Mastering Intensive Care 002 with John Botha

In this Mastering Intensive Care podcast, Prof John Botha from Frankston Hospital in Melbourne, Australia discusses several aspects of exemplary leadership in the ICU.

Prof John Botha discusses why he was attracted to ICU; some of his early mentoring; how to learn from even difficult mentors; how an exceptional ICU environment requires trust, a sense of humour and respect for difference in opinion.

Prof John Botha highlights the importance of encouraging silence in critical clinical moments; the value of listening; the things out of the ICU that keep him from being stressed; the sense of deep connection to humanity he feels from managing the critically ill; what is required for high quality end of life care; and a method for managing other clinicians who may be more proactive with interventions.

My genuine hope with the Mastering Intensive Care podcast is to inspire and empower you to bring your best self to the ICU by listening to the perspectives of such thought-provoking guests as Wes Ely. I passionately believe we can all get better, both as carers and as people, so we can do our absolute best for those patients whose lives are truly in our hands.

Feel free to leave a comment on the Facebook “mastering intensive care” page, on the LITFL episode page, on Twitter using #masteringintensivecare, or by sending me an email at andrewATmasteringintensivecare.com.

Further reading and listening

• Full podcast collection on LITFL and Libsyn
• More conversation on Twitter (@andrewdavies66) and Facebook