Careers

Interview-Dr Anthony Concannon

Dr Anthony Concannon

Anthony Concannon was the Chief Resident at Starship Children’s Hospital in 2011. Read more to find out why he became a Paediatrician and what makes this speciality so attractive….

I was born in Auckland and have done almost all my training in New Zealand. I spent a year at Starship Children's Hospital as a House Officer which made me decide that this was the career pathway for me. The combination of looking after sick children who get better quickly and children with more complicated backgrounds has made this speciality both challenging and rewarding.

I graduated from Auckland Medical School in 2000 and did my first House Officer year at North Shore Hospital. I spent a year at Starship then travelled extensively before completing my basic and most of advanced training in the Auckland region. I completed my training with a 6 months rural attachment in Mackay before moving to Melbourne for 12 months at Monash Children's Hospital where I began dual training in Rheumatology. Working in different countries has given me greater appreciation for Auckland's beaches and outdoors and the accessibility to all tertiary services. Working at Starship gives you exposure to a general and a variety of sub speciality medicine in conjunction with a well resourced, supervised and supported Children's ED. I think one of the biggest differences between working in Melbourne and Auckland is the computerised patient management systems; which allow you to do online bookings, review investigations, and retrieve patient information within a single system, which is a major plus. We also have a new RMO lounge where you can relax and watch TV as well as opportunities to socialise outside of work - regular drinks after work, mid & end of year parties, post exam celebrations etc.

If you are thinking of a career in Paediatrics, I would definitely recommend SHO's to do as many runs in Paediatrics as possible, encourage you to put lines in when possible and get as much exposure to seeing children, even in mixed emergency department settings.

One of the great things about working in Paediatrics and especially at Starship is the teaching and research opportunities. House Officer teaching is protected for 1 hour a week. This is Registrar-led and includes basic prescribing, IV Fluids analgesia as well as an overview of common paediatric conditions. FRACP teaching occurs every Thursday for 2 hours. This is well structured and Consultant-led programme, contributing to a high pass rate among College trainees. In addition there is also a prep course help every November which is well regarded by trainees in both New Zealand and Australia. Basic trainees not sitting the written exam and Advanced trainees have teaching every Thursday, which is a 1 hr case-based Registrar and Consultant-led sessions. In addition there are grand rounds on Fridays and paediatric update sessions on Wednesdays. Research is a compulsory component of Advanced training with general paediatric trainees required to complete two projects. There are Fellowships at Starship for Advanced Trainees which includes a combination of clinical and research work for 1-2 years, some of which are sponsored by the Starship Foundation.

This is what makes Paediatrics in the Auckland region interesting and unique. But apart from all the time spent at Starship, I enjoy relaxing and spending time with my friends and family.