How to Be Calm in a Crisis

On my best days I remind myself to think look go to work be kind remember to do those things that I want to do in the huddle because I can easily turn up to work mindlessly and just get on with the ward round. One calm is contagious so when you are calm it helps other people being calm but also I think your bodily responses also feedback on your mind, he says. He adds: "I've always been lucky that I've had good positive self-talk"

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Episode notes

This episode features the thoughts and perspectives of A/Prof Chris Nickson.

The topics covered include:

How Chris became an intensivist and then an educator
How he began working on Life In The Fast Lane (LITFL)
The network of Clinical Educators he leads and the "Incubator" program
Simulation and debriefing
The current place of FOAM and podcasts in education
What he tries to achieve on his ward round
Clinical leadership, team dynamics and the necessity of psychological safety
The difficulties of fatigue and undervaluing sleep
Other aspects of personal wellbeing
His reading (including a book recommendation)
The future of Intensive Care, especially after COVID-19
Advice for new intensivists
Advice on teaching the human aspects of ICU

Chris Nickson is an Intensivist and ECMO specialist at the Alfred ICU in Melbourne and a Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University. He is the Lead for the ANZCEN Clinician Educator Incubator programme, a Director of the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Foundation, and a First Part Examiner for the College of Intensive Care Medicine. He is an internationally recognised Clinician Educator with a passion for helping clinicians learn and improving the clinical performance of individuals and collectives.

After finishing his medical degree at the University of Auckland, he continued post-graduate training in New Zealand as well as Australia's Northern Territory, Perth and Melbourne. He has completed fellowship training in intensive care medicine and emergency medicine; and post-graduate training in biochemistry, clinical toxicology, clinical epidemiology, and health professions education.

Chris is involved in the Alfred ICU's education and simulation programmes and runs the unit's education website, INTENSIVE. He created the 'Critically Ill Airway' course and teaches numerous courses worldwide. He is one of the founders of the FOAM movement (Free Open-Access Medical education) and is co-creator of litfl.com, the RAGE podcast, the Resuscitology course, and the SMACC conference.

His one great achievement is being the father of three amazing children.

On Twitter, he is @precordialthump.

Thanks for listening to my conversation with Chris Nickson.

Andrew Davies

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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to the Intensive Care bedside, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.

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Links related to Chris Nickson

Chris Nickson at Life In The Fast Lane

Chris Nickson on Twitter: @precordialthump

Chris Nickson on LinkedIn

Life In The Fast Lane

Intensive blog

Links to other resources (in order of mentioning)

David Galler

Mike Cadogan

Aequanimitas

Clinician Educator Incubator program