This panel discussion will review various approaches to performing Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI) and the medication choices pre and post RSI.

The panel includes Dr David Anderson, Dr Ben Meadley, Jayda Hunter, Toby St Clair, and Sarah Phillips, moderated by Matt Shepherd.

Please note: Scope of practice is specific to Victoria but content and approach will be applicable across all of Australasia.

Panel Biographies:

Dr David Anderson

David Anderson is the Medical Director of Ambulance Victoria; he is also an intensive care physician at The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne – a quaternary referral centre for heart and lung transplant, ECMO, major trauma and burns; and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Paramedicine at Monash University. David worked as a paramedic in Auckland, New Zealand before completing medical training at the University of Auckland and then undertaking postgraduate training in intensive care medicine. During postgraduate training he also spent considerable spells working in anaesthesia, palliative medicine and prehospital and retrieval medicine in Auckland, Sydney and Toronto before settling in Melbourne. His clinical interests are prehospital and retrieval medicine, trauma critical care, ECMO, palliative care and bioethics.

Dr Ben Meadley

Ben Meadley is a registered paramedic who commenced his career with Ambulance Victoria in 1998, followed by a period with New South Wales Ambulance from 1999-2003. Returning to Ambulance Victoria, Ben trained as an intensive care (MICA) paramedic in 2004, and an intensive care (MICA) flight paramedic in 2009. He joined the staff of Monash University in 2003, and he has held the positions of Teaching Associate, Lecturer and Unit Coordinator in the undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Ben completed his PhD at Monash Paramedicine, investigating the physiological and metabolic health of paramedics, as well as human performance in specialist teams. Ben has developed expertise in prehospital critical care, paramedic education, human performance, and paramedic health and wellbeing. His research interests include respiratory and cardiovascular physiology, point of care ultrasound, human performance optimization, and selection to specialist paramedicine teams. Ben divides his time between clinical, teaching and research roles. He is also a Fellow of the Australasian College of Paramedicine and was awarded the Ambulance Service Medal in 2023.

Jayda Hunter

Jayda Hunter has been with Ambulance Victoria for 13 years and a MICA for the last 6 years. She has had the opportunity to work in both metro and rural settings over the years, predominantly based in Hume 1 (rural). She has frequently taken on the CSO role in recent years and currently serves as a Teachers Associate at Monash University, finding the role incredibly rewarding. Jayda has recently returned to study this year, having been accepted as a successful applicant for the Masters of Paramedic Practitioner Scholarship at Monash. During her downtime, she enjoys spending time with friends, family, and spoiling her dogs.

Toby St Clair

Toby St Clair is an intensive care flight paramedic with Air Ambulance Victoria, boasting over a decade of experience on the ambulance rescue helicopter and a total of 20 years with Ambulance Victoria. He holds a keen interest in prehospital trauma care, resuscitation, and advanced airway management. Toby also contributes to the Monash University postgraduate program for intensive care paramedics, focusing on aeromedical retrieval and trauma. Furthermore, he currently serves as the Patient Safety Review Lead at Ambulance Victoria and holds an honorary appointment to the Royal Children's Hospital Trauma Team as the prehospital trauma affiliate.

Sarah Phillips

Sarah Phillips is an Intensive Care Paramedic based in regional Victoria, having joined Ambulance Victoria in 2010 and completing her training as an Intensive Care (MICA) Paramedic in 2015. With a strong dedication to the future of critical care paramedicine, Sarah is enthusiastic about forging meaningful, team-based collaborations aimed at delivering the best possible care for every patient, on every occasion.