Staffing of Accredited Departments

Appropriate staffing of anaesthetic departments is required for optimal training conditions for registrars and fellows. ANZCA:

Does not specify employment or working conditions that are the determined by industrial negotiation
Recommends 30% of departmental workload should be clinical support
Includes:
- Research
- Teaching
- QA
- Committee involvement
- CPD
- Trainee assessment and management
- Service improvement
- Compliant management
Clinical support time should be:
- Allocated in the interests of the department
- Adequate for each anaesthetists individual CPD
  Will depend on role, responsibility, and involvement; but a minimum of two sessions per week.
- Recorded so the activities can be audited
- Available to be taken as a block of time away from the department
  Excluding leave entitlements.

Roles

Director
Must be an ANZCA fellow.
- Should have adequate clinical suppport time to attend to managerial duties
Deputy director
Must be a doctor with an anaesthetic scope of practice.
- Appointed to assist with specific areas or administrative task
Supervisor of Training
On-site ANZCA representatives.
- Require at least one clinical support time session per week
Specialist
- Provide clincial supervision
- Must have sufficient clinical support time
Trainee
- Can contribute to clinical service to a limited degree following completion of introductory training
  - Advanced trainees may have 3 sessions per week contributing to the departments clinical work
- Educational, quality assurance, and administrative responsibilities should be allocated time to achieve them

Anaesthetic Assistant
Must be trained; may be a nurse or technician.
Recovery nurse
- Minimum ratio of 1:3
- Ratio of 1:1 for patients who have not recovered:
  - Protective airway reflexes
  - Consciousness

Minimum of 1 FANZCA
Minimum of 2 FTE anaesthetists with acceptable qualifications
At least one FTE FANZCA for each trainee
No more than two non-specialist anaesthetists (including trainees) for each FTE specialist anaesthetist