was very active in the Australian
Orthopaedic Association, in particular the
training program. Today there are many
orthopaedic surgeons practicing in
Melbourne who have spent time training
under Chris’ supervision. Chris is a recipient
of a lifetime achievement award from the
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
for his services to the community of the
western suburbs.
Chris volunteered to become involved in the
AMA Victoria Peer Support Service in 2009
as he began to wind back his clinical and
leadership commitments. He reports “Being
a peer support volunteer has provided
me with the opportunity to give back to
the profession and use my experience and
knowledge to support the next generation
of doctors. As a surgeon who has supervised
many trainees and seen the difficulties they
experience, I was keen to use my familiarity
with the training program and the hospital
system to support doctors in training as
I can relate to their situation. While a lot
of the work in peer support is listening
and providing empathy, it really makes
a difference to be a doctor supporting a
doctor as we have a mutual understanding
as peers.” Chris also noted that orthopaedic
surgery does not have a good reputation for
psychological support but he really values
the satisfaction he received from supporting
his colleagues and helping them plan a
way forward when they are facing
difficult situations.
As the Peer Support volunteers remain
anonymous and keep a low profile about
their role it is only now that Chris has
stepped down from his role in the Peer
Support Service that AMA Victoria can
acknowledge the work undertaken by Chris
and by his fellow Peer Support volunteers.
Volunteers participate in a roster, making
themselves available to take calls, between
8am and 10pm every day of the year.
Doctors and medical students calling the
service generally are experiencing stress
about a broad range of issues. It can be
hard for doctors to reach out for help, hence
the anonymity of the Peer Support Service
which enhances confidentiality.
In retirement Chris has a large garden
to maintain, he will continue to play golf
regularly, spend time with his family and
travel more.
Peer Support Training is provided and the next
annual intake of volunteers is expected to take
place in mid-2023. The role is best suited to
experienced doctors who have the flexibility to
be on duty and take calls during the day.
—
The Peer Visitor Service is
proudly sponsored by VMIAL,
the name behind PSA Insurance.
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