GP Insights – A HealthCert Podcast: Recent Episodes
HealthCert Education
Presented by HealthCert with global leaders and experienced GPs, episodes feature practical advice for busy GPs on how to treat with confidence and grow their practice.
What happens when a GP and dermatologist work side by side? The future of dermatology care may look less like a traditional referral pathway and more like collaboration — a model that could reshape how patients access care.
In this episode of Focused Practice Conversations, practice operations expert Matt Woollard speaks with consultant dermatologist Dr Leona Yip and Specialist GP Dr Lauren Ries about their experience working together within the same clinical setting at Skin Partners in Brisbane.
Together, they explore how a GP–dermatologist partnership can work in practice — from patient pathways and day-to-day collaboration, to the benefits for both patients and clinicians.
They discuss:
- How their collaboration first came about and what sparked the model
- What the patient journey looks like between GP and dermatologist
- How this approach influences access to care and continuity of treatment
- The professional impact of working in a derm-focused environment
- What other clinicians can learn from collaborative models of care
They also share the lessons they have learned from working side by side, what surprised them along the way, and their advice for GPs and specialists interested in developing similar approaches.
Whether you are interested in building a skin-focused practice, improving collaboration with specialists, or simply curious about how healthcare delivery models are evolving, this conversation offers insights into what is possible when clinicians work together.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this episode on the HealthCert Education YouTube channel.
About Dr Leona Yip
Dr Leona Yip is founding partner and Director of Skin Partners. She is a Melbourne-trained dermatologist and a Fellow of The Australasian College of Dermatologists. Dr Yip previously worked in private and public practice in both Melbourne and Canberra, and is experienced in all aspects of general, surgical and laser dermatology for children and adults.
Dr Yip served as an Editorial Consultant for The British Journal of Dermatology from 2018-2021. Dr Yip is a member of the Dermatology Expert Group involved with the formulation of Dermatology Therapeutic Guidelines in Australia. She is currently the Lead Dermatologist for Queensland Cricket.
Want to learn more from Dr Leona Yip?
Join our next free webinar (in collaboration with CeraVe and DERCOS):
Scalp seborrhoeic dermatitis in practice: A GP treatment playbook
Dermatologist Dr Leona Yip walks through a practical, treatment first approach to managing scalp seborrhoeic dermatitis in general practice.
🗓️ Tuesday 18 August 2026 at 7pm AEST
👉 Register to join live or receive recording >
About Dr Lauren Ries
Dr Lauren Ries is a Specialist General Practitioner. Originally from Canada, Dr Ries moved to Australia during her school years and has proudly called it home ever since. She completed her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Monash University, graduating with honours.
After working across a range of hospital departments at the Mater Hospital and Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, Dr Ries followed her passion for General Practice — a specialty she loves for its variety, continuity of care, and the opportunity to build long-term relationships with patients.
Dr Ries enjoys all aspects of General Practice, with a special interest in Skin Cancer Medicine, Dermatology, and Women’s Health. She is passionate about helping patients feel confident in their skin and supported in their overall health, and she takes pride in providing thorough, thoughtful care. Dr Ries is delighted to be part of the team at Skin Partners, where she continues to refine and expand her dermatology skills.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses in General Dermatology
Deep-dive into our university-assured, structured pathway from foundation to subspecialisation in GP dermatology.
➡️ Explore program >
🎓 Short Courses in General Dermatology
Explore short, single-topic CPD courses in focused area of dermatology. Complete in less than 10 hours, from $195.
➡️ Browse Short Courses >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — any topic, any time, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
Focused Practice Conversations seriesHealthCert Education's Focused Practice Conversations podcast series explores how GPs build focused areas of practice, why they chose that path, what changed in their clinic, and whether going deeper into one niche was ultimately worth it. Hosted by Matt Woollard.
Over the past decade, aesthetic medicine has evolved significantly. Increased competition, changing patient expectations and greater regulatory scrutiny have left many clinicians asking the same question: Is there still a place for GPs in aesthetic medicine?
In this webinar, David Segal, founder of Inside Aesthetics and one of the industry's leading business voices, has an honest conversation about what success in aesthetic medicine looks like today.
What you will learnDrawing on more than 20 years of experience building, scaling and advising aesthetic businesses, David shares:
- How the aesthetic medicine landscape has changed over the past decade.
- Why the "easy wins" are gone and why that's not necessarily a bad thing.
- What successful clinicians are doing differently in 2026.
- The importance of business, consultation and patient experience skills.
- Where opportunities still exist for GPs entering or expanding into the field.
- Practical advice for building a sustainable aesthetic practice.
Whether you're considering aesthetic medicine for the first time, revisiting it after a few years, or looking to grow an existing service, this webinar replay provides practical insights into the realities and opportunities of practicing aesthetic medicine in 2026.
Watch this webinar on YouTube >
About David Segal
David Segal is a business strategist, entrepreneur and consultant with more than 20 years of experience building, operating and scaling businesses in the aesthetics industry. Founder of Inside Aesthetics, he works with clinics, practitioners and organisations around the world to drive sustainable growth through strategic planning, marketing and operational excellence. Drawing on extensive hands-on industry experience, David is a sought-after speaker, advisor and educator, helping aesthetic businesses navigate an evolving market and achieve long-term success.
Join the IA CommunityAs mentioned in the webinar, Inside Aesthetics have launched their own app called IA Community. Joining this will help injectors network with colleagues, get education, support, business advice, access to all the Inside Aesthetics Podcasts and more.
Get 30 days free access >
Explore IA Community >
Learn more about David Segal's consulting services >
Follow on socials:
@Insideaestheticspodcast
@David_Insideaesthetics
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Short Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Start small with single-topic CPD courses in focused areas of aesthetic medicine for GPs. Complete in less than 10 hours, from $195.
➡️ Browse short courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Dive deeper with our university-assured, structured Professional Diploma pathway and workshops — the ideal entry point for GPs. Save 50% on next workshops in Sydney (19/20 Sep) with code ASTHVIP50. T&Cs apply.
➡️ Explore certificate program & workshops >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
Acne is one of the most common skin conditions seen in general practice, yet skincare advice can often be overlooked as part of a broader treatment plan. With the right evidence-based approach, dermo-cosmetic products can help support medical therapies, improve tolerability and enhance patient outcomes.
In this webinar delivered in collaboration with La Roche Posay, dermatologist Dr Ryan De Cruz unpacks the 2024 Australasian Consensus Statement on dermo-cosmetic skincare in acne management, exploring how these recommendations can be applied in everyday practice — particularly for patients with mild to moderate acne.
What you will learnWatch the replay to gain a clear understanding of:
- Key insights from the consensus guidelines and how they apply in primary care.
- The role of dermo-cosmetic adjuncts in enhancing patient adherence and tolerability.
- Tips to recommend cleansers, moisturisers, and SPF products for acne-prone skin.
- Case examples that highlight cost-effective, stepwise approaches to acne care.
- Opportunities for GP-led management before specialist referral.
Watch this webinar on the HealthCert YouTube channel
About Dr Ryan De Cruz
Dr Ryan De Cruz is the founder and principal Dermatologist at Southern Dermatology. He is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists (FACD) and is recognised for his expertise in eczema, acne, rosacea, psoriasis, skin cancer management, hair disorders, and laser treatments. Ryan completed his medical degree with Honours at The University of Melbourne, receiving the prestigious Hermann Lawrence Prize in Dermatology. He trained across leading hospitals in Melbourne and the UK, including St. George’s Hospital NHS, London. He holds Consultant positions at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and ad The Skin Health Institute. With a passion for personalised and holistic dermatological care, Ryan founded Southern Dermatology as a centre of excellence — combining cutting-edge treatments, state-of-the-art technology, and a patient-centred approach. His philosophy is simple: expert care, open communication, and genuine compassion lead to the best skin outcomes.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses in General Dermatology
Our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in GP dermatology.
➡️ Explore full program >
🎓 Short Courses in General Dermatology
Explore short, bite-sized CPD modules in focused topics in dermatology. Complete in less than 10 hours!
➡️ Browse single-topic courses >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anywhere, anytime, for one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
As demand for skin cancer services continues to grow, many clinics are exploring collaborative models that support efficient, patient-centred care. One approach gaining traction is the nurse-melanographer model, where trained nurses work alongside GPs to support skin cancer assessment and management.
In this episode of Focused Practice Conversations, practice operations expert Matt Woollard is joined by experienced melanographer Lynette Hooper to discuss what this model looks like in a real clinical setting.
Lynette shares her journey into melanography, what a typical day in the role involves, and how nurse–melanographers collaborate with GPs to support comprehensive skin checks.
In this episode, Matt and Lynette discuss:
- What the nurse-melanographer role involves in day-to-day clinical practice
- How melanographers structure skin checks, document findings and communicate with GPs
- How effective nurse-GP collaboration can improve clinic workflow and patient care
- The challenges involved in developing confidence with dermoscopy and skin cancer assessment
- Advice for nurses considering melanography and GPs looking to introduce this model into their practice
The conversation highlights the importance of structured training, clear clinical pathways and ongoing skill development when implementing a nurse-melanographer model.
Whether you are a nurse interested in expanding your role in skin cancer medicine, or a GP considering how a melanographer could fit into your practice, this episode provides insights into the opportunities and considerations involved.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this episode on the HealthCert Education YouTube channel.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Short Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore single-topic CPD courses for focused learning in skin cancer medicine. Complete in less than 10 hours from $195.
➡️ Browse Short Courses for GPs >
➡️ Browse Short Courses for nurses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer & Melanography
Dive deeper with HealthCert's university-assured, structured pathway from foundation to subspecialisation to elevate your skin cancer knowledge.
➡️ Explore GP skin cancer program >
➡️ Explore nurse melanography program >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
Focused Practice Conversations series
HealthCert Education's Focused Practice Conversations podcast series explores how GPs build focused areas of practice, why they chose that path, what changed in their clinic, and whether going deeper into one niche was ultimately worth it. Hosted by Matt Woollard.
Starting your own cosmetic clinic can be an exciting step, but clinical expertise is only one part of the equation. Building a safe, compliant and sustainable practice also means navigating regulations, understanding your professional responsibilities, establishing robust systems, and making informed business decisions from day one.
In this first instalment of a two-part episode on The Aesthetic Shift podcast, HealthCert educator, nurse practitioner and clinic owner Kelly Beasy shares real-world insights drawn from her own experience of building an aesthetic practice from the ground up.
Rather than focusing on treatments, this episode explores the foundations that support a successful clinic, including scope of practice, legislation, documentation, insurance, patient records, consent, and the operational considerations that are easy to overlook.
Whether you're planning to start out providing aesthetic services, launch your first clinic, or simply exploring what's involved, this episode offers valuable perspective on the work that happens behind the scenes before the doors even open.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Short Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore single-topic CPD courses in focused areas of cosmetic medicine for GPs and nurses. Complete in less than 10 hours, from $195.
➡️ Browse Short Courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Dive deeper with our university-assured, structured Professional Diploma pathway to elevate your skills in primary care aesthetic medicine.
➡️ Explore Certificate program >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
Skin cancer prevention and early detection continue to place increasing pressure on primary care and allied health teams. At the same time, the workforce involved in “skin health” is expanding and evolving, raising important questions about roles, scope, and collaboration in everyday practice.
In this episode of Focused Practice Conversations, practice operations expert Matt Woollard speaks with dermatology nurse Jennifer Hookham about how skin health roles are changing in real-world settings. With experience spanning primary care and corporate environments, Jennifer offers a grounded perspective on where the system is heading and what it means for clinicians on the ground.
Rather than focusing on fixed job titles, the conversation explores how skills, training, and demand are reshaping who does what in skin checks, prevention, and early detection.
The episode unpacks:
- How Jennifer’s career path into skin health has evolved over time
- What a modern, prevention-focused skin health role looks like in practice
- How nurses, dermal clinicians, and GPs are working in overlapping spaces
- Where collaboration works well, and where it can break down
- What patients are now expecting from skin health services
- How training and standards are keeping pace with workforce changes
- Where the skin health space may be heading over the next 5–10 years
As demand grows, understanding how roles fit together is becoming increasingly important for clinics looking to deliver safe, efficient, and patient-centred skin care. The discussion touches on practical realities, emerging models of care, and what effective teamwork can look like.
Prefer a visual format? Watch here.
About Jennifer Hookham MACN
Founder of The Dermal Health Alliance Pty Ltd & Skin Rehab™
Grad Cert Medicine (Skin Cancer), Grad Cert Ed (Tertiary), BHSc (Dermal Therapies), Dip Nursing (Div 2), Dip Dermoscopy, Adv Cert Dermoscopy, Prof Cert Dermsocopy, Adv Cert Dermoscopy (ACCO), Dip BTh (ITEC), Cert IV TAE, Cert III (Pathology Collection)
With 34 years of experience as a skin health professional, Jennifer is a Dermatology Nurse incorporating the qualifications of Dermal Clinician, Dermatoscopist, Melanographer, Enrolled Nurse, Phlebotomist & Educator.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses
Deep-dive into a university-assured, structured pathway from foundation to subspecialisation in 20+ special interest fields.
➡️ Explore Certificate Courses >
🎓 Short Courses
Explore 400 short, online CPD modules in focused topics — and learn exactly what you need, when you need it. Complete in less than 10 hours from $95.
➡️ Browse single-topic courses >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
Focused Practice Conversations series
HealthCert Education's Focused Practice Conversations podcast series explores how GPs build focused areas of practice, why they chose that path, what changed in their clinic, and whether going deeper into one niche was ultimately worth it. Hosted by Matt Woollard.
In this HealthCert GP Update, Dr Simone Gonzo guides you through how to recognise, investigate, and manage vitamin B12 deficiency in primary care, including how to interpret borderline results, when to use MMA and homocysteine testing, and how to avoid common diagnostic pitfalls — providing a clear, practical overview tailored for busy GPs.
What you will learnMany patients with vitamin B12 deficiency don’t present with “classic" symptoms. Instead, they come in with fatigue, cognitive change, neuropathy, mood symptoms, or vague complaints that can easily be overlooked in everyday practice.
In this HealthCert GP Update webinar, Dr Simone Gonzo guides you through:
- Common causes of B12 deficiency, including pernicious anaemia, medications, malabsorption, and dietary factors
- When neurological symptoms should raise concern
- Oral vs intramuscular replacement strategies
- Monitoring and long-term management
- New Medicare item changes relevant to B12 testing
This webinar builds naturally on our previous iron deficiency session and will help GPs approach another commonly missed but clinically significant nutritional deficiency with greater confidence.
Watch the webinar here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses
Deep-dive into a university-assured, structured Certificate pathway from foundation to subspecialisation, across 20+ special interest fields.
➡️ Explore Certificate Courses >
🎓 Short Courses
Explore 400+ short, focused, single-topic CPD courses — and learn exactly what you need, when you need it. Complete in less than 10 hours from $195.
➡️ Browse Short Courses >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
Are you confident diagnosing and managing eczema in patients with skin of colour (SOC)?
Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common skin conditions in Australia, yet it often goes unrecognised or is underestimated in patients with SOC. The classic signs we rely on (bright erythema, flexural distribution) may look very different in patients with SOC. The result of this is missed diagnoses, delayed treatment, and real quality-of-life consequences for your patients.
This webinar and Q&A with Brisbane-based specialist dermatologist Dr Stephanie Rea takes GPs beyond the textbook to explore how atopic dermatitis truly presents across all skin types.
Drawing on relevant clinical cases, Dr Rea shares practical tools to sharpen your diagnostic confidence, navigate the pitfalls, and implement culturally informed management strategies you can put into practice from the very next consultation.
Delivered in collaboration with CeraVe, the session teaches you how to:
- Spot the clinical clues of atopic dermatitis across various skin phototypes
- Recognise follicular accentuation, papular and discoid variants, and post-inflammatory pigment changes
- Avoid common diagnostic pitfalls and not-to-miss differentials
- Understand the role of ceramides and skin barrier repair in this patient population
- Choose appropriate skin care and prescribe topical and systemic therapies for treating atopic dermatitis in SOC
The webinar includes Q&A and case discussions.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
About Dr Stephanie Rea
MBBS (Hons), MPH, MMed, FACD
Dr Stephanie Rea is a specialist Dermatologist and a Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists. She holds dual Masters in Public Health and Sexual and Reproductive Health. Dr Rea runs a complex medical Dermatology clinic at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and is the clinical lead of the Combined Dermatology and Sexual Health Multidisciplinary Clinic at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. She maintains an academic appointment as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland and is involved in rural outreach clinics in Far North Queensland. Dr Rea has a private practice at South East Dermatology in Annerley. Dr Rea has a strong interest in medical dermatology including eczema, psoriasis, acne, genital dermatology, autoimmune related skin disorders and skin cancer.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses in General Dermatology
Deep-dive into our university-assured, structured pathway from foundation to subspecialisation in GP dermatology.
➡️ Explore program >
🎓 Short Courses in General Dermatology
Explore short, single-topic CPD courses in focused area of dermatology. Complete in less than 10 hours, from $195.
➡️ Browse Short Courses >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — any topic, any time, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
Complications are one of the biggest sources of stress in aesthetic practice, not just because of the clinical risk, but because of what happens in the hours and days that follow.
In this second instalment of a two-part series on The Aesthetic Shift podcast, NP Kelly Beasy is joined again by solicitor and former AHPRA investigator David Gardner to unpack what actually protects clinicians when things go wrong.
What stands out in this conversation is how often the greatest risk doesn’t come from the complication itself, but from what happens next: how clinicians think, document, communicate, and escalate in real time.
This episode explores the emotional pattern many practitioners experience, and how that can influence decision-making in the first critical hours.
The discussion focuses on the immediate post-complication window:
- What should be documented straight away
- Language that can unintentionally create medicolegal vulnerability
- When apology is appropriate, and how to approach it safely
- Clear triggers for escalation or referral
- When to involve your MDO without delay
A key focus is what “defensible management” looks like in real-world scenarios, including delayed vascular compromise and unexpected swelling.
The conversation also explores what often drives complaints after the initial event is under control, particularly communication breakdowns, documentation gaps, and the amplifying effect of social media.
David closes by identifying the most common mistake clinicians make, and what simple system every aesthetic clinic should have in place before anything goes wrong.
Complications are part of aesthetic medicine. What protects you is not perfection, but preparation in documentation, escalation, and communication. Tune into the podcast for the full discussion.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Short Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore single-topic CPD courses in focused areas of cosmetic medicine for GPs and nurses. Complete in less than 10 hours, from $195.
➡️ Browse Short Courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Dive deeper with our university-assured, structured Professional Diploma pathway to elevate your skills in primary care aesthetic medicine.
➡️ Explore Certificate program >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
The Aesthetic Shift seriesThe Aesthetic Shift podcast is for cosmetic practitioners looking to evolve, diversify, and future-proof their aesthetic practice. Each episode explores core cosmetic topics to help you broaden your offering and build a more resilient practice! Host Kelly Beasy is a Nurse Practitioner, clinic owner, and cosmetic medicine trainer at KB Aesthetix with 20 years of nursing experience and 10+ years’ experience in the aesthetic industry. She also offers a 1:1 mentorship program for clinicians.
Most GPs spend years developing clinical expertise, but sometimes little time is devoted to understanding the financial side of a medical career. Yet financial stress and uncertainty around income can quietly influence workload, career decisions, burnout, and overall job satisfaction.
In this episode of Focused Practice Conversations, practice operations expert Matt Woollard speaks with Dr Dev Raga about why financial literacy matters for doctors, and the common blind spots many clinicians face.
Drawing on his experience as both a GP and host of the Dev Raga Personal Finance podcast, Dev explores the realities many doctors encounter but rarely discuss openly. The conversation looks at how financial uncertainty can influence day-to-day practice, why many clinicians feel they are “behind” despite working hard, and what changes when GPs gain greater clarity and confidence around money.
Importantly, this episode is not about complicated investing strategies or extreme budgeting advice. Instead it focuses on realistic concepts relevant to busy clinicians working in general practice, including:
- Common financial mistakes GPs make early in their careers
- Small actions that can have a significant long-term impact
- How financial literacy can support flexibility and career sustainability
- Why understanding money is increasingly important across the healthcare system
Whether you are early in your GP career or simply looking to make more informed financial decisions, this episode offers a thoughtful starting point.
About Dr Dev Raga
Dr Dev Raga is a Melbourne-based medical practitioner and the host of the popular Dev Raga Personal Finance podcast (formerly known as my millennial money medical). He makes money concepts simple for busy professionals. Listen to his podcast here (new episodes every Wednesday).
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses
Deep-dive into a university-assured, structured pathway from foundation to subspecialisation in 20+ special interest fields.
➡️ Explore Certificate Courses >
🎓 Short Courses
Explore 400 short, online CPD modules in focused topics — and learn exactly what you need, when you need it. Complete in less than 10 hours from $95.
➡️ Browse single-topic courses >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
Focused Practice Conversations series
HealthCert Education's Focused Practice Conversations podcast series explores how GPs build focused areas of practice, why they chose that path, what changed in their clinic, and whether going deeper into one niche was ultimately worth it. Hosted by Matt Woollard.
A skin check might feel routine, but it’s often where small decisions can carry the most risk.
In this webinar and Q&A session, David Gardner (solicitor and former AHPRA investigator) offers an inside look at where GPs can feel exposed in everyday skin cancer consultations.
Through real-world scenarios, David walks through how seemingly straightforward cases can become more complex from a billing, documentation, and patient expectation perspective.
Delivered in collaboration with AHPD, this webinar explores what it means to stay confident and defensible in your day-to-day practice.
The session includes Q&A and case discussions.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 New Short Course in Skin Cancer Compliance
Coming soon: A new case-based short course exploring where GPs can become unexpectedly exposed in everyday skin cancer practice. Through real-world scenarios, the course unpacks grey areas around billing, documentation, patient communication, consent and defensibility — with guidance designed to support confident day-to-day decision-making in primary care.
➡️ Register your interest >
You might also be interested in...
🎓 Short Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore single-topic CPD courses for focused learning in skin cancer medicine. Complete in less than 10 hours from $195.
➡️ Browse Short Courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Dive deeper with HealthCert's university-assured, structured pathway from foundation to subspecialisation to elevate your skin cancer knowledge.
➡️ Explore full program >
🎓 Ethical and Regulatory Obligations
AHPD provides practical advice on your professional obligations and crucial CPD on non-clinical topics which are all too often overlooked. Their aim is to reduce the risks you face as a health practitioner and to help you future-proof your career.
➡️ Discover non-clinical education >
In this HealthCert GP Update, Dr Simone Gonzo guides you through the management of iron deficiency in general practice, covering diagnosis, treatment, and iron infusions (including procedural steps and billing) — providing a clear, practical overview tailored for busy GPs.
What you will learnIron deficiency is a very common presentation in general practice, yet it is often underdiagnosed, undertreated, or managed inconsistently. From vague fatigue to complex comorbidities, getting the diagnosis and management right can significantly change patient outcomes.
In this HealthCert GP Update webinar, Dr Simone Gonzo guides you through:
- A real-world approach to diagnosing and managing iron deficiency in primary care
- Key clinical indicators and interpret iron studies with confidence
- Evidence-based management strategies tailored to different patient groups
- When and how to initiate iron infusions safely in general practice
- Billing requirements and documentation for iron infusion procedures
Watch the webinar here to translate evolving evidence into clear, day-to-day clinical decisions you can apply immediately.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses
Deep-dive into a university-assured, structured Certificate pathway from foundation to subspecialisation, across 20+ special interest fields.
➡️ Explore Certificate Courses >
🎓 Short Courses
Explore 400+ short, focused, single-topic CPD courses — and learn exactly what you need, when you need it. Complete in less than 10 hours from $195.
➡️ Browse Short Courses >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
In aesthetic practice, it is easy to focus on what is visible and cosmetic: pigmentation, sun damage, redness, texture. But as NP Kelly Beasy and Dr Dianne King highlight in this episode of The Aesthetic Shift podcast, appearances can be misleading.
This conversation explores a critical overlap in modern practice: aesthetic treatments and skin cancer vigilance. As aesthetic services expand across general practice and nursing-led clinics, so too does the responsibility to recognise when a lesion is not simply “cosmetic”.
Dr King shares insights from decades of experience spanning general practice, GP dermatology, dermoscopy, and skin cancer medicine. Her message is clear: without a structured approach to skin assessment, including appropriate history-taking and lesion recognition, there is a real risk of treating or altering lesions that require medical investigation.
The discussion focuses on clinical realities, including:
- Subtle facial melanomas that may mimic benign pigmentation
- The risk of altering lesions with lasers, IPL, or cryotherapy before diagnosis
- Key history and visual cues that should prompt referral
- The importance of dermoscopy skills and clear referral pathways in aesthetic settings
Rather than discouraging aesthetic care, the episode reinforces how skin cancer literacy strengthens it, improving safety, clinical confidence, and patient trust.
For GPs, nurses, and aesthetic practitioners working at this intersection, this conversation is a timely reminder that “cosmetic” and “clinical” are often closer than they appear.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Short Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore single-topic CPD courses in focused areas of cosmetic medicine for GPs and nurses. Complete in less than 10 hours, from $195.
➡️ Browse Short Courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Dive deeper with our university-assured, structured Professional Diploma pathway to elevate your skills in primary care aesthetic medicine.
➡️ Explore Certificate program >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
The Aesthetic Shift seriesThe Aesthetic Shift podcast is for cosmetic practitioners looking to evolve, diversify, and future-proof their aesthetic practice. Each episode explores core cosmetic topics to help you broaden your offering and build a more resilient practice! Host Kelly Beasy is a Nurse Practitioner, clinic owner, and cosmetic medicine trainer at KB Aesthetix with 20 years of nursing experience and 10+ years’ experience in the aesthetic industry. She also offers a 1:1 mentorship program for clinicians.
Many skin cancer GPs reach a point where they begin asking bigger questions about their scope, sustainability, and long-term career direction.
In this webinar, delivered in collaboration with Hugel Aesthetics, Dr Jimmy Wang shares his journey from established skin cancer GP to leading aesthetic practitioner.
Dr Wang began his career deeply embedded in skin cancer medicine. Over time, he recognised both the clinical overlap and the business opportunity within aesthetic medicine. What followed was not an overnight pivot, but a deliberate transition built on procedural skill alignment, patient demand, and structured business planning.
In this session he unpacks:
- Why he chose to expand beyond skin cancer
- The clinical skill crossover between skin procedures and aesthetic medicine
- How he evaluated financial risk before making the shift
- The systems changes required at a practice level
- What surprised him most during the transition
For skin cancer doctors who are curious about aesthetics but unsure how to approach it without disrupting their current model, this session offers insights grounded in real experience.
The session includes Q&A and case discussions.
This webinar is supported by an educational grant from Hugel Aesthetics. Content remains educational in nature.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
About Dr Jimmy Wang, BPharm (Hons), MBBS, FRACGP, FACCSMDr Jimmy Wang obtained his medical degree from The University of Queensland in 2011 and later completed the Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. He is a Fellow of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine. Over his career he has undertaken extensive training in cosmetic medicine, including facial anatomy, the application of injectable treatments, energy-based devices and laser therapies.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Short Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore single-topic CPD courses in focused areas of cosmetic medicine for GPs and nurses. Complete in less than 10 hours, from $195.
➡️ Browse Short Courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Dive deeper with our university-assured, structured Professional Diploma pathway to elevate your skills in primary care aesthetic medicine.
➡️ Explore Certificate program >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
What does it actually mean to be a “generalist” in 2026? In this episode of Focused Practice Conversations, practice operations expert Matt Woollard sits down with general practitioner Dr Anoop Jalota to explore how general practice is evolving, and how many GPs are building depth across multiple clinical areas without formally specialising.
This conversation is about how day-to-day general practice has shifted over time, and what a modern GP’s workload can really look like.
The episode unpacks:
- Whether the idea of being a “generalist” still holds, or if most GPs are naturally moving towards areas of focus
- How clinical focus areas (mental health, chronic disease, weight management) develop over time — often driven by patient demand rather than deliberate planning
- What changes when patients begin seeking you out for specific expertise
- Why weight management is becoming a larger part of general practice
- What GPs are seeing in consults, and how this area intersects with chronic disease and long-term care
- The realities of balancing breadth and depth across multiple interests
- Deciding what to continue and what to step away from as your practice evolves
- Whether developing focused areas makes practice more sustainable or more complex
- The role of teaching and education in building credibility and shaping clinical work
- Whether GPs need to “specialise” to remain relevant in modern practice
If you are starting to notice patterns in your own consults or thinking about going deeper in a particular area, this episode offers a grounded, real-world perspective.
Prefer a visual format? Watch here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses
Deep-dive into a university-assured, structured pathway from foundation to subspecialisation in 20+ special interest fields.
➡️ Explore Certificate Courses >
🎓 Single-topic courses
Explore 400 short, online CPD modules in focused topics — and learn exactly what you need, when you need it. Complete in less than 10 hours from $95.
➡️ Browse single-topic courses >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
Focused Practice Conversations series
HealthCert Education's Focused Practice Conversations podcast series explores how GPs build focused areas of practice, why they chose that path, what changed in their clinic, and whether going deeper into one niche was ultimately worth it. Hosted by Matt Woollard.
In aesthetic practice, consent is rarely the issue; it is the quality of that consent that determines whether you are protected if something goes wrong.
In this episode of The Aesthetic Shift, NP Kelly Beasy is joined by solicitor and former AHPRA investigator David Gardner to unpack where clinicians are most exposed and what defensible consent really looks like in practice.
Why this matters for cliniciansAesthetic complaints rarely come down to technical error alone. More often, they stem from a mismatch between what the patient expected and what was actually documented.
This conversation explores why signed consent forms often fall short, how treating patient desire (not disease) shifts your risk profile, and what “informed consent” really means from a regulatory perspective.
Where clinicians get caught outCommon pressure points include vague patient requests, incomplete documentation of expectations, and situations where the clinical outcome is sound but the patient is still dissatisfied.
David also shares insights into what holds up when a patient says, “I did not know that could happen,” when to pause or decline treatment, and whether refunds truly reduce risk.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Short Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore single-topic CPD courses in focused areas of cosmetic medicine for GPs and nurses. Complete in less than 10 hours, from $195.
➡️ Browse Short Courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Dive deeper with our university-assured, structured Professional Diploma pathway to elevate your skills in primary care aesthetic medicine.
➡️ Explore Certificate program >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
The Aesthetic Shift seriesThe Aesthetic Shift podcast is for cosmetic practitioners looking to evolve, diversify, and future-proof their aesthetic practice. Each episode explores core cosmetic topics to help you broaden your offering and build a more resilient practice! Host Kelly Beasy is a Nurse Practitioner, clinic owner, and cosmetic medicine trainer at KB Aesthetix with 20 years of nursing experience and 10+ years’ experience in the aesthetic industry. She also offers a 1:1 mentorship program for clinicians.
Most GPs see suspicious skin lesions every day. The harder part is deciding, with confidence, which ones need action, which can be monitored, and which are safe to leave alone.
In this episode of Life by a Thousand Cuts, A/Prof Tony Dicker and A/Prof John Pyne unpack what genuinely builds diagnostic accuracy in day-to-day practice. The conversation covers:
Why volume matters
Not in a rushed, high-throughput sense, but in repeated, deliberate exposure. Over time, pattern recognition sharpens, and subtle lesions become easier to spot.
Why your role matters
A/Prof Dicker and A/Prof Pyne make a clear distinction between being the “diagnostic brain” versus trying to do everything. High-performing clinics are often structured so the GP focuses on assessment and decision-making, with systems and staff supporting everything around it.
How you can measure what you're doing
They point to simple but underused markers of performance, like your ratio of melanoma in situ to invasive melanoma, and the Breslow thickness of lesions you detect. These are practical ways to reflect on whether you are picking things up early enough.
Why tools only help if they build on experience
Dermoscopy, and later confocal microscopy, are framed as extensions of clinical thinking, not shortcuts. Each adds another layer, but none replace the need for solid fundamentals.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey
🎓 Micro-Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore short, single-topic CPD modules for focused learning in skin cancer medicine and surgery. Complete in less than 10 hours from only $95.
➡️ Browse Micro-Courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
Many GPs regularly refer procedures out. It is efficient, familiar, and often feels like the safest option in a busy clinic. But what happens when you start bringing those procedures back in-house?
In this first episode of HealthCert's new podcast series, Focused Practice Conversations, practice operations expert Matt Woollard speaks with specialist GP Dr Raj Selvarajan about the real-world impact and ROI of procedural upskilling.
A different way to think about education
One of the more practical reframes discussed is this: education is not a cost centre, it is a capability investment. Rather than thinking in CPD cycles, Dr Selvarajan encourages GPs to zoom out and consider five-year career arcs, and what incremental skill-building can compound into over time.
What changes inside the clinic
Using skin cancer as an example, the shift from referring to performing can influence more than just billings. You may start to notice less referral leakage, better use of treatment rooms, greater continuity of care, and a gradual change in how your sessions are structured. These shifts tend to build quietly, then accelerate as confidence grows.
Adding a procedural stream
The conversation also explores what happens when GPs introduce a dedicated procedural list, such as vasectomy, and why many hesitate to take that first step.
Prefer a visual format? Watch here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses
Deep-dive into a university-assured, structured pathway from foundation to subspecialisation in 20+ special interest fields.
➡️ Explore Certificate Courses >
🎓 Single-topic courses
Explore 400 short, online CPD modules in focused topics — and learn exactly what you need, when you need it. Complete in less than 10 hours from $95.
➡️ Browse single-topic courses >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
Focused Practice Conversations series
HealthCert Education's Focused Practice Conversations podcast series explores how GPs build focused areas of practice, why they chose that path, what changed in their clinic, and whether going deeper into one niche was ultimately worth it. Hosted by Matt Woollard.
Melanoma risk is not static. It is influenced by how Australians live, work, and expose their skin to ultraviolet radiation every day.
In this webinar and Q&A session, Prof Pascale Guitera (Melanoma Institute Australia) unpacks the pathophysiology of melanoma, with a focus on UVA exposure, year-round photoprotection, and what this means for everyday general practice.
Delivered in collaboration with La Roche Posay, this webinar teaches how to:
- Interpret UV index information and apply it to patient counselling
- Explain the role of UVA exposure in melanoma development and prevention
- Advise patients on appropriate sunscreen use, including formulation and quantity
- Distinguish between mineral and chemical sunscreens in clinical contexts
- Understand regulatory considerations affecting sunscreen availability
- Apply current Australian melanoma screening principles in general practice
If you would like a clearer framework for discussing UV exposure, risk, and screening with your patients, watch the replay to get real-world guidance you can apply immediately in clinic.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
About Prof Pascale GuiteraProf Pascale Guitera is Director of the Sydney Melanoma Diagnostic Centre at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and faculty member of the Melanoma Institute Australia. She is holding her academic position at the University Of Sydney with a particular interest in new diagnosis tools for skin cancers.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Micro-Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore short, single-topic CPD modules for focused learning in skin cancer medicine. Complete in less than 10 hours from $95.
➡️ Browse Micro-Courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Dive deeper with our university-assured, structured pathway from foundation to subspecialisation to elevate your skin cancer knowledge.
➡️ Explore full program >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee. ➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
In this HealthCert GP Update, Dr Simone Gonzo guides you through hormonal and non-hormonal treatment options for menopause in general practice — providing a clear, practical overview tailored for busy GPs.
What you will learnMenopause presentations are increasing in complexity and expectations from patients are higher than ever. From navigating hormone therapy risks and benefits, to managing vasomotor symptoms, mood, sleep disturbance, bone health and cardiometabolic risk, GPs are often the first (and ongoing) point of care.
In this HealthCert GP Update webinar, Dr Simone Gonzo guides you through:
- When and how to prescribe menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) safely
- Risk stratification and contraindications
- Managing women who are unsuitable for hormones
- Evidence-based non-hormonal treatment options
- Structuring menopause consultations in busy general practice
- Practical documentation and follow-up considerations
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Primary Certificate of Menopause & Women's Health
A three-module entry course deep-diving into midlife care for women — ideal if you are seeking a focused update. Covers menopause, post-menopause health issues, and hormonal health. Online | 30.5 hours CPD.
➡️ Explore short course >
Hair and scalp concerns are increasingly common in general practice, yet diagnosing hair disorders can often feel uncertain. Many conditions appear similar at first glance, and subtle differences in history or examination can significantly alter management and prognosis.
In this webinar, Dr Ahmed Kazmi shares a structured approach to assessing hair and scalp complaints in everyday practice.
- How to perform a focused yet thorough scalp and hair examination
- Key history questions that can rapidly narrow differential diagnoses
- How trichoscopy findings can improve diagnostic accuracy
- Diagnostic pearls across common hair disorders, helping you distinguish inflammatory, scarring, and non-scarring causes of hair loss
- When further investigation, biopsy, or referral may be appropriate
The webinar includes case discussions and a Q&A segment, providing practical insights that can be directly applied in general practice.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 New Certificate Courses in Medical Trichology
Deepen your clinical confidence in the diagnosis and management of hair and scalp disorders in primary care, with our newly released Professional Certificate of Medical Trichology — developed and delivered by Dr Ahmed Kazmi and a faculty of FACD dermatologists and international experts in hair science. Take your learning further & save $200 with code PCMTR200 until 7 April.
➡️ Explore course >
For many clinicians moving into aesthetic medicine, purchasing a device can feel like a major milestone. But knowing when to invest (and how to choose the right technology for your clinic) is not always straightforward.
In this episode of The Aesthetic Shift podcast, NP Kelly Beasy speaks with Chloe Newman, a Registered Nurse with extensive experience in aesthetic medicine and clinical education. Together, they unpack the realities behind introducing devices into an aesthetic practice.
Rather than focusing purely on technology, the discussion looks at the clinical and business thinking that should guide these decisions.
In this episode, they discuss:
- How Chloe’s journey into aesthetic medicine began, and what her first device purchase taught her
- The signs a clinic may be ready to introduce device-based treatments
- Common mistakes clinicians make when investing in devices too early
- How to evaluate technology beyond the headline price tag
- Ways to manage risk through leasing, trials, or shared device models
- Considerations for integrating a new device into your clinic, from team training to patient education
For GPs exploring aesthetics, device-based treatments can open new clinical and business opportunities. However, as Chloe explains, success often depends less on the device itself and more on timing, strategy, and integration into an existing patient journey.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Single-topic courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore short CPD modules in focused topics in cosmetic medicine for GPs and nurses. Complete in less than 10 hours, from $95.
➡️ Browse Micro-Courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Dive deeper with our university-assured, structured Professional Diploma pathway to elevate your skills in primary care cosmetic medicine.
➡️ Explore full program >
The Aesthetic Shift seriesThe Aesthetic Shift podcast is for cosmetic practitioners looking to evolve, diversify, and future-proof their aesthetic practice. Each episode explores core cosmetic topics to help you broaden your offering and build a more resilient practice! Host Kelly Beasy is a Nurse Practitioner, clinic owner, and cosmetic medicine trainer at KB Aesthetix with 20 years of nursing experience and 10+ years’ experience in the aesthetic industry. She also offers a 1:1 mentorship program for clinicians.
In this HealthCert GP Update, Dr Simone Gonzo unpacks what has changed for Queensland GPs in the management of ADHD in primary care — providing a clear, practical overview tailored for busy GPs.
What you will learnFrom 1 December 2025, Queensland became the first Australian state to allow suitably trained GPs to initiate, modify and continue stimulant medication for adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This represents a significant shift in scope of practice, with important clinical, regulatory and documentation considerations for GPs.
In this HealthCert GP Update webinar and Q&A, Dr Simone Gonzo walks through the practical implications of the new Queensland framework, focusing on how adult ADHD can be diagnosed, managed and reviewed safely in general practice.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 NEW: ADHD in General Practice short course
Continue your learning in this area with our new eight-case short course, featuring real GP scenarios, practical prescribing guidance, and clear documentation and safety frameworks for the management of ADHD. $195 | Online | CPD accredited.
➡️ Coming soon — Join the waitlist >
🎓 Micro-Courses
Explore 400 short, focused, single-topic CPD modules in child health, mental health, and many more. Complete in under 10 hours, from $95.
➡️ Browse Micro-Courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses
Deep dive into a university-assured, structured pathway in Child & Adolescent Health, Mental Health, and many more.
➡️ Explore Certificate Courses >
Closing thin skin behind the knee can be tricky, but mastering deep sutures makes all the difference.
In this episode of Life by a Thousand Cuts, A/Prof Tony Dicker walks through a real case, demonstrating his approach to closing thin skin behind the knee with deep sutures. A video demonstration accompanies the podcast.
A/Prof Dicker explains how he plans the excision, manages delicate tissue, and navigates the subtle challenges that can arise in these tight areas.
If you have faced difficult closures on the knee, calf, or shin, this tutorial offers tips you can immediately apply in your practice.
Please note: This episode includes a visual tutorial. A video version is available here for those who wish to view it.
Next steps in your learning journey
🎓 NEW Micro-Course: Introduction to the Dermatoscope
Led by A/Prof Tony Dicker, this short course introduces the dermatoscope as the clinician’s key diagnostic tool for skin examination — a practical foundation for those beginning their journey in skin cancer detection.
✅ Learn how to use the dermatoscope and capture clinical images.
🎖️ 9.5 hours CPD • Online • $195
👉 Learn more & enrol >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
In this episode of HealthCert's The Aesthetic Shift podcast series, NP Kelly Beasy and specialist GP Dr Raj Selvarajan continue their conversation on hair loss management in primary care — covering upskilling, integrating hair services into general practice, and the realities of hair transplantation.
In part one, we covered the clinical assessment and diagnosis of hair loss.
Missed part one? Catch up here.
In part two, the focus shifts to the practical side of building hair services within general practice, including:
- Where and how clinicians can upskill
- How to start gradually and build confidence
- Common early mistakes and pitfalls when entering the field
- The importance of patient selection and expectation management
Kelly and Dr Selvarajan also discuss how to integrate aesthetic and hair treatments into an existing GP clinic, from structuring consults and allocating dedicated procedure days to educating staff and managing workflow.
The conversation then unpacks hair transplantation:
- What is involved behind the scenes
- How procedures are structured
- The level of preparation required
- Why aftercare and safety standards matter, particularly in the context of patients travelling overseas.
If you are curious about expanding your scope into hair medicine, or simply want a clearer picture of what is involved, this episode provides an honest, experience-based overview from someone actively practising in the space.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 New Certificate Courses in Medical Trichology
Deepen your clinical confidence in the diagnosis and management of hair and scalp disorders in primary care, with our newly released Professional Certificate of Medical Trichology — developed and delivered by Dr Ahmed Kazmi and a faculty of FACD dermatologists and international experts in hair science. Take your learning further & save $200 with code PCMTR200 until 7 April.
➡️ Explore course >
Dr Raj Selvarajan
Dr Raj Selvarajan is a Specialist General Practitioner with extensive experience across primary care, men’s health, skin cancer medicine, and aesthetic medicine. Over the years, he has built a reputation for delivering practical, patient-centred care while developing several successful clinical services in Queensland. His interest in aesthetic medicine began with a focus on evidence-based treatments that genuinely improve confidence and quality of life. This naturally led him into the world of hair loss assessment and management — an area where he saw many patients struggling with misinformation, high-cost commercial clinics, and a lack of medical guidance. Driven to change this, Dr Selvarajan undertook advanced training in hair restoration, PRP/PRF therapy, and surgical techniques, refining a model of care that is accessible, ethical, and grounded in science. His work in hair loss has since shaped the growth of his aesthetic and procedural services, from community-based cosmetic clinics to his dedicated Brisbane Hair Transplant Clinic. Across his professional roles, Dr Selvarajan remains committed to education, innovation, and empowering patients with honest, medically guided options, ensuring they receive safe, effective, and personalised treatment plans.
Learn more at www.brisbanehairtransplant.com.au and www.bemedicalcentre.com.au
The Aesthetic Shift seriesThe Aesthetic Shift podcast is for cosmetic practitioners looking to evolve, diversify, and future-proof their aesthetic practice. Each episode explores core cosmetic topics to help you broaden your offering and build a more resilient practice! Host Kelly Beasy is a Nurse Practitioner, clinic owner, and cosmetic medicine trainer at KB Aesthetix with 20 years of nursing experience and 10+ years’ experience in the aesthetic industry. She also offers a 1:1 mentorship program for clinicians.
Most doctors don’t set out to become skin cancer clinicians, but rather arrive there after a series of unexpected turns. In this episode of Life by A Thousand Cuts, Dr Mostafa "Moz" Khalafalla shares how an unconventional career path led him into skin cancer medicine, and why it has become the most satisfying part of his work.
Tune in to the conversation with A/Prof Tony Dicker, as Dr Moz shares:
- Why there is no linear path into skin cancer — From obstetrics and emergency medicine to general practice, Dr Moz reflects on how each step shaped his clinical confidence and decision-making.
- How dermoscopy changed everything — The dermatoscope as a diagnostic tool, the early learning curve, and why diagnostics (not just surgery) remain the most rewarding part of skin cancer work.
- Balancing procedures with relationships — How skin cancer medicine allows long-term patient relationships without the intensity of full-time general practice.
- Educational social media, done carefully — How Dr Moz uses short-form video to counter misinformation, with clear boundaries around consent, de-identification and medico-legal risk.
- From learner to teacher — Navigating impostor syndrome, staying clinically sharp, and the responsibility that comes with teaching peers and the public.
This is a thoughtful conversation for GPs interested in dermoscopy, skin cancer medicine, and how clinical practice continues to evolve.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey
🎓 NEW Micro-Course: Introduction to the Dermatoscope
Led by A/Prof Tony Dicker, this short course introduces the dermatoscope as the clinician’s key diagnostic tool for skin examination — a practical foundation for those beginning their journey in skin cancer detection.
✅ Learn how to use the dermatoscope and capture clinical images.
🎖️ 9.5 hours CPD • Online • $195
👉 Learn more & enrol >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
This episode of Life by a Thousand Cuts explores a common but challenging scenario in skin cancer practice: managing a large, bleeding facial lesion in an elderly patient where comfort and control matter more than long-term cure.
A/Prof Tony Dicker uses a real case to walk through clinical reasoning around diagnosis, margins and treatment options, before focusing on practical closure planning for a sizeable cheek defect.
The discussion highlights how patient context, tumour behaviour and functional risk all shape surgical decisions, and why there is rarely a single “right” answer.
A useful listen for clinicians looking to sharpen their approach to complex closures, particularly when balancing technical execution with realistic, patient-centred outcomes.
Note: This episode includes discussion of multiple clinical images. A video version is available for those who wish to view them.
Next steps in your learning journey
🎓 NEW Micro-Course: Introduction to the Dermatoscope
Led by A/Prof Tony Dicker, this short course introduces the dermatoscope as the clinician’s key diagnostic tool for skin examination — a practical foundation for those beginning their journey in skin cancer detection.
✅ Learn how to use the dermatoscope and capture clinical images.
🎖️ 9.5 hours CPD • Online • $195
👉 Learn more & enrol >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
In this episode of HealthCert's The Aesthetic Shift podcast series, NP Kelly Beasy is joined by specialist GP Dr Raj Selvarajan to explore hair loss from a clinical, evidence-based perspective. The conversation moves beyond cosmetic quick fixes and focuses on diagnosis, timing and ethical management.
For clinicians interested in expanding their scope into hair loss management, this episode offers a grounded overview of how to approach assessment and treatment in a medically sound way. It also reinforces a broader point: hair loss care is not about selling solutions, but about understanding the patient in front of you and treating the whole picture.
Stay tuned next month for part two, which will explore how clinicians can upskill in hair loss management and how you can get started with (and avoid common pitfalls when) integrating the services into your own practice.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 New Certificate Courses in Medical Trichology
Deepen your clinical confidence in the diagnosis and management of hair and scalp disorders in primary care, with our newly released Professional Certificate of Medical Trichology — developed and delivered by Dr Ahmed Kazmi and a faculty of FACD dermatologists and international experts in hair science. Take your learning further & save $200 with code PCMTR200 until 7 April.
➡️ Explore course >
Dr Raj Selvarajan
Dr Raj Selvarajan is a Specialist General Practitioner with extensive experience across primary care, men’s health, skin cancer medicine, and aesthetic medicine. Over the years, he has built a reputation for delivering practical, patient-centred care while developing several successful clinical services in Queensland. His interest in aesthetic medicine began with a focus on evidence-based treatments that genuinely improve confidence and quality of life. This naturally led him into the world of hair loss assessment and management — an area where he saw many patients struggling with misinformation, high-cost commercial clinics, and a lack of medical guidance. Driven to change this, Dr Selvarajan undertook advanced training in hair restoration, PRP/PRF therapy, and surgical techniques, refining a model of care that is accessible, ethical, and grounded in science. His work in hair loss has since shaped the growth of his aesthetic and procedural services, from community-based cosmetic clinics to his dedicated Brisbane Hair Transplant Clinic. Across his professional roles, Dr Selvarajan remains committed to education, innovation, and empowering patients with honest, medically guided options, ensuring they receive safe, effective, and personalised treatment plans.
Learn more at www.brisbanehairtransplant.com.au and www.bemedicalcentre.com.au
The Aesthetic Shift seriesThe Aesthetic Shift podcast is for cosmetic practitioners looking to evolve, diversify, and future-proof their aesthetic practice. Each episode explores core cosmetic topics to help you broaden your offering and build a more resilient practice! Host Kelly Beasy is a Nurse Practitioner, clinic owner, and cosmetic medicine trainer at KB Aesthetix with 20 years of nursing experience and 10+ years’ experience in the aesthetic industry. She also offers a 1:1 mentorship program for clinicians.
Mohs surgery is often described as the gold standard for skin cancer excision, but in practice it’s a precision tool, not a default option.
In this episode of Life by A Thousand Cuts, A/Prof Tony Dicker looks at what Mohs surgery actually involves, why it is different from standard excision, and the specific clinical situations where it adds real value.
Rather than relying on representative histology, Mohs uses complete margin assessment before reconstruction. That makes it particularly useful when margins are hard to define, tissue is limited, or recurrence would be costly for the patient.
Tune into this week's episode for an insightful discussion about:
- Why poorly defined or recurrent tumours raise margin uncertainty
- Why anatomical sites like eyelids, lips, and the nose change the risk calculus
- How Mohs compares with alternatives such as delayed reconstruction or planned re-excision
- When standard excision remains entirely appropriate
The aim is to help you recognise when certainty matters more than speed, and when referral can spare patients repeat surgery or complex revisions.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 NEW Micro-Course: Introduction to the Dermatoscope
Led by A/Prof Tony Dicker, this short course introduces the dermatoscope as the clinician’s key diagnostic tool for skin examination — a practical foundation for those beginning their journey in skin cancer detection.
✅ Learn how to use the dermatoscope and capture clinical images.
🎖️ 9.5 hours CPD • Online • $195
👉 Learn more & enrol >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
In this episode of HealthCert's The Aesthetic Shift podcast series, Kelly Beasy sits down with Naomi Grayson — registered nurse, educator, and co-founder of Pinkit Medical — to explore the evolving world of regenerative aesthetics.
Naomi shares how her clinical background shaped the development of collagen-stimulating treatments, why skin quality is becoming central to modern aesthetic practice, and what clinicians should understand about choosing and using these products safely.
This episode also touches on the often-misunderstood regulatory landscape in Australia, including how topical products differ from TGA-regulated medicines, what clinicians should be checking before introducing a new product, and why transparency from suppliers matters more than ever.
If you are curious about where collagen stimulators fit into contemporary practice, how practitioners can approach education and product selection with rigour, or what the industry shift toward skin-focused treatments means for clinics, this conversation is worth a listen.
Watch this episode here.
Next steps in your learning journey
🎓 Micro-Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore short, bite-sized CPD modules in focused topics in cosmetic medicine for GPs and nurses. Complete in less than 10 hours.
➡️ Browse Micro-Courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore our university-assured, structured Professional Diploma pathway to elevate your skills in primary care cosmetic medicine.
➡️ Explore full program >
Excision is routine work in primary care, but deciding who should wield the scalpel isn’t always straightforward. In this episode of Life by A Thousand Cuts, A/Prof Tony Dicker explores the real-world judgement calls GPs make every day: when a skin cancer can be safely managed in-house, and when referral is the wiser path.
Tune into the episode below to hear a grounded, experience-based discussion covering:
- Why local anaesthetic tolerance remains a key early filter.
- How size, complexity and your own comfort level influence the decision to proceed.
- The value of working alongside more experienced colleagues, and why observing can still be a worthwhile investment in your skills.
- When patient preference, social factors, and after-care logistics should tip the balance toward referral.
- Why a transparent, informed-consent conversation protects both patient outcomes and your medico-legal footing.
This week's episode is a concise, candid look at the grey zones of primary-care skin cancer surgery, ideal for any GP refining their procedural decision-making.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 NEW Micro-Course: Introduction to the Dermatoscope
Led by A/Prof Tony Dicker, this short course introduces the dermatoscope as the clinician’s key diagnostic tool for skin examination — a practical foundation for those beginning their journey in skin cancer detection.
✅ Learn how to use the dermatoscope and capture clinical images.
🎖️ 9.5 hours CPD • Online • $195
👉 Learn more & enrol >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program
For many women, the final step in breast reconstruction after cancer is medical tattooing. In this episode of HealthCert's The Aesthetic Shift podcast series, Kelly Beasy speaks with Aleisha Gannon, a leading Australian paramedical tattooist whose work in 3D nipple tattooing has supported thousands of women in their recovery after breast cancer.
In this conversation, Aleisha (Cosmetic & Body Art Tattooist and Founder of Pink Lotus Breast Restoration) explains what makes nipple tattooing so specialised, the unique challenges of working on reconstructed skin, and why correct technique, colour theory, and infection prevention are non-negotiable.
She shares how she collaborates with surgeons and breast care nurses, the growing role of nurses in medical tattooing, and why evidence-based aftercare matters just as much as artistry.
The episode also explores corrective work, common complications, and how clinicians can support patients who may be hesitant or unsure about their options.
Watch this episode here.
Next steps in your learning journey
🎓 Micro-Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore short, bite-sized CPD modules in focused topics in cosmetic medicine for GPs and nurses. Complete in less than 10 hours.
➡️ Browse Micro-Courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore our university-assured, structured Professional Diploma pathway to elevate your skills in primary care cosmetic medicine.
➡️ Explore full program >
Local anaesthetic choice and dosing are such a routine part of skin cancer surgery that it’s easy to fall into habit. But with ongoing supply pressures, evolving research, and the increasing volume of procedures performed in primary care, many GPs are now asking: how low can we safely go with lignocaine concentrations, and does dilution actually work?
In this episode of Life by A Thousand Cuts, A/Prof Tony Dicker breaks down the evidence on lignocaine dosing, including what the newer data tells us about using lower concentrations in day-to-day skin cancer work.
This episode covers:
- Why names like lignocaine, lidocaine, Xylocaine, adrenaline, and epinephrine all trace back to the same core agents.
- How standard concentrations (1% and 2%, with or without adrenaline) compare with the diluted formulations used in dermatologic surgery.
- What the January 2025 Dermatologic Surgery double-blind trial found when comparing 0.25% vs 0.5% lignocaine, and why both were equally effective for pain control, patient satisfaction, and top-ups.
- How these findings relate to tumescent anaesthesia in liposuction, where even more dilute solutions still perform reliably.
- Practical safety limits, including the importance of avoiding unnecessarily large volumes in primary care and maintaining robust processes if your clinic is diluting local anaesthetic.
- Real-world considerations around toxicity, duration of effect, and past adverse events that underline why careful dosing still matters.
If you perform skin cancer procedures in general practice, this is a crisp, evidence-focused update on a tool you use every day, with some simple takeaways you can apply immediately.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 NEW Micro-Course: Introduction to the Dermatoscope
Led by A/Prof Tony Dicker, this short course introduces the dermatoscope as the clinician’s key diagnostic tool for skin examination — a practical foundation for those beginning their journey in skin cancer detection.
✅ Learn how to use the dermatoscope and capture clinical images.
🎖️ 9.5 hours CPD • Online • $195
👉 Learn more & enrol >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program
Managing skin cancer demand in primary care is a challenge, especially with doctor shortages in regional areas. This episode of the HealthCert Insights podcast dives into the Nurse–Melanographer model: a proven approach that expands clinic capacity, improves patient access to skin cancer services, and creates rewarding career pathways for nurses and dermal clinicians.
Melanographers are nurses or dermal clinicians trained in dermoscopy and skin cancer detection. They perform skin checks, document lesions, and collaborate closely with doctors, allowing clinics to see more patients efficiently without compromising quality.
In this episode, Matt Woollard (a skin cancer clinic operations expert who has built and managed more than 40 skin cancer clinics in Australia over the past 25 years) explains several ways this model works in practice: from Melanographers performing skin checks with doctors onsite, to “tag-team” setups where a Melanographer and GP share appointments.
The model not only reduces wait times and eases doctor workloads but also strengthens the clinic’s economics; patients pay fair out-of-pocket costs while doctors can focus on surgical work and complex cases.
If you are a nurse interested in specialising in skin cancer, or a clinic owner exploring ways to manage demand, this episode will provide practical insights you can implement immediately.
Next steps in your learning journey
🎓 Micro-Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore short, bite-sized CPD modules in focused topics in skin cancer. Complete in less than 10 hours from only $95.
➡️ Micro-Courses for GPs >
➡️ Micro-Courses for nurses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathways to elevate your knowledge in the primary care management of skin cancer.
➡️ Skin Cancer pathway for GPs >
➡️ Melanography pathway for nurses >
With recent updates to the MBS now in effect as of 1 November 2025, GPs and skin cancer doctors will notice some important wording changes in the surgical operation item numbers, particularly those relating to excision and repair.
In this episode of Life by A Thousand Cuts, A/Prof Tony Dicker explains what these amendments mean in real terms, unpacking the subtle but significant implications for everyday skin cancer surgery.
One of the most notable clarifications is the recognition that repairs are “included if performed”, meaning cases managed with healing by secondary intention are now explicitly covered.
Through a detailed case study of a basal cell carcinoma near the inner canthus, A/Prof Dicker walks through the full clinical workflow from excision margins and wound care to patient follow-up and histology, illustrating how secondary intention can achieve excellent outcomes in the right anatomical contexts.
He also shares practical dressing choices, patient management tips, and key considerations for concave sites such as the inner canthus and conchal bowl, where grafts or flaps may not always be necessary.
If you are managing skin cancers in primary care or surgical practice, this discussion offers valuable insight into how legislative nuance translates to patient care and procedural decision-making.
Download your quick-reference Medicare Skin Cancer Item Number Guide, updated November 2025 here.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program
In skin cancer surgery, the humble curette is a familiar tool, but how effective is curettage on its own as a definitive treatment? In this episode of Life by a Thousand Cuts, A/Prof Tony Dicker takes a closer look at a new study published in Dermatologic Surgery exploring five-year recurrence rates following curettage-only management of keratinocyte carcinomas.
In the episode, A/Prof Dicker covers:
- How the study was designed and what its limitations tell us about real-world data collection
- How recurrence rates after curettage compare with surgery, cautery, and topical therapies
- What this means for treatment selection, patient communication, and MBS item use in Australian practice
If you have ever wondered whether curettage alone can stand up as a reliable primary treatment option, this episode offers useful insights drawn from recent evidence and practical interpretation.
Watch this episode here.
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program
Looking to practise responsibly and confidently in aesthetic medicine? In this episode of HealthCert's The Aesthetic Shift podcast series, Kelly Beasy breaks down one of the most important (and often misunderstood) concepts in clinical practice: scope of practice.
Whether you are a nurse, nurse practitioner, or doctor, your scope of practice isn’t fixed. It evolves with your education, competence, authority, and clinical context. But defining and maintaining that scope is essential to patient safety, professional integrity, and legal compliance.
In the episode, Kelly explores what “scope of practice” really means outside the hospital setting, where roles can vary widely and clinicians often set their own boundaries. She discusses:
- Why formal education (not just conferences or observation) matters for safe practice
- How to assess your competence, including your ability to manage complications
- The importance of medical oversight and team structures that align with your qualifications
- Why your scope changes with context, from rural to city practice, or as your career evolves
- The value of mentorship in safely expanding your scope over time
Watch this episode here.
Next steps in your learning journey
🎓 Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore our university-assured, structured Professional Diploma pathway to elevate your skills in primary care Aesthetic Medicine.
➡️ Explore full program >
Dr John O’Bryen delivers an insightful presentation for GPs on practical, evidence-based approaches to diagnosing, managing, and preventing actinic keratosis in the general practice setting.
As part of HealthCert Education's Masterclasses in Dermoscopy and Skin Cancer Surgery in Brisbane in August 2025, Skin Cancer Doctor John O'Bryen delivered an informative talk (in collaboration with La Roche Posay) on the primary care management of actinic keratosis, from diagnosis and management to prevention and patient education.
What you will learn* Navigate best practice strategies for actinic keratosis management, covering diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment care, and recurrence prevention. * Learn evidence-based approaches to improve patient outcomes and minimise side effects. * Gain insights on how to optimise healing after procedures (biopsies, cryotherapy, excisions, topical therapies, etc.) and identify delayed wound healing. * Discover how to implement preventative measures against actinic keratosis recurrence and skin cancers. * Hear your colleagues' questions and Dr O'Bryen's real-world advice in the concluding Q&A session.
💡 You can also watch the video here.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer Medicine
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program >
Confused by the latest MBS changes? From 1 July 2025, Medicare introduced major updates in women’s health and chronic disease management, including new item numbers for menopause health assessments and revised chronic condition care plans.
In this HealthCert GP Update, Dr Simone Gonzo unpacks how to apply the new Medicare item numbers in women’s health and chronic disease, providing a clear, practical overview tailored for busy GPs.
What you will learn
In a practical, case-based approach to the latest MBS changes, Dr Simon Gonzo uses real-world scenarios to demonstrate how to:
- Apply the new menopause health assessment (item 695).
- Integrate the new chronic condition management plan (965/967) into everyday workflows.
- Align mental health care planning and psychology referrals.
- Document correctly to meet requirements and avoid medicolegal risk.
- Combine billings efficiently in one patient encounter without over-servicing.
- Use AI tools to streamline documentation and reduce admin burden.
This session will help you feel confident that your documentation meets Medicare standards, while making the most of new funded opportunities in women’s health and chronic disease care.
Prefer a visual format? Watch this podcast here.
Next steps in your learning journey
🎓 Micro-Courses in Women's Health or Chronic DiseaseExplore 400 short CPD modules in focused topics in Women's Health, Chronic Disease, and more. Complete in less than 10 hours! ➡️ Browse Micro-Courses >
🎓 Certificate Courses in Women's Health or Chronic DiseaseOur university-assured, structured pathways to elevate your knowledge in Women's Health or Chronic Disease & Conditions. ➡️ Explore Certificate Courses >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscriptionPrefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, any topic, one flat annual fee. ➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
When media reports suggest that sunscreens “fail” SPF testing, GPs are often the first to field patients' concerns. In this episode of Life by a Thousand Cuts, A/Prof Tony Dicker takes a closer look at recent media controversies and applies a clinical lens to discuss whether sunscreens work and are safe to use. In the episode, he discusses SPF testing and how it is not absolute; small variations in testing conditions or sample batches can change results, even among regulated products. Despite this, Australia’s regulatory standards remain among the most stringent globally; unlike in many other countries, sunscreens are classed as therapeutic goods and regulated by the TGA.
A “failed” SPF test result doesn’t necessarily mean a product is unsafe or ineffective. It often reflects marginal variation rather than complete loss of protection. Affected manufacturers have acted responsibly by voluntarily withdrawing products to investigate further, which is an important sign of quality control, not negligence.
A/Prof Dicker reiterates that GPs play a vital role in patient reassurance and countering misinformation, since sunscreen remains a key element of skin cancer prevention, alongside other sun safety measures like shade and clothing.
“Some sun protection is better than none. The world isn’t black and white — it’s grey. Understanding that nuance helps us guide patients confidently.” - A/Prof Tony Dicker
Watch this episode here.
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program
In this episode of HealthCert's The Aesthetic Shift podcast series, Kelly Beasy sits down with Dr Amanda Sabel, a GP and aesthetic practitioner from Western Australia, to share their advice on blending women’s health with aesthetic medicine.
Dr Sabel shares how her own experience navigating perimenopause became the catalyst for building a clinic where women’s health is front and centre, and how she has combined this with her background in aesthetics to deliver holistic care for her patients.
Together, Kelly and Dr Sabel explore:
- Why menopause and perimenopause remain under-recognised in clinical practice.
- The challenges of managing complex symptoms within standard consultation times.
- Practical ways GPs and cosmetic practitioners can introduce women’s health services.
- The evolving evidence around hormone therapy, lifestyle, and laser-based treatments.
If you are a GP or nurse practitioner looking to expand your scope and support women through all stages of life, this conversation offers insights into what is possible both clinically and professionally.
Watch this episode here.
Next steps in your learning journey
🎓 Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore our university-assured, structured Professional Diploma pathway to elevate your skills in primary care Aesthetic Medicine.
➡️ Explore full program >
In this episode of Life by A Thousand Cuts podcast, A/Prof Tony Dicker takes a closer look at a new study comparing wound closures using glue versus sutures on the trunk and limbs.
The research, published in Dermatologic Surgery, followed patients for 12 months to see which method produced the better scar. The findings might surprise you, and could change how you think about surface closures in your own practice.
A/Prof Dicker unpacks the study design, discusses what the results really mean for doctors treating skin cancers, and reflects on how factors like tissue reactivity, closure technique, and anatomical site can all influence cosmetic outcomes.
Tune in to hear his take on when glue might have an edge, what to watch for in your own closures, and why even small technique choices can make a difference over time.
Watch this episode here.
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program
In this episode of Life by A Thousand Cuts podcast, A/Prof Tony Dicker sits down with Dr Ian Katz, a dual-trained pathologist and founder of several skin cancer clinics, to explore one of the most debated topics in skin cancer management: margins.
Dr Katz shares his unique perspective as both a pathologist and a clinician, reflecting on why confusion around margins persists, and how GPs can better interpret pathology reports in practice.
They discuss:
- Clinical vs histological margins: Guidelines are based on clinical margins, not what’s measured under the microscope. A “1.5mm histological clearance” isn’t the same thing as a “5mm clinical margin.”
- Measurement variability: Pathology reports aren’t exact science. A “2mm margin” often means “2mm ± 1–2mm.” Numbers give guidance, but they’re not absolute.
- What really matters: In many cases, being histologically one cell clear is enough. The reason we aim wider is due to uncertainty, because we only ever see a small fraction of the specimen under the microscope.
- Managing uncertainty: Skin cancer surgery comes with ambiguity. If you are someone who struggles to sleep without a precise answer, skin cancer work can feel uncomfortable. Understanding the limits of pathology helps.
- Communication counts: Clear request forms (with the prior diagnosis, margin status, and level of clinical suspicion) make it easier for pathologists to provide meaningful reports.
This discussion is about bridging the gap between the clinical and pathology worlds, and recognising that margins are less about chasing numbers, and more about good clinical judgement, clear reporting, and thoughtful follow-up.
Watch this episode here.
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program
Gestational diabetes is one of the most common and challenging complications seen in pregnancy, and new guidelines are changing how GPs should approach its screening and management.
In this HealthCert GP Update, Dr Simone Gonzo unpacks the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society (ADIPS) 2025 Consensus Recommendations, providing a clear, practical overview tailored for busy GPs.
What you will learn
- How to distinguish overt diabetes from GDM.
- When and how to apply early screening protocols for high-risk patients.
- Updated diagnostic thresholds and what they mean in day-to-day practice.
- How these changes may influence your management decisions and patient outcomes.
Next steps in your learning journey
🎓 NEW! Foundation Certificate of Pregnancy: Managing Complications
Learn how to deliver safe, evidence-based care throughout pregnancy and manage complications such as gestational diabetes, infertility, miscarriage, and more. 4-module short course | Online | Accredited 40 CPD hours.
➡️ Explore short course >
🎓 Women's Health Certificate Courses
Prefer an in-depth program? Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in Women's Health.
➡️ Explore full program >
🎓 HealthCert 365 subscription
Prefer flexible learning across many topics? Access 4,000+ CPD hours on-demand with HealthCert 365 — anytime, anywhere, one flat annual fee.
➡️ Discover HealthCert 365 >
In this episode of HealthCert's The Aesthetic Shift podcast series, Kelly Beasy speaks to Kelly McChord about her journey from solo practice to multi-clinic ownership and the lessons learned in building a sustainable aesthetics business.
Kelly McChord is a Nurse Practitioner with 15 years' experience in the aesthetics industry, who is based in Perth and who has a special interest in cosmetic medicine and women's health. She shares her inspiring story of building a thriving aesthetics career, from starting out as a solo practitioner to soon opening her second clinic. Her path into aesthetics was shaped by her background in emergency and resuscitation care, where she realised that health isn’t just about survival, but also about confidence and quality of life. That insight eventually led her into aesthetics, where she found new ways to help people feel their best.
Over the past 15 years, Kelly has grown from performing her first wrinkle relaxer treatments while raising four children, to establishing a busy clinic that now needs more space to meet patient demand. Along the way, she has navigated the challenges of working alone, building a client base, hiring staff, and expanding services with carefully chosen devices.
In this conversation, Kelly Beasy and Kelly McChord share their practical lessons for clinicians considering a similar path:
- Build your foundation first. Focus on training, competence, and developing a loyal patient portfolio before scaling.
- Know when to expand. Hiring a second injector, investing in devices, or moving to a bigger clinic should be driven by patient demand and return on investment.
- Value your time and team. Setting boundaries, delegating effectively, and supporting staff are essential to sustainable growth.
- Invest in skills, not just equipment. Patient trust and confidence in your expertise are far more powerful than any device alone.
Watch this episode here.
Next steps in your learning journey
🎓 Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore our university-assured, structured Professional Diploma pathway to elevate your skills in primary care Aesthetic Medicine.
➡️ Explore full program >
In this episode of Life by A Thousand Cuts podcast, A/Prof Tony Dicker explores a critical topic for doctors surgically treating skin cancers: how to avoid accidentally cutting nerves during procedures.
A/Prof Dicker offers real-world strategies to help you plan safer surgeries. The discussion covers several major nerves relevant to skin cancer surgery, particularly in the head and neck region:
- Accessory nerve – Damage here can cause significant morbidity, including shoulder weakness and difficulty raising the arm. A/Prof Dicker explains how to identify its path along the sternocleidomastoid and when referral is the safer option.
- Temporal branch of the facial nerve – Injury can cause unwanted, asymmetric paralysis of the forehead. A/Prof Dicker shares a simple anatomical landmark and tips for safer anaesthesia.
- Marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve – Though variable in its course, awareness of its position along the jawline can help avoid serious complications.
- Common peroneal nerve – In the lower limb, damage can lead to foot drop, a complication with major functional consequences.
A/Prof Dicker also highlights commonly overlooked issues such as forehead numbness from small sensory nerves, why tumescent anaesthesia can improve safety in thin-skinned patients, and the importance of patient communication before surgery to manage expectations and reduce distress.
This episode is packed with practical pearls for clinicians working in skin cancer surgery, reminding us that while excision margins and pathology are essential, so too is thoughtful consideration of what lies beneath.
Watch this episode here.
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program
Vasectomy is one of the most effective and under-utilised forms of contraception, yet access remains limited in many parts of Australia. In this latest episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Dr Raj Selvarajan shares his personal journey into the field and why more doctors may want to consider adding this procedure to their skillset.
After training as a GP in the UK, Dr Selvarajan undertook structured vasectomy training, which included supervised procedures, competency milestones, and formal certification. This system gave him the confidence and technical skills to practise safely. In contrast, Australia has no standardised training pathway; most local practitioners have learnt overseas, in hospitals, or alongside experienced colleagues.
In the podcast, Dr Selvarajan reflects honestly on the challenges he faced during training, especially when performing the procedure under local anaesthesia, where patient comfort and precision are critical. He recalls moments of self-doubt early on, but also highlights the importance of persistence, preparation, and supportive mentorship. Confidence builds over time, and what begins as a steep learning curve becomes a rewarding and highly practical skill.
Watch this episode here.
Want to upskill in the no-scalpel vasectomy method?
Start with HealthCert Education’s Advanced Workshop of Non-Scalpel Vasectomy to build your foundational skills. Then round-out your hands-on vasectomy training with a clinical placement at Dr Raj Selvarajan’s clinic.
In this episode of Life by A Thousand Cuts, A/Prof Tony Dicker takes a closer look at surgical marking pens, exploring how the simple act of drawing a line can influence outcomes.
Anyone who has carefully mapped a surgical plan only to see it vanish after prepping the skin, knows the frustration. In this podcast, A/Prof Dicker dives into the evidence behind different pens, from gentian violet markers to permanent markers and even the humble biro, and how antiseptic agents like chlorhexidine, Betadine, and alcohol impact their durability.
He also delves into infection risk, cross-contamination, and the rare but real possibility of ink tattooing if markings are incised. Studies comparing pen performance across skin types and prep solutions offer valuable insights.
A/Prof Dicker also shares his own preferences: permanent markers with a mid-sized tip for clear, reliable lines, applied after cleaning intact skin with alcohol wipes. He stresses the importance of tailoring pen choice to both the surgical setting and patient factors, especially skin tone.
Watch this episode here.
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program
In this episode of Life by A Thousand Cuts, A/Prof Tony Dicker takes a closer look at rhomboid closures: a practical flap technique for your surgical toolkit.
While most skin cancers don’t present neatly in a diamond shape, traditional rhomboid flaps are based on excising a diamond-shaped defect, which can sometimes remove more tissue than necessary. In this week's episode, A/Prof Dicker explores both the classic rhomboid flap and the modified rhomboid approach, which allows for effective closure of more natural, circular tumour excisions.
He explores the geometry behind traditional rhomboid flaps (including 120- and 60-degree angles), why the modified rhomboid is often better suited for circular defects, how to design and execute a flap that aligns with natural skin tension lines (thus improving both functional and cosmetic outcomes), and a step-by-step walkthrough of a rhomboid flap on the cheek, demonstrating how tissue is rotated into place for optimal closure.
This episode is highly visual, with step-by-step guidance through the design and movement of tissue flaps to close surgical defects while respecting relaxed skin tension lines. You can watch the video here.
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program
In this latest episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Dr Raj Selvarajan walks through what GPs can expect when managing a patient undergoing vasectomy, from the initial consult and managing patient concerns to communication tips, procedure workflow, and follow-up.
This episode focuses on the patient experience and doctor–patient communication, providing GPs with a clear understanding of how to deliver safe and supportive care.
- What a typical vasectomy consultation looks like, including what should be covered in the first consult, what questions and concerns patients usually raise, and how to approach patient education, risks, and consent.
- Common misconceptions about vasectomy and how to address them to put your patients at ease.
- How to build trust and manage patient expectations, including communication strategies for helping patients feel safe and informed.
- A typical day in a vasectomy clinic, including what the procedure workflow looks like, who is involved, and the structure of a typical work day.
- Dr Selvarajan's philosophies on patient care and how to make the vasectomy experience positive from the patient’s perspective.
- Expert advice for GPs to keep in mind when they first start consulting for vasectomy (and the one clinical detail that they often miss).
Watch this episode here.
Want to upskill in the no-scalpel vasectomy method?
Start with HealthCert Education’s Advanced Workshop of Non-Scalpel Vasectomy to build your foundational skills. Then round-out your hands-on vasectomy training with a clinical placement at Dr Raj Selvarajan’s clinic.
In this week's new episode of Life by a Thousand Cuts, A/Prof Tony Dicker explores the practical considerations of using deep dissolving sutures when closing a wound in skin cancer surgery.
While suturing is a highly visual technique, A/Prof Dicker shares his expert tips that every skin cancer clinician should keep in mind, including:
- When dermal sutures can (and can’t) be placed
- Why absorbable sutures may save patients significant time and inconvenience
- The debate around dyed vs undyed sutures
- How to achieve optimal wound eversion
Alongside this discussion, A/Prof Dicker provides a demonstration video to walk you through the practical aspects of placing deep sutures. Watch it here.
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program >
Tune into this first episode of a new podcast series by HealthCert Education, The Aesthetic Shift, in which Kelly Beasy provides expert tips on how to manage complications following cosmetic treatments — what is likely, what is rare, and how to respond.
The Aesthetic Shift podcast is for cosmetic practitioners looking to evolve, diversify, and future-proof their aesthetic practice. Each episode explores core cosmetic topics to help you broaden your offering and build a more resilient practice! Kelly Beasy is a Nurse Practitioner, clinic owner, and cosmetic medicine trainer at KB Aesthetix with 20 years of nursing experience and 10+ years’ experience in the aesthetic industry. She also offers a 1:1 mentorship program for clinicians.
In this episode, Kelly deep dives into how to manage complications following cosmetic treatments such as anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers, Sculptra, microneedling, and Skin Boosters — what is likely, what is rare, and how to respond.
Kelly provides expert tips on how to reduce risk, how to inform your patients about potential complications, and how to react quickly if adverse events occur. She also discusses key protocols and training to equip you with a toolkit to handle most complications you're likely to encounter.
Watch this episode here.
Next steps in your learning journey
🎓 Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore our university-assured, structured Professional Diploma pathway to elevate your skills in primary care Aesthetic Medicine.
➡️ Explore full program >
Tune into this new episode of Life by a Thousand Cuts: a HealthCert podcast series hosted by A/Prof Tony Dicker, offering practical, case-based insights in skin cancer surgery for GPs.
In this episode, A/Prof Dicker dives into a fascinating study from Egypt exploring unconventional treatments for keloid scars, including insulin and Botulinum toxin injections.
The trial, published in the Journal of Dermatologic Surgery in June 2025, compared these options with the standard intralesional corticosteroids. While steroids remained the most effective overall, the study found some interesting pros and cons for each approach, including fewer steroid-related side effects with insulin or Botulinum toxin.
A/Prof Dicker breaks down the trial design, results, and practical takeaways for GPs, and shares when he might (and might not) consider these alternatives in clinical practice.
Helpful resourcesClick here for an overview of the paper discussed in this episode.
Watch the video version here.
Life by a Thousand Cuts This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
Next steps in your learning journey🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program >
Tune into this first episode of Life by a Thousand Cuts: a HealthCert podcast series hosted by A/Prof Tony Dicker, offering practical, case-based insights in skin cancer surgery for GPs.
The series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.
In this episode, A/Prof Dicker speaks with Prof Cliff Rosendahl about the evolution of skin cancer medicine in general practice, told through Cliff’s unique journey from GP to educator, researcher, and co-creator of one of the world’s most used dermatoscopy frameworks. It’s a conversation about how ideas become practice, and how individuals can shape an entire field.
What's covered in this episode
The early days: Cliff’s path from general practice into skin cancer, and what skin cancer work looked like then vs now.
The creation of SCARD: Why it was needed and how it helped GPs build surgical confidence.
Becoming an educator: What led Cliff to start teaching dermatoscopy, and how teaching and learning in this space has changed.
Translating observation into research: Cliff’s early publications (what drove them and how they came about) and the value of practice-based evidence.
The development of Chaos & Clues: The real-world problems it was trying to solve, how it works, and why it’s still relevant today.
Cliff's book: Turning knowledge into a resource and what he hopes GPs will take away from it.
Reflections and advice for GPs starting out in skin cancer work or dermatoscopy.
Helpful resources
Download the slide deck from this podcast here.
You might also be interested to check out Prof Cliff Rosendahl's book mentioned in this episodehere.
Watch the video version here.
Next steps in your learning journey
🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program >
This podcast offers an insightful discussion about the landscape of skin cancer care in the United States and Canada, and dives into why physicians may consider integrating skin cancer services into their primary care practice — an especially exceptional listen if you are based in North America.
Hear from Paul Elmslie (Founder of HealthCert Education) as he provides his unique insights into primary care skin cancer screening.
Joined by U.S.-based Primary Care Physician Dr John Howard MD, Paul shares the profound impact of growing and expanding your practice through skin cancer care, rooted in his own experiences shaping the landscape of skin cancer medicine in Australia over the past two decades.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Dr Raj Selvarajan (a Specialist General Practitioner and Course Director for the HealthCert Education Advanced Workshop of Non-Scalpel Vasectomy) addresses one of the most frequently asked questions he hears from colleagues considering integrating vasectomy services into their practice: Is it worth the investment?
Dr Selvarajan has been performing vasectomy procedures since 2007, after establishing the first no-scalpel vasectomy service in north-east England. He has since led clinics across the UK and now operates scalpel-free vasectomy clinics in Brisbane and Mackay.
In this insightful episode, Dr Selvarajan covers:
- Why vasectomy is becoming more popular among GPs
- Typical costs for setting up a vasectomy service
- Average procedure fee and billing model
- How long it takes to break even
- Other benefits beyond revenue
- Common misconceptions
- What he wishes more GPs knew before offering vasectomy services
Want to upskill in the no-scalpel vasectomy method?
Start with HealthCert Education’s Advanced Workshop of Non-Scalpel Vasectomy to build your foundational skills. Then round-out your hands-on vasectomy training with a clinical placement at Dr Raj Selvarajan’s clinic.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie (CEO & Founder of HealthCert Education) discusses skin cancer medicine with Dr Terry Harvey (Sunshine Coast Skin Cancer Centre, Queensland).
Dr Terry Harvey is an Accredited Skin Cancer Doctor who completed his master’s degree in skin cancer at The University of Queensland, and he is one of very few doctors worldwide to outperform the University of Vienna’s DermaChallenge AI algorithm.
This insightful podcast covers:
- Dr Harvey's background, what he does, and where he works.
- Why Dr Harvey chose to pursue a special interest in skin cancer medicine.
- The training Dr Harvey undertook to upskill himself in skin cancer.
- What he enjoys most about skin cancer work.
- How the skin cancer subspeciality compares to working in a GP practice.
- Dr Harvey's advice for other GPs or GP Registrars who are considering pursuing a special interest in skin cancer.
- Top tips for getting started in skin cancer medicine.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie (CEO & Founder of HealthCert Education) talks with Skin Cancer Doctor John O'Bryen (owner of Body Scan Skin Cancer Clinic in Buderim, Queensland) about building a prosperous skin cancer practice.
You may be interested to follow Dr O'Bryen's Instagram @skincancerdoctor, where he posts interesting dermoscopy cases which other doctors may learn from.
The podcast covers:
- Dr John O'Bryen's background.
- Why he chose to pursue skin cancer as a special interest field.
- Education he undertook to expand his skillset in skin cancer.
- How his day-to-day work as a Skin Cancer Doctor compares to practising as a generalist, and what he enjoys about his work.
- How he came to buy his skin cancer clinic.
- Important factors to consider when purchasing a skin cancer clinic.
- Challenges he has faced in operating the clinic.
- How he balances patient care with the business and admin aspects of running a clinic.
- How his clinic stays up to date with advancements in skin cancer detection and treatment.
- Common pitfalls and mistakes he sees other clinic owners make (and that he has made himself) and how can they be avoided.
- Rewarding aspects of owning and operating a skin cancer clinic.
- Advice for doctors looking to start/buy their own skin cancer practice.
Did you know that more than 12 per cent of GP encounters in Australia are for mental health-related presentations?
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie (CEO & Founder of HealthCert Education) talks with Dr Joe Kosterich (GP, speaker, author, media presenter, and health industry consultant with a special interest in mental health) about the role of the general practitioner at the forefront of mental health management.
In the podcast, Paul and Joe discuss:
- Common mental health conditions GPs encounter.
- The current mental health burden in Australia.
- The role of the GP in managing mental health issues in the primary care setting.
- The process for ensuring patients presenting for the first time with a mental health concern receive the right support, from initial consultation to ongoing care.
- How GPs collaborate with psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals.
- How telehealth has impacted mental health consultations, especially post-pandemic.
- The main challenges for patients in accessing mental health care.
- The biggest challenges for GPs when dealing with mental health presentations.
- Advice for GPs who would like to pursue a special interest in mental health.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie (CEO & Founder of HealthCert Education) talks with Kelly Chard (finance expert and founder of GrowthMD) to discuss the recent changes to payroll tax that impact medical practice owners in most Australian states.
Paul and Kelly discuss:
- What has changed in payroll tax regulations for medical practices.
- How the changes impact practice owners.
- The anticipated flow-on effects for patients.
- Proactive measures and strategies to help practice owners manage the changes and minimise the impact on their business.
- Recommended resources and guidance for practices seeking comprehensive support in navigating GP payroll tax complexities.
Hear all this and much more in the full podcast below, and join us for the next episode when we deep-dive into the new payroll tax regulations on a state-by-state basis.
In this episode of the HealthCert GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie (HealthCert Education) talks about medical cannabis with Dr Joe Kosterich – exploring common myths and misconceptions, how cannabis can be used as medicine, and how doctors in Australia can get started prescribing medical cannabis to their patients.
Paul Elmslie is the CEO and Founder of HealthCert Education. He is chatting with Dr Joe Kosterich – a GP, speaker, author, media presenter and health industry consultant who has a special interest in medical cannabis and is the Medical Advisor for Little Green Pharma.
In the podcast, Paul and Joe explore:
- Myths and misconceptions surrounding medical cannabis.
- Conditions and symptoms medical cannabis can help manage.
- Potential risks and side effects associated with medical cannabis use.
- The difference between THC and CBD.
- How to determine appropriate dosages of medical cannabis for a patient.
- Safe methods of consumption.
- What doctors need to do if they want to start prescribing medical cannabis to their patients in Australia.
- Tips and advice for practitioners who are new to this field.
Tune into this new episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, in which Paul Elmslie (HealthCert Education) talks with Kelly Beasy (KB Aesthetix) about how to get started delivering cosmetic injectables, exploring Kelly's top tips for introducing the service into your practice.
Paul Elmslie is the CEO and Founder of HealthCert Education. He is chatting with Kelly Beasy - a Nurse Practitioner and cosmetic medicine trainer at KB Aesthetix with 20 years of nursing experience and 10+ years’ experience in the aesthetic industry. Learn more about KB Aesthetix.
In the podcast, Kelly and Paul explore:
- What inspired Kelly to pursue cosmetic injectables as part of her own practice.
- The essential qualifications or certifications a practitioner requires to be able to perform cosmetic injectable treatments in Australia.
- The process of getting started with cosmetic injectables.
- Kelly's top tips for practitioners interested in adding cosmetic injectables to their service offering.
- Kelly's insights into building a successful practice centred around cosmetic injectables.
- Some of the common challenges, safety issues, or risks that a practitioner might face when starting to offer cosmetic injectables in their practice.
- How the rules and regulations surrounding cosmetic injectables have recently changed in Australia, and what this means for practitioners.
- How practitioners can stay up to date with advancements in techniques or changes to regulations.
- Insights into how practitioners can manage patient expectations and ensure they have a positive experience with cosmetic injectables.
- Kelly's advice for practitioners who are new to this field.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie (CEO & Founder of HealthCert Education) talks with Kelly Chard (finance expert and founder of GrowthMD) to provide the latest insights and offer valuable perspectives on the current challenges and real-life observations surrounding the changing landscape of payroll tax for doctors in Australia.
Paul and Kelly discuss:
- Some background on payroll tax, how it is calculated and who pays it.
- Why payroll tax is currently a "hot topic".
- How payroll tax is impacting general practices in Australia.
- Potential consequences if practices don’t get their affairs in order around payroll tax.
In this latest podcast, Kelly Beasy (KB Aesthetix) delves into the world of cosmetic injectables and discusses adverse events of anti-wrinkle injections and dermal filler treatments, exploring the essential steps to handle these situations effectively to ensure safe and informed practices.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie (CEO & Founder of HealthCert Education) talks about cosmetic injectables adverse events with Kelly Beasy. Kelly is a Nurse Practitioner and cosmetic medicine trainer at KB Aesthetix, with 20 years of nursing experience and 10+ years’ experience in the aesthetic industry. Learn more about KB Aesthetix.
In the podcast, Kelly and Paul explore:
- Common complications that doctors may encounter with cosmetic injectables, and how they can be prevented or minimised.
- Kelly's personal experiences encountering a complication from anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers and how she managed it effectively.
- General guidelines and key steps for doctors to follow when facing a potential vascular occlusion or other complications.
- Potential implications for doctors from a legal perspective if a complication arises from an injectables treatment, and how physicians can safeguard themselves from legal issues.
- The importance of documentation in the management of cosmetic injectables complications, and what doctors should include in their records to safeguard themselves and their patients.
- Best practices for aftercare following anti-wrinkle injections and dermal filler treatments, and how doctors can educate their patients to ensure proper post-treatment care.
- Strategies to effectively manage patient expectations prior to administering cosmetic injectables, and how doctors can ensure patients have realistic goals for their treatments.
- How to maintain open communication and maintain your reputation to ensure patients continue to trust your expertise and return for future treatments even after the unfortunate event of a complication.
- Kelly's advice for doctors who are new to the field to minimise the risk of complications and enhance patient satisfaction and safety in their practice.
In the second part of this two-part podcast series, Kelly Beasy (KB Aesthetix) discusses filler fatigue and its impact on patients' satisfaction and emotional well-being.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie (CEO & Founder of HealthCert Education) talks with Kelly Beasy about filler fatigue. Kelly is a Nurse Practitioner and cosmetic medicine trainer at KB Aesthetix, with 20 years of nursing experience and 10+ years’ experience in the aesthetic industry. Learn more about KB Aesthetix.
This podcast is the second part of a two-part series. If you missed part one, catch up here: Filler fatigue (part 1): Navigating the overfilled face
This episode focuses on the impact of filler fatigue on patients' satisfaction and emotional well-being, including the psychological aspects of aesthetic treatments; how overfilled facial features can lead to patient dissatisfaction; and techniques for managing patient expectations, providing realistic outcomes, and delivering aesthetically pleasing results that go beyond simply injecting more filler.
In the podcast, Kelly and Paul explore:* What "filler fatigue" is and why it is important to address this concern among patients. * Commonness of overfilling in facial aesthetics procedures and the potential consequences for patients. * How to manage patient expectations regarding the outcomes of dermal filler treatments. * Risks and potential complications associated with overfilling facial features. * Techniques injectors can use to assess patients' emotional readiness for dermal filler treatments. * Long-term effects of overfilled facial features and how to prevent them. * Facial features/areas that are more prone to filler fatigue and how to handle these areas effectively. * The role of facial symmetry and balance in achieving satisfactory results. * Kelly's advice for fellow injectors to ensure patient satisfaction and emotional well-being while minimising filler fatigue.
In part one of this two-part podcast series, Kelly Beasy (KB Aesthetix) discusses filler fatigue, focusing on how to navigate the overfilled face and exploring effective strategies for correcting and preventing overfilling.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie (CEO & Founder of HealthCert Education) talks with Kelly Beasy about filler fatigue. Kelly is a Nurse Practitioner and cosmetic medicine trainer at KB Aesthetix, with 20 years of nursing experience and 10+ years’ experience in the aesthetic industry. Learn more about KB Aesthetix.
This podcast is the first part of a two-part series. This episode focuses on the causes and consequences of overfilling facial features with dermal fillers. Kelly discusses the importance of achieving natural-looking results and provides insights into identifying signs of overfilling. She also shares her expertise on corrective techniques and prevention strategies to help other doctors avoid overfilling in their own practices.
In the podcast, Kelly and Paul explore:* The causes of overfilling when using dermal fillers in facial treatments. * How to recognise the signs of overfilling in your patients' facial features. * Effective corrective techniques for addressing overfilled facial features. * Specific facial areas that are more prone to overfilling, and why. * Potential long-term effects of overfilling with dermal fillers. * Patient demographics and characteristics that require extra caution. * Guidance on the appropriate amount and frequency of touch-ups to avoid overfilling. * Techniques and injection methods that can help prevent overfilling. * Warning signs that doctors should be aware of during and after the injection process that may indicate overfilling. * Valuable lessons about correcting and preventing overfilling.
This is part two of a short podcast series on medical business management, with this part focusing on data compliance, privacy, challenges, and more.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie (CEO & Founder of HealthCert Education) talks with Chris Smeed, co-creator and CEO of Cubiko, a medical practice platform that provides insights and analysis into all practice data and helps identify areas to improve profitability and efficiency in your practice.
Missed part one? Catch up here.
In part two of this podcast series on how to identify and work towards key benchmarks and metrics for a successful general practice, Paul and Chris discuss:
- Specific challenges and barriers that general practices face when it comes to utilising data for practice improvement.
- How data can be used in a way that helps a medical practice keep track of patients and ensure they are being seen or followed up when they need to be.
- How general practitioners can leverage benchmarking data to compare their practice's performance against industry standards.
- Regulatory or compliance requirements that general practices need to consider when it comes to data collection and analysis.
- How general practitioners can ensure the privacy and security of patient data while still using it to drive practice improvements.
- Effective strategies for integrating data-driven decision-making into the day-to-day operations of a general practice.
In this latest podcast, Kelly Beasy (KB Aesthetix) delves into the world of cosmetic injectables and discusses adverse events of anti-wrinkle injections and dermal filler treatments, exploring the essential steps to handle these situations effectively to ensure safe and informed practices.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie (CEO & Founder of HealthCert Education) talks about cosmetic injectables adverse events with Kelly Beasy. Kelly is a Nurse Practitioner and cosmetic medicine trainer at KB Aesthetix, with 20 years of nursing experience and 10+ years’ experience in the aesthetic industry. Learn more about KB Aesthetix.
In the podcast, Kelly and Paul explore:
- Common complications that doctors may encounter with cosmetic injectables, and how they can be prevented or minimised.
- Kelly's personal experiences encountering a complication from anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers and how she managed it effectively.
- General guidelines and key steps for doctors to follow when facing a potential vascular occlusion or other complications.
- Potential implications for doctors from a legal perspective if a complication arises from an injectables treatment, and how physicians can safeguard themselves from legal issues.
- The importance of documentation in the management of cosmetic injectables complications, and what doctors should include in their records to safeguard themselves and their patients.
- Best practices for aftercare following anti-wrinkle injections and dermal filler treatments, and how doctors can educate their patients to ensure proper post-treatment care.
- Strategies to effectively manage patient expectations prior to administering cosmetic injectables, and how doctors can ensure patients have realistic goals for their treatments.
- How to maintain open communication and maintain your reputation to ensure patients continue to trust your expertise and return for future treatments even after the unfortunate event of a complication.
- Kelly's advice for doctors who are new to the field to minimise the risk of complications and enhance patient satisfaction and safety in their practice.
In the first episode of a short series on HealthCert's GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie and Matt Woollard discuss:
- The key components of effective practice management in a skin cancer clinic or general practice. This includes how to schedule appointments efficiently, how to streamline patient flow, how to optimise resource allocation, and how to keep comprehensive records.
- How to ensure a seamless patient experience while maintaining efficiency in a clinic setting. This includes the importance of prioritising clear communication, minimising wait times, providing easy access to information, and focusing on personalised care.
- Key challenges you might face in managing a practice and how to overcome them. Challenges can include managing high patient volumes, handling complex cases, and maintaining regulatory compliance. Paul and Matt discuss strategies to address these common challenges, such as implementing standardised processes, leveraging technology, and continuously training staff.
- How to effectively utilise technology to improve practice management in a medical clinic. This includes adopting electronic health records for streamlined documentation, implementing appointment scheduling software, and leveraging telehealth services for enhanced patient access.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie (CEO & Founder of HealthCert Education) talks with Chris Smeed, co-creator and CEO of Cubiko, a medical practice platform that provides insights and analysis into all practice data and helps identify areas to improve profitability and efficiency in your practice.
In part one of this podcast series on how to identify and work towards key benchmarks and metrics for a successful general practice, Paul and Chris discuss:
- An overview of the current benchmarks and industry trends that are affecting general practice.
- The key metrics that general practices should track in order to measure their performance and success.
- How practice owners and managers can effectively communicate to their team the impact data can have on patient outcomes.
In this latest podcast, Kelly Beasy (KB Aesthetics) talks about Profhilo, the new injectable treatment that uses hyaluronic acid to improve the appearance of the skin by stimulating the production of collagen and elastin.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, we talk about Profhilo with Kelly Beasy. Kelly is a Nurse Practitioner and cosmetic medicine trainer with 20 years of nursing experience and 10+ years’ experience in the aesthetic industry. Learn more about KB Aesthetics.
In the podcast, Kelly explores:
- What Profhilo is and how it works as a bio-remodelling treatment.
- How Profhilo differs from other cosmetic injectable treatments.
- The process of administering Profhilo to patients.
- The benefits of Profhilo for patients seeking cosmetic enhancements.
- Specific areas of the face and body where Profhilo is most commonly used.
- When patients can usually see results following treatment with Profhilo, how long the effects last, and how to prolong them.
- Potential side effects and risks associated with Profhilo treatment.
- The criteria for determining if a patient is a suitable candidate for Profhilo.
- Contraindications and precautions that doctors should be aware of before administering Profhilo to their patients.
- How Profhilo can be combined with other cosmetic treatments and procedures for enhanced results.
- Downtime and recovery period required after receiving Profhilo injections.
- Aftercare instructions and recommendations for patients post-treatment.
- How the cost of Profhilo compares to other injectable treatments in the market.
- The typical patient experience during a Profhilo treatment session.
- Success stories of patients who have undergone Profhilo treatment.
- Challenging cases and scenarios Kelly has encountered while administering Profhilo, and how she addressed them.
- How to stay up-to-date with the latest advancements and techniques related to Profhilo and cosmetic medicine in general.
- Kelly's advice and recommendations for fellow doctors interested in incorporating Profhilo into their cosmetic medicine practices.
In this latest podcast, Dr Helena Rosengren provides her practical advice on how to deliver a cosmetic consultation and tailor your considerations for different skin concerns and age groups.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, we talk about delivering cosmetic consultations with Dr Helena Rosengren, an experienced Skin Cancer and Cosmetic Medicine Physician based in Townsville.
In the podcast, Dr Rosengren discusses:
- The process of a cosmetic consultation and how it differs from a regular medical consultation.
- Specific skin concerns that are more common in certain age groups and how she addresses these concerns.
- How she communicates with patients during a cosmetic consultation to ensure their expectations are aligned with the treatment plan.
- Challenges you might encounter when dealing with patients who have specific skin concerns, such as acne or rosacea.
- Advice for doctors starting out in cosmetic medicine in regards to developing consultation skills.
- How to approach the issue of patient safety during a cosmetic consultation, and what steps you can take to ensure the patient is a good candidate for the treatment.
- Examples of particularly challenging cosmetic consultations she has dealt with and how she addressed the patient’s concerns.
- How to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in cosmetic medicine, and how to incorporate this knowledge into your consultations.
Are you prepared to navigate the upcoming changes to payroll tax for medical practices? In this latest podcast, Paul Elmslie (Founder & CEO, HealthCert Education and National Skin Cancer Centres) and Matt Woollard (COO, National Skin Cancer Centres) discuss the proposed changes and share a few tips to possibly safeguard your practice.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie and Matt Woollard talk about the upcoming changes to payroll tax for medical practices and discuss how they are attempting to weather these changes. Paul and Matt draw on their own experiences from having owned and operated 40+ medical clinics in Australia over the past few decades.
The various State Revenue Offices are taking a view that doctors are now seen as employees rather than sub-contractors, which would mean that the medical practices in which they work must pay payroll tax. The percentage varies between states, but in many states this means an additional cost of 5 per cent. The State Revenue Office can back-date this tax by five years and apply penalties for unpaid taxes. This presents a significant risk to the general practice industry.
In the podcast, Paul and Matt talk about defining the relationship between the medical practice and the doctor, and the body of evidence supporting that doctors are sub-contractors rather than employees.
Matt discusses some of the strategies he has put in place for the National Skin Cancer Centres to put the clinics in an optimal position to potentially weather changes to payroll tax regulations. For example:
- The doctor bills the patient and provides the medical practice with a service fee once per fortnight.
- The medical practice never includes the doctors’ income as an expense on financial statements.
- Agreements are in place that the doctor pays the medical practice for the use of their facilities.
- The doctors set their own fees and close off their appointment books when they don’t want to see patients (in lieu of annual leave).
- The doctors have complete autonomy to bill, consult and treat patients however they choose.
How can you keep up with patient demand in your medical practice and better meet your patients’ expectations? In this latest podcast, Paul Elmslie (Founder & CEO, HealthCert Education and National Skin Cancer Centres) and Matt Woollard (COO, National Skin Cancer Centres) give their practical advice for keeping up with patient demand and changing perceptions and preferences, based on their own experiences owning and operating 40+ general practices and skin cancer clinics in Australia.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie and Matt Woollard talk about how you can keep up with patient demand and changing perceptions and expectations in your medical practice. The recent CommBank Health GP Insights Report 2023 highlighted interesting trends about the current and emerging landscape for medical practices in 2023 and beyond. This podcast is part 3 of 3 episodes focusing on relevant findings in that report. Paul and Matt have owned and operated 40+ medical clinics in Australia over the past few decades, and here they discuss some of what they have learned.
Keeping up with patient demandIn the podcast, Matt says, “Without realistically increasing the number of doctor hours you have in your practice, the only way to keep up with increased patient demand is through workplace efficiencies or changing your workflow to allow you to be able to treat or manage more patients in the same amount of time without putting patient safety at risk.
“A nurse can help increase the doctor’s productivity. You might work with a nurse and a tag-team environment where you triage patients and work across maybe two or three different consultation rooms.
“You might also look at what tasks a doctor is doing that could be moved on to a nurse. I think there’s a lot of opportunities inside general practice to really streamline how a general practice runs so that a practice can keep up with demand without increasing the number of doctors they have for that demand.”
Optimising practice productivityUtilising availably technologies is a great way to minimise the amount of “human work” required from your clinic, thereby reducing workload, speeding up workflow, and optimising efficiency. An example of this includes using online booking systems, as more patients doing online bookings equals less phone calls at the front desk, allowing the staff to focus on serving the patients that are in front of them.
Another example is online registration forms so that patients can complete their personal information before they even arrive at the practice for their appointment. In addition, there is software available that can automatically send patients’ results to them so that they don’t need to be recalled back into the clinic to get their results.
Matt suggests that doctors should sit down and look at the tasks they are doing every day “that are a waste of your training and experience” that could be done by somebody else so that the doctor is freed up to spend more time seeing patients. It’s also important to ask whether any steps could be cut out of a process to make it faster.
Managing patients’ changing perceptions and expectationsIn the second half of the podcast, Paul and Matt take an in-depth look at some of the most common patient expectations that medical clinics should strive to meet in order to satisfy their patients’ changing needs and wants. They also discuss the impact of social media and Google reviews and how patients’ experiences influence their word-of-mouth referrals and public feedback, and much more.
How can you attract and retain the right staff for your medical practice? In this latest podcast, Paul Elmslie (Founder & CEO, HealthCert Education and National Skin Cancer Centres) and Matt Woollard (COO, National Skin Cancer Centres) give their practical advice for hiring staff for your clinic, based on their own experiences owning and operating 40+ general practices and skin cancer clinics in Australia.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie and Matt Woollard talk about how to attract and retain the right staff in your medical practice. The recent CommBank Health GP Insights Report 2023 highlighted interesting trends about the current and emerging landscape for medical practices in 2023 and beyond. This podcast is part 2 of 3 episodes focusing on relevant findings in that report. Paul and Matt have owned and operated 40+ medical clinics in Australia over the past few decades, and here they discuss some of what they have learned.
Matt further recommends some job posting boards and advertising channels that he finds most effective for finding the right candidates for a job opening.
In terms of being an attractive employer, Paul says it’s important to manage staff expectations. For example, many staff are looking for flexibility in their roles these days so they can find a work-life balance, so it’s good to do what you can to accommodate their specific needs.
The podcast then moves on to discuss how to optimise onboarding of a newly recruited staff member at your clinic. Paul and Matt stress it’s important to have a structured onboarding process for new staff, and an effective, detailed training program and resources so they have the best chance of success.
Further, the podcast looks at how you can support and celebrate your staff with recognition and validation during their time with you.
Explore how to build a sustainable billing structure in a medical practice – with a focus on managing the cost of the business and taking advantage of opportunities to grow revenue – in this latest podcast with Paul Elmslie (Founder & CEO, HealthCert Education and National Skin Cancer Centres) and Matt Woollard (COO, National Skin Cancer Centres), who discuss their own experiences owning and operating 40+ general practices and skin cancer clinics in Australia.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie and Matt Woollard talk about building a sustainable billing structure for a medical practice. The recent CommBank Health GP Insights Report 2023 highlighted interesting trends about the current and emerging landscape for medical practices in 2023 and beyond. This podcast is part 1 of 3 episodes focusing on relevant findings in that report. Paul and Matt have owned and operated 40+ medical clinics in Australia over the past few decades, and here they discuss some of what they have learned.
In the podcast, Paul and Matt look into the costs of running a medical business and explore opportunities to grow revenue, based on their own experiences.
Costs of running a medical businessThe fixed costs of running a medical clinic (such as the rent, electricity, phone and internet, etc.) are usually difficult to change. However, two substantial costs of running a medical clinic that can be adjusted are wages and consumables.
Matt says that you can reduce the cost of wages while still paying your staff appropriately by maximising staff efficiency. (For example, you might investigate whether the front desk can be managed by two staff instead of three on certain days.) As wages are the greatest cost to a business, Matt recommends looking at wages monthly to determine your wage costs as a percentage of your service fee to get a better idea of how you are tracking.
In addition, Matt recommends doing a complete review of all your clinic’s consumables. You can look at what you’re using, what your doctors prefer to use, and what’s affordable, and tighten down your list to a much smaller list of products. This gives you the opportunity to get a competitive quote, standardise and bulk buy your consumables, and makes stock-take simpler.
Opportunities to grow revenueYou need to earn more money than you spend in order to build a sustainable practice, and sometimes this means increasing your billing to better support the practice and maintain the services your provide.
Paul says that if you are a bulk-billing clinic looking to move into private billing, it’s important to introduce this in small steps. (For example, starting out with only a small out-of-pocket fee and then gradually increasing this to where it needs to be.) If you’re going to change what you’re charging, you need to ensure your staff are trained to have those conversations with patients on the frontline so there are no breakdowns in communication.
Paul and Matt further discuss the pros and cons of bulk-billing and the current landscape for Medicare rebates.
In this latest podcast, Dr Helena Rosengren provides her practical advice for performing lip filler treatments, with a focus on achieving subtle and natural-looking results, managing patient expectations, dealing with potential complications, and more.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, we talk about lip filler with Dr Helena Rosengren, an experienced Skin Cancer and Cosmetic Medicine Physician based in Townsville.
In the podcast, Dr Rosengren discusses:
- What lip filler products are made from and how they work.
- Which patient demographics typically seek lip filler treatments, and what kind of concerns patients are hoping to address.
- Patients she avoids treating with lip filler.
- How to plan out lip filler treatment, including what’s involved in the initial consultation and the planning process.
- Top tips for helping practitioners achieve a natural and subtle look rather than the dreaded “duck lips” look.
- How she deals with patients wanting more lip filler against her recommendations, including how she addresses these concerns and manages patient expectations.
- Adverse events a practitioner should be aware of before performing lip fillers on a patient.
- How to manage potential complications with lip filler treatments.
- Advice for practitioners interested in starting out offering lip fillers, and how can they get started.
- The challenges a practitioner might encounter when they start out offering lip fillers, and her advice for overcoming those challenges.
Did you know hair loss affects more than 50 per cent of Australian men? If you see patients with hair loss in your practice, listen to this latest podcast with Dr Helena Rosengren on the primary care management of hair loss, including treatment with supplements, topical creams, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, and more.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, we talk about hair loss with Dr Helena Rosengren, an experienced Skin Cancer and Cosmetic Medicine Physician based in Townsville.
In the podcast, Dr Rosengren explores the sorts of hair loss and hair thinning concerns she sees in her primary care practice and explains who these conditions typically affect. She discusses the different types of hair loss and their causes, which of course affect the clinician’s approach to management.
Dr Rosengren talks about the primary care treatments available for hair loss and how they work (including supplements, topical creams, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, and more), plus which patients are the best candidates for these treatments and which patients aren’t typically suitable.
The podcast looks into hair loss treatments a GP can realistically expect to incorporate into their primary care practice and what sort of training and equipment they would require in order to get started.
Dr Rosengren also gives practical advice on the risks and limitations involved with hair loss treatments and when to refer a patient onwards to a specialist dermatologist.
How does skin cancer detection vary in different age groups and among patients with different skin types? In this podcast, Paul Elmslie (Founder & CEO, HealthCert Education and National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Dr Kerry Summerscales (National Skin Cancer Centres) about screening for skin cancer in different ages and skin types.
Dr Kerry Summerscales is a doctor at CQ Skin Cancer Centre in Mackay, Queensland, who diagnoses and treats skin cancer every day. In this podcast, she talks about her personal experiences with screening patients of all ages and skin types for skin malignancies and offers her practical advice on how not to miss a melanoma.
Dr Summerscales speaks about how she approaches patients of different age groups – from children to adults to the elderly – when screening for skin cancer, including the different risk factors that each of these population groups may hold. She says that skin checks can be an ideal opportunity to teach children about body autonomy and to help them to understand their own skin from a young age.
She talks about checking for skin cancers in young people, including teenagers and those in their 20s, with a particular focus on melanoma, as this is the most common cancer in Australians aged 15 to 39 – with real patient stories. She discusses how she determines a patient’s individual skin cancer risk and sunburn history, and her systematic approach for conducting skin cancer checks across the entire skin surface.
Dr Summerscales discusses how she helps patients of all ages to feel comfortable and at ease during the skin exam and some of the questions she asks her patients to get a better understanding of their skin history, skin cancer risk, and what’s brought them into her clinic that day.
She also talks about skin cancer screening in older Australians aged 65+ who are at highest risk of non-melanoma skin cancers.
Do you see patients seeking cosmetic mole removal in your practice? In this latest podcast, listen to Dr Helena Rosengren's practical tips for performing mole removal procedures, covering patient suitability, how to conduct a preliminary lesion assessment, necessary tools and training, and more.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, we talk about mole removal with Dr Helena Rosengren, an experienced Skin Cancer and Cosmetic Medicine Physician based in Townsville.
In the podcast, Dr Rosengren explains the prevalence of mole removal procedures in her primary care practice and why some patients want benign moles, skin tags, and other lesions removed from their skin.
Dr Rosengren talks about which patients are the ideal candidates for mole removal procedures, and takes us through her step-by-step process for consulting with patients seeking mole removal, including the vital importance of first conducting an assessment of the lesion for signs of malignancy. She explains why all moles must be carefully checked with dermoscopy before any removal procedure is carried out, as it can be very dangerous to remove a malignant lesion without appropriate diagnosis and surgical margins.
Dr Rosengren discusses the tools and methods for mole removal that you can realistically use in primary care, including radio ablation. She explores the benefits of radio ablation for mole removal and how it compares to other approaches such as excision. She further looks into the risks, side effects, downtime, and expected results, including scarring.
The podcast further explores the kind of equipment and training that a primary care practitioner would need to carry out mole removal services in their practice, and how they might get started.
Do you see patients with skin cancer concerns in your practice? In this podcast, Paul Elmslie (Founder & CEO, HealthCert Education and National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Matt Woollard (COO, National Skin Cancer Centres) about the recent changes to Medicare item numbers for clinically suspected melanoma.
New Medicare item numbers have been introduced for the surgical excision and repair of clinically suspected melanoma. In this podcast, Matt Woollard provides a comprehensive update on the new item numbers that came into effect on 1 November 2022.
Seven new MBS items have been created for initial excision of clinically suspected melanoma and amendments have been made to the item descriptors for the existing definitive excision items to resolve confusion around the claiming of melanoma excision services.
These changes are relevant for dermatologists, plastic surgeons, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, general surgeons, skin cancer doctors and general practitioners practising in Australia.
How can you get started providing thread lifts in primary care? In this latest podcast, listen to Dr Helena Rosengren’s expert advice on how thread lifts can be used to address your patients’ cosmetic concerns in the primary care setting, and how you can begin to include this treatment in your service offering.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, we talk about thread lifts with Dr Helena Rosengren, an experienced Skin Cancer and Cosmetic Medicine Physician based in Townsville.
In the podcast, Dr Rosengren explains what thread lifts are and how they work, including the cosmetic concerns thread lifts can address for your patients. She highlights the areas of the body that can be treated with thread lifts, which patients are the best candidates for the procedure, and the treatment limitations.
The podcast also compares thread lifts with other aesthetic treatments, such as cosmetic surgery, outlining the benefits and risks of both.
Dr Rosengren further discusses how a medical practitioner can get started providing thread lifts in their practice, including the necessary training and equipment, with her top tips for introducing thread lifts as a service offering in a medical clinic.
In this podcast, Paul Elmslie (Founder & CEO, HealthCert Education and National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Narelle Davidson (Area Manager at National Skin Cancer Centres) about how to elevate the quality improvement strategies in your general practice to improve patient outcomes and deliver the best possible medical care.
In the podcast, Narelle and Paul discuss software, services and training to improve the quality of your GP practice and services to ensure patients’ needs are met and their expectations are exceeded.
“I think there’s been a general consensus within general practice that quality improvement activities are simply an admin task, simply a a tick box that we use to ensure that the clinic can be accredited and ensuring all of the paperwork in the clinic is up,” says Narelle.
“I think what’s important to note is that that’s not exactly the case. Quality improvement activities can mean anything within a practice. It can mean bettering the care level that we give to our patients, bettering the processes so that we’re able to deliver better care to a patient.
“We need to be looking at what that means for a general practitioner in treating their patients, making sure that what they’re doing within their own practice as an independent practitioner is quality improvement.
“Quality improvement is every aspect of the business, not just the admin side.”
Narelle has 26 years’ experience in general practice business and practice management and currently manages a dozen skin cancer clinic across Australia.
How can cosmeceuticals help to enhance your patients’ skin health when used in combination with medical skin treatments? In this latest podcast, Professor David Wilkinson (Chief Medical Officer, National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Tania Romano (Scientific and Education Communications Manager, Head of Medical, SkinCeuticals) about how skin cancer doctors, GPs and other physicians can use topical skincare products as part of their medical and cosmetic medicine toolkit.
In the podcast, Prof Wilkinson and Tania discuss why maintenance with topical skincare is so important for patients. They discuss the types of skin concerns physicians can manage with cosmeceuticals, as well as how topical products can be used in conjunction with aesthetic procedures to enhance or prolong results.
The podcast covers the effects and benefits of cosmeceuticals and why they are a useful component in a primary care physician’s toolkit as part of an overall treatment plan.
The limitations are explained, as well as things to be aware of before you begin prescribing these products in your practice.
CPD accreditation is changing for doctors from 2023. In this podcast, Paul Elmslie (Founder & CEO, HealthCert Education) and Prof David Wilkinson (Chief Medical Officer, National Skin Cancer Centres) explain the upcoming changes and what doctors need to do to prepare.
How is CPD changing? In the podcast, Paul and Prof Wilkinson explain how from January 2023 all doctors practising in Australia will be required to complete CPD on an annual basis rather than within a triennium. CPD will shift to hours instead of points. Each year, all doctors must complete 50 hours of CPD activities, consisting of:
- Minimum 12½ hours education
- Minimum 5 hours performance review
- Minimum 5 hours outcome measurement
All doctors must meet these requirements, regardless of hours worked. A transition period will take place in 2023. About 5% of doctors will be audited. The purpose of these changes is to place a greater emphasis on measuring clinical outcomes in the practice.
What is a CPD Home? All doctors must meet these requirements, regardless of hours worked. A transition period will take place in 2023. About 5% of doctors will be audited. The purpose of these changes is to place a greater emphasis on measuring clinical outcomes in the practice. From 2024, it will be compulsory for all doctors to belong to a CPD Home, where their CPD hours and annual activities are collated. There will be various CPD Home providers, including HealthCert Education, and doctors can belong to more than one provider.
What do doctors need to do from 2023? Listen to the podcast to understand what you need to do to be ready for the new system when it commences in a few months’ time.
Please complete a short CPD survey & enter the draw to win a free course and 'Dermoscopy Bible'
Please answer a 6-question survey to help us understand doctors' expectations and concerns about the upcoming CPD changes. Your input will help improve our programs and provide you with relevant support to meet CPD requirements.
Every survey participant will enter the draw to receive a free HealthCert online course (valued up to $2,495) and a hard copy of the Dermoscopy & Diagnosis of Benign & Malignant Skin Lesions.
Winner announced 30 September via Facebook. T&Cs apply.
In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, we talk about acne management with Dr Helena Rosengren, an experienced Skin Cancer and Cosmetic Medicine Physician based in Townsville.
In the podcast, Dr Rosengren talks about patients she typically sees presenting with acne to her primary care clinic, including the kinds of concerns these patients have. She explains how she conducts a preliminary acne consultation, and how to determine the cause of the acne.
Dr Rosengren further describes the treatment options primary care physicians can offer for their patients with severe acne , and when to refer patients onwards to a specialist dermatologist for acne management.
The podcast also explores what to do when a standard treatment regimen is not working, and how to deal with challenging aspects of managing acne in primary care.
Dr Rosengren shares success stories from her own practice and offers practical advice for practitioners interested in introducing primary care dermatology to their practice.
In this podcast, Paul Elmslie (Founder & CEO, HealthCert Education and National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Narelle Davidson (Area Manager at National Skin Cancer Centres) about how to implement a patient recall policy through the effective use of your existing medical software to ensure repeat patient visits.
In the podcast, Narelle discusses the importance of patient recalls for ensuring continuity of care. It is vital that patients return to the practice for follow-up of their medical concerns so that they can be treated quickly and effectively.
Additionally, it is important for patients to return to the practice so that doctors have an ongoing patient base.
Narelle explains the systems, processes and software a practice can implement to make sure patient recall is properly executed – ensuring ongoing patient care and continued income for the practice – and how to effectively target patients to ensure they don’t slip through the cracks.
Narelle has 26 years’ experience in general practice business and practice management and currently manages a dozen skin cancer clinic across Australia.
In this latest podcast, listen to Dr Helena Rosengren’s expert advice for delivering dermal fillers in primary care, including how to get started, which concerns can be treated, and how to handle adverse events and other challenges when starting out.
In the podcast, Dr Rosengren discusses the patient demand for cosmetic injectables, specifically dermal fillers, and which patients she typically treats with dermal fillers in her own primary care cosmetic clinic. She explains the types of concerns these treatments can be used for and the patients who are the best candidates (plus the patients she would avoid treating!).
Dr Rosengren walks through how she conducts a skin consultation with patients requesting dermal fillers and how she plans out their treatment, including what’s involved in the initial consultation.
The podcast also explores adverse events that a practitioner should be aware of before performing dermal fillers on a patient and how to identify when a patient has had “enough” dermal filler.
Dr Rosengren provides her experts tips on how practitioners can achieve a more natural and subtle look, rather than the dreaded “over-filled” look, along with her advice for how to start out offering this service in your primary care or cosmetic clinic, including how to set up the services to run efficiently and how to market treatments to patients.
Lastly, Dr Rosengren takes us through some of the challenges a practitioner might encounter when starting out and provides her advice for overcoming those challenges.
In this latest podcast, Dr Helena Rosengren provides practical advice for doctors wishing to get started in aesthetic medicine. She discusses her own career in this field and how she got started offering cosmetic services including injectables in her skin cancer clinic.
In the podcast, Dr Rosengren takes us through her esteemed professional journey, including how she started out in cosmetic medicine and how she first added aesthetic services into her primary care practice.
She discusses the kinds of treatments she regularly performs, including cosmetic injectables, and how the services blend in with her skin cancer clinic.
Dr Rosengren tells us about the types of patients who seek cosmetic injectables, which are one of the most commonly requested treatments, and the kinds of questions she fields as part of her everyday work. She discusses the approach she typically takes with patients from consultation to aftercare.
The podcast also explores how Dr Rosengren manages complications with injectables in her clinic and provides further practical advice for doctors wishing to start out offering cosmetic services to patients.
In this latest podcast, Prof David Wilkinson (Chief Medical Officer of National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Dr Yevgeny (Gene) Filanovsky (a Family Physician with Cutaneous Surgery and Skin Cancer Focus at Skin Care West, Canada) about how he uses imiquimod in his practice for the treatment of BCC.
Dr Filanovsky describes his work in cutaneous surgery at Skin Care West in Canada which utilises a team-based approach combining dermatologists and family physicians. This model is developing popularity in Australia too, due to a shortage of dermatologists and a high prevalence of skin cancer.
Dr Filanovsky goes on to give a detailed explanation of how he uses the topical field treatment imiquimod in his practice, especially for the treatment of basal cell carcinoma (BCC).
He also speaks about the surgical options for treating BCCs, including excision guidelines and when the use of topical therapies is appropriate instead of surgical intervention.
Dr Filanovsky discusses the sites, lesion types and patient groups for which he recommends imiquimod.
He has made the following available for download:
- Cancer Council BCC recommendations
- NCCN guidelines for BBC
- Imiquimod for BCC: Reading list
You can also visit his website here.
In this latest podcast, Professor Peter Soyer gives a sneak peek into his presentation at the upcoming Skin & Skin Cancer Conference and Masterclasses, where he will talk about his latest groundbreaking research projects and the future of digital imaging in skin cancer detection.
In the podcast, Prof Soyer talks with Professor David Wilkinson about the latest research projects underway in melanoma, including The University of Queensland Australian Centre of Excellence in Melanoma Imaging & Diagnosis IMAGE trial, the Melanoma Cohort study, and more.
He speaks about how digital imaging will become a mainstay of skin cancer detection in years to come and how it might fit into the everyday workflow of primary care skin cancer doctors.
Prof Soyer also discusses develops in artificial intelligence and what the future holds for this technology.
This podcast provides a sneak peek into Prof Soyer’s upcoming in-depth presentation at the Skin & Skin Cancer Conference and Masterclasses in Brisbane on 21-24 July 2022.
In this latest podcast, Professor Michael Henderson (Professor of Surgery at the University of Melbourne) gives a sneak peek into his presentation at the upcoming Skin & Skin Cancer Conference and Masterclasses in Brisbane on 21-24 July 2022, where he will talk about contemporary management of melanoma.
In the podcast, Prof Henderson talks with Professor David Wilkinson (Chief Medical Officer of National Skin Cancer Centres) about the big changes that are happening with melanoma management in primary care and within advanced facilities, too.
Melanoma treatments are rapidly evolving and have come a long way in recent years – and there are a lot of changes coming in the near future!
Prof Henderson speaks about the management of high-risk melanoma patients, the role of the sentinel node biopsy, candidates for adjuvant therapies such as immunotherapy, updates to Australian melanoma treatment guidelines, the management of melanoma by GPs in the primary care setting, and more.
In this latest podcast, Prof David Wilkinson (Chief Medical Officer of National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Dr Yevgeny (Gene) Filanovsky (a Family Physician with Cutaneous Surgery and Skin Cancer Focus at Skin Care West, Canada) about his extensive experience using topical 5 fluorouracil-calcipotriol compound to treat actinic keratosis.
Dr Filanovsky describes how he got started in skin cancer medicine and came to work full-time in cutaneous surgery at Skin Care West, which utilises a team-based approach combining dermatologists and family physicians. It is quite unique in Canada and is one of the largest dermatology clinics in its province.
Dr Filanovsky goes on to give a very detailed explanation of his experiences with topical 5 fluorouracil-calcipotriol compound use for actinic keratosis. He has treated over 1,000 patients with this treatment. Download his handout here and his slides here.
In this latest podcast, Dr Helena Rosengren – a Skin Cancer & Aesthetic Doctor in Townsville, Queensland – gives a sneak peek into her presentation at the upcoming Skin & Skin Cancer Conference and Masterclasses in Brisbane on 21-24 July 2022, where she will talk about antibiotic prophylaxis for surgical site infection.
In the podcast, Dr Rosengren talks about how she got started in skin cancer medicine after working as a general practitioner for most of her career. She describes the prevalence and management of wound infections following skin procedures.
Dr Rosengren offers her expert advice for GPs on a pragmatic approach to antibiotic prophylaxis for surgical site infection, drawing on recent research that shows Australia has the highest antibiotic prescribing rate in the world. She explains how to manage high-risk sites and high-risk patients.
In this latest podcast, Elena Currie (Co-founder, Aesthetic MET) discusses the results of a recent aesthetics safety survey exploring adverse events experienced by practitioners performing cosmetic procedures, and highlights how these results can help improve safety standards in medical aesthetics.
Elena explains how the survey provides an insight into complications that are realistically relevant to (and experienced by) peers. For example, the survey found that 26% of practitioners have experienced vascular occlusion – an adverse reaction that attracts a substantial amount of fear, considering it can be treated swiftly when recognised. In reality, only about 4% of vascular occlusions lead to necrosis.
The survey discussion aims to provide a snapshot of what adverse reactions are commonly experienced and how well they are handled, and to lessen practitioners’ uncertainty around adverse events.
Do doctors’ percentage fees actually matter? In this latest episode of the HealthCert Education podcast, Paul Elmslie (Founder & CEO, HealthCert Education and National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Matt Woollard (Business Director, National Skin Cancer Centres) about how doctors’ percentage fee structures affect the income of both doctors and medical practices.
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Speaking from their collective experience owning and managing over 30 medical practices over the past 20 years, Paul and Matt discuss the controversial topic of why “doctors’ percentages don’t matter”.
In the podcast – aimed at both practice owners and doctors working within a medical practice – they speak about what doctors’ percentage fees actually mean.
Paul and Matt discuss how the percentages are not truly reflective of the income a doctor actually earns, because it comes down to how much a doctor charges per hour and how many patients they see.
In this latest episode of the HealthCert Education podcast, Paul Elmslie (Founder & CEO, HealthCert Education and National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Mark Lindley (Head of People & Culture, National Skin Cancer Centres) about the role of a Practice Manager in a medical clinic.
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Do you educate your patients about the importance of regular skin cancer checks? Catch this latest podcast with Prof David Wilkinson and Dr John Hall on why skin checks are essential for all Australians, and register yourself or your practice for the upcoming Australia’s National Skin Check Day to help save lives!
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In this episode, Prof David Wilkinson (Chief Medical Officer, National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Dr John Hall (Past President, Rural Doctors Association of Australia) about the importance of getting a skin cancer check and the upcoming Australia’s National Skin Check Day.
In this insightful podcast, Dr John Hall discusses his research into the early diagnosis of skin cancer in Queensland, and how this demonstrates the importance of regular skin cancer checks for all Australians.
Dr Hall speaks about the Mates Against Melanoma initiative Australia’s National Skin Check Day, upcoming on Thursday, 24 February 2022, which collaborates with general practices and skin cancer clinics to encourage all patients to get their skin checked.
Welcome to this podcast series, Conversations with Professor David Wilkinson! In this episode, Prof David Wilkinson (Chief Medical Officer, National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Prof Luc Thomas (Professor and Chairman, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Lyon, France) about how to manage skin cancers of the nail, with a particular focus on their treatment.
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In this insightful podcast, Prof Thomas shares his expert advice and top tips on how to treat nail tumours and skin cancers of the nail. Prof Thomas speaks about the importance of conducting x-ray investigations prior to choosing a treatment approach, as well as the need for a conservative approach to surgical treatment of nail tumours (including squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma) to preserve the digit.
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Professor David Wilkinson is a registered general practitioner and public health medicine specialist. Prior to taking up the role as Chief Medical Officer with National Skin Cancer Centres, he was Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Macquarie University for eight years, and before that was Dean of Medicine at The University of Queensland (UQ) for nine years.
Professor Luc Thomas' main research fields include skin oncology, early diagnosis of melanoma, dermoscopy, skin surgery and nail diseases. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed scientific articles in international journals, is the co-editor of four books published in several languages and co-author of more than 25 books.
Welcome to this podcast series, Conversations with Professor David Wilkinson! In this episode, Prof David Wilkinson (Chief Medical Officer, National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Prof Luc Thomas (Professor and Chairman, Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Lyon, France) about how to manage skin cancers of the nail, with a particular focus on their diagnosis.
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Prof Thomas speaks about differentiating cancers like squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma of the nail from nail fungal infections. The podcast also covers how to biopsy conditions of the nail, including how to perform dermoscopy on the nail to support diagnosis.
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Professor David Wilkinson is a registered general practitioner and public health medicine specialist. Prior to taking up the role as Chief Medical Officer with National Skin Cancer Centres, he was Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the Macquarie University for eight years, and before that was Dean of Medicine at The University of Queensland (UQ) for nine years.
Professor Luc Thomas’ main research fields include skin oncology, early diagnosis of melanoma, dermoscopy, skin surgery and nail diseases. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed scientific articles in international journals, is the co-editor of four books published in several languages and co-author of more than 25 books.
One in 10 individuals will develop eczema during their lifetime. Listen, as Dr Francis Lai presents on atopic dermatitis in 2021 to hear an update on aetiology and pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis, the general measures to treat this condition, and learn the current best-practice therapies.
Join specialist Dermatologist Dr Leona Yip as she presents on the identification, causes and treatment of Rosacea in primary care. Commonly misunderstood and misdiagnosed, this widespread condition causes stress and discomfort to hundreds of thousands of people. With more and more patients turning to their GP for dermatological conditions it is imperative for health care professionals to be armed with education and knowledge on a range of conditions and how to treat them in general practice.
Dr Yip will provides her recommendations and treatments for this common skin complaint and frequent presentation. She also covers the ability to understand pharmaceutical treatments vs prescription or when a referral to dermatologists may be required.
In this presentation tailored for GPs, Dr Ryan De Cruz, Dermatologist, shares the best practices to manage to acne. Watch to hear a patient share how his acne impacted his quality of life and learn the treatment options available.
Welcome to this podcast series, Conversations with Professor David Wilkinson! In this episode, Prof David Wilkinson (Chief Medical Officer, National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Matt Woollard (Director of Business Development in Operations, National Skin Cancer Centres) about how to manage Medicare billing and records in a practice.
In this latest podcast, Elena Currie (Co-founder, Aesthetic MET) discusses the cosmetic uses of deoxycholic acid (also known as lipodissolve injections) for submental fat.
Welcome to this podcast series, Conversations with Professor David Wilkinson! In this episode, Prof David Wilkinson (Chief Medical Officer, National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Mark Lindley (Head of People & Culture, National Skin Cancer Centres) about how to recruit staff for your medical practice.
“If you get it right, it transforms [your practice]. If you get it wrong, it drags you down.”
In this insightful podcast, Mark Lindley discusses the challenges of recruiting the right people for your medical practice or business, and how to overcome these challenges.
Some of the key challenges include defining the role (what it is, what the person will deliver, how the person will support the business) and forming the position description.
Mark describes three important areas that need to be covered in a job description: purpose, accountabilities, and skills/competencies.
The podcast also covers how a business can attract the right candidates and present itself as a great place to work, where staff are valued and supported.
Finally, Mark gives his expert advice on the one thing recruiters need to get right.
Hear all this and much more in the full podcast above.
In this latest podcast, Dr Gull Herzberg (Founding Board Member, ANZCCP) and Dr Orit Holtzman (Co-Founder & Vice President, ANZCCP) discuss prescribing medicinal cannabis in general practice in Australia.
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In the podcast, the experienced medicinal cannabis prescribers talk about why they started prescribing medicinal cannabis in their practices – including the need to meet high patient demand – and how they began their journey to find the right education and training in Australia.
The doctors speak about the significant difference medicinal cannabis has made to their practices, their patients and their everyday work. Medicinal cannabis has become an additional tool in their toolkits, opening a whole new world of options, and the doctors are now referral options for their colleagues.
The podcast covers the most common conditions treated with medicinal cannabis, plus how the doctors deal with self-medicating and cannabis-dependent patients.
Learn more in HealthCert’s Certificate Courses in Medicinal Cannabis!
Welcome to this podcast series, Conversations with Professor David Wilkinson! In this episode, Prof David Wilkinson (Chief Medical Officer, National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Dr Scott Arnold (Skin Cancer Doctor, National Skin Cancer Centres) about the use of total body photography in primary care skin cancer medicine.
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Dr Scott Arnold is a dedicated Skin Cancer Doctor with a lengthy background in general practice. He has practised exclusively in skin cancer medicine since 2008 and has worked at Gardens Skin Cancer Centre in Albury, NSW since 2017.
In the podcast, Dr Arnold speaks about how total body photography technology has become the "holy grail" of skin cancer care.
"To have something that can point me towards the [lesions] that really need my attention - that which is new or that which is growing or changing - is a dream."
Dr Arnold discusses some of the early challenges he faced when incorporating total body photography technology into his skin cancer practice, and some of the benefits it now brings to his day-to-day work.
Total body photography compares images of patients' skin over time and highlights tiny changes for further examination by the doctor, leading to earlier skin cancer diagnosis. The patient's entire skin surface still needs to be checked by the doctor - so the technology aids rather than replaces the doctor.
Total body photography is recommended for all high-risk patients, including those with multiple moles and those with a history of skin cancer.
In this episode, Prof David Wilkinson (Chief Medical Officer, National Skin Cancer Centres) speaks with Dr Di King (Skin Cancer & Aesthetic Medicine Doctor, National Skin Cancer Centres) about the use of LED light therapy for acne and for wound healing after skin cancer surgery.
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Having provided LED light therapy in her practice for the past 10 years, Dr Di King shares her expertise on the use of LED light therapy for acne and wound management in the primary care setting, particularly for skin cancer and aesthetic medicine practices.
Dr King is a primary care practitioner in Hobart, specialising in skin cancer medicine. She has increasingly incorporated aesthetic medicine and general dermatology into her practice over the past several years, and uses LED light therapy for a range of indications including acne, wound healing, and more.
In the podcast, Dr King explores:
- the indications for LED light therapy;
- who should perform the treatment in your practice;
- how many sessions your patients may require for various indications; and
- the evidence for the use of LED light therapy.
The podcast particularly focuses on how primary care practitioners can use LED light therapy for acne management and to improve wound healing following skin cancer procedures.
In this latest podcast, Elena Currie (Co-founder, Aesthetic MET) discusses "overfilled syndrome" - a phenomenon in which patients treated with dermal fillers receive too much product, resulting in an unnatural and "overfilled" appearance.
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There is not a lot of current literature around the problem of overfilled syndrome, but it is certainly a real problem among some patients. Overfilled faces are commonly seen among patients who have undergone multiple dermal filler procedures, resulting in volume overload in the mid-face, forehead, chin and nose.
In the podcast, Elena talks about key misconceptions held by some patients and practitioners around the longevity of dermal fillers and the placement in the face, which can lead to too much product being used.
Elena discusses a process of layering dermal filler treatments on top of one another and building up the desired result over time, rather than administering a large amount of product in one sitting, in order to achieve more natural results and avoid the overfilled look.
When consulting with patients, it's important to understand what their driver is for undertaking a filler procedure. Elena explains the value in knowing how best to treat a patient to enhance their natural beauty in line with their existing face shape and structure, so that the filler treatment suits the patient and doesn't appear unnatural.
The podcast also explores some key tips for medical practitioners to avoid and manage overfilled syndrome in their patients.
In this latest podcast, Dr Orit Holtzman – Vice-President of the Australian & New Zealand College of Cannabinoid Practitioners (ANZCCP) – explores the grounds for prescribing medicinal cannabis in Australia, including the common challenges faced by primary care doctors and how to overcome them.
In the podcast, Dr Holtzman talks about her own journey applying medicinal cannabis into her day to day medical practice, including the “not so easy” step of becoming a cannabis prescriber in Australia. She describes how she put it in the “too hard basket” – a common sentiment among many practitioners in Australia – until some of her patients began asking whether they could be treated with medicinal cannabis to help with their conditions. Rather than turn them away, Dr Holtzman sought to help these patients achieve the best possible outcomes.
Dr Holtzman talks about her journey getting approval for her first medicinal cannabis application, undergoing further training in the field, and then actively prescribing medicinal cannabis as part of her day to day work.
Dr Orit Holtzman is a medical doctor with a special interest in functional medicine and medicinal cannabis. She holds a Bachelor of Science in biology and psychology from the University of Tel Aviv, a PhD in neuroscience from the University of NSW, and an MBBS from the Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney. After working in the public hospital system, Dr Holtzman has begun exploring wholistic health solutions and become passionate about utilising medicinal cannabis as a therapeutic agent. She began prescribing cannabis in 2019 under the mentorship of Dr Teresa Towpik, when she joined Compass Lifestyle Clinics. She now has more than 200 patients that have been approved for medicinal cannabis for various indications under her care, and is an authorised prescriber for multiple conditions. She also works as a medical educator, teaching doctors about medicinal cannabis and the endocannabinoid system.
Do you struggle with poor staff performance in your medical practice? This latest podcast looks at intervention strategies for managing poor performance and improving staff behaviours, with Prof David Wilkinson and Mark Lindley.
In the podcast, Mark outlines what is meant by poor performance, including behavioural problems. He discusses some of the shortfalls in communication that can lead to tasks being poorly executed, and how managers can sit down with their staff to identify what needs to be achieved, how it should be achieved, how the outcome will be measured, and when the outcome will be measured.
Underpinning effective communication are clarity and specificity. At every stage throughout the hiring, onboarding and probation period, employees should be very clear about what their role is. In scenarios where there is a communication breakdown, it is essential for both parties to find ways to bridge that gap.
The podcast also explores how to set up employees for the best possible start, including how to modify an induction program so that employees are able to work independently and identify gaps in their own knowledge and skills.
Mark goes on to describe how best to intervene and manage employees who are performing poorly.
Professor David Wilkinson is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University. He is a registered general practitioner and public health medicine specialist. Since 2004, Professor Wilkinson’s clinical work has focused on skin cancer medicine in primary care. He has published research papers on the topic, designed and led development of the only Master of Medicine degree in skin cancer, and helped develop and present a suite of skin cancer short courses delivered by HealthCert Education.
In this episode, Prof David Wilkinson (Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University) speaks with Dr Francis Tan – a dedicated Skin Cancer Doctor who has practised in the field since 1994 – about daylight photodynamic therapy as a front-line treatment for actinic keratosis.
In the podcast, Dr Tan speaks about his own experiences as a dedicated skin cancer practitioner over the past three decades, including the reasons he embarked in the field: namely, he liked working with his hands, and the immediacy of diagnosing and curing his patients of their ailments.
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The podcast further explores daylight photodynamic therapy (PDT) and its benefits for treating actinic keratoses. Daylight PDT is fast becoming the best field treatment for these types of lesions, and Dr Tan speaks about how he uses this therapy in his practice in Queensland, particularly on the face and balding scalp.
Dr Tan walks through the step-by-step process of treating patients with daylight PDT. He discusses which patients are candidates for this treatment which includes men who work outdoors and patients with a lot of sun damage.
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About Presenters Professor David Wilkinson is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University. He is a registered general practitioner and public health medicine specialist. Since 2004, Professor Wilkinson’s clinical work has focused on skin cancer medicine in primary care. He has published research papers on the topic, designed and led development of the only Master of Medicine degree in skin cancer, and helped develop and present a suite of skin cancer short courses delivered by HealthCert Education.
Dr Francis Tan is a Skin Cancer Doctor at Coorparoo Skin Cancer & Skin Repair Centre in Brisbane. He graduated from The University of New South Wales in 1986. He worked in a variety of general practice surgeries throughout Australia, including clinics in Sydney, Tweed Heads, the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Cairns. Dr Tan obtained a Masters of Medicine from The University of Queensland in 2014 and holds an impressive portfolio of university-certified Professional Diplomas in Skin Cancer Medicine and related fields. He is particularly interested in using dermatoscopy to detect melanoma in situ and performing skin cancer surgery to the best of his ability for the benefit of his patients.
In this episode, Professor David Wilkinson (Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University) speaks with Dr Stephen Wassall – who works as a Skin Cancer & Aesthetic Medicine Doctor in a dedicated primary care clinic in New South Wales – about his journey integrating aesthetic services into a skin cancer or primary care practice.
In the podcast, Dr Wassall speaks about how he started out pursuing his interest in skin cancer and aesthetic medicine, evolving from a general practitioner to a subspecialist in these fields. He discusses how his practice operates in terms of skin cancer procedures, onward referrals, and the scope of skin cancer patients he and his team manage at the clinic.
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In Dr Wassall’s clinic, cosmetic treatments are offered alongside skin cancer services, ranging from skin needling to anti-wrinkle injections and more. Dr Wassall explains how this works, how he keeps the two areas separate (without “cross-selling” to his skin cancer patients), and how he has established his reputation and grown his work from the ground up. He also talks about building rapport with patients and accruing repeat patients through word-of-mouth referrals.
Importantly, the podcast also explores the negative backlash that some doctors face when first starting out in aesthetic medicine. Dr Wassall describes his own experiences with this and provides helpful advice for doctors starting out in aesthetic medicine, or those considering implementing some aesthetic services into their practice.
About Presenters Professor David Wilkinson is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University. He is a registered general practitioner and public health medicine specialist. Since 2004, Professor Wilkinson’s clinical work has focused on skin cancer medicine in primary care. He has published research papers on the topic, designed and led development of the only Master of Medicine degree in skin cancer, and helped develop and present a suite of skin cancer short courses delivered by HealthCert Education.
Dr Stephen Wassall is a renowned skin cancer and aesthetic medicine doctor, having practised skin cancer medicine since 1997 and non-invasive facial rejuvenation procedures since 2002. He was the first doctor on the Central Coast to use a Molemax machine for photographing suspicious moles for future comparison, and is the most experienced cosmetic injector on the Central Coast, having performed over 20,000 injectable procedures.
A graduate of The University of Sydney, Dr Wassall was an intern, resident and registrar at Gosford Hospital until 1993. He completed Specialist GP training in 1996 and completed a Masters in Skin Cancer Medicine with The University of Queensland in 2007. He is extensively involved in teaching other GPs, presenting lectures on skin cancer surgery and demonstrating advanced skin cancer surgery and aesthetic procedures to doctors.
Dr Wassall worked in his own solo practice in Wamberal between 1996 and 1999. He joined Terrigal Medical Centre in 1999 as a Practice Principal and subsequently worked at the Mediskin Clinic between 2003 and 2011. In 2011 Mediskin Clinic became Skin Integrity and Dr Wassall began working exclusively in the fields of skin cancer and cosmetic medicine.
In this latest podcast, Elena Currie (Co-founder, Aesthetic MET) talks about delayed inflammatory reactions, including what causes them, what symptoms patients can experience, and how long after treatment the symptoms may appear.
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Inflammatory reactions are immune responses to certain aesthetic treatments. Symptoms most commonly include moderate to severe swelling in the treatment area and surrounding tissue, and inflammatory nodule formations.
Some energy-based treatments such as lasers and radio-frequency devices can trigger significant swelling post-treatment.
Injectable therapies like fillers and collagen stimulators can cause inflammatory nodule formations quite quickly after treatment, most often caused by the patient’s foreign body reaction to the filler material.
In the podcast, Elena further covers:
- The aesthetic treatments which can lead to a delayed inflammatory reaction.
- What causes delayed inflammatory reactions.
- The symptoms patients experience.
- What you can do to decrease risk of these reactions among your patients.
- How delayed these reactions can be.
- The treatment options for delayed inflammatory reactions, including the results you can expect and how quickly the treatments work.
- How you can manage patients’ reactions (mood/attitude) after they have experienced an adverse reaction and what you can do to calm and reassure them.
- How this relates to the COVID vaccine.
In the podcast, Paul discusses the key challenges faced by doctors outside of their clinical work when they own and manage a medical practice.
One of these challenges includes human resources, especially the recruitment of good doctors within the practice, managing staff conflicts, and building an effective support team of nurses, reception and clinical staff who will help with the day-to-day running of the clinic.
Paul discusses how doctors can approach the hiring, leading and managing of other doctors within their practice, as well as Practice Managers, receptionists, nurses, and other clinical staff.
Another common challenge is time management. Paul explores some of automation tools that can help save time and enable the practice to run more efficiently, thereby optimising patient outcomes and maximising income.
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About Presenters
Professor David Wilkinson is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University. He is a registered general practitioner and public health medicine specialist. Since 2004, Professor Wilkinson’s clinical work has focused on skin cancer medicine in primary care. He has published research papers on the topic, designed and led development of the only Master of Medicine degree in skin cancer, and helped develop and present a suite of skin cancer short courses delivered by HealthCert Education.
Paul Elmslie is the Founder and CEO of HealthCert Education and the National Skin Cancer Centres. Paul is a pioneer of the subspecialised skin cancer clinic model and has built a network of dedicated skin cancer referral centres and training facilities across Australia. Paul has owned or operated about 28 skin cancer clinics in his 20+ years of experience.
With the launch of our new online Professional Diploma of Medicinal Cannabis program – the first university-reviewed program in medicinal cannabis for doctors in Australia – Dr Joe Kosterich recently held an insightful webinar on the uses and benefits of medicinal cannabis in primary care.
To address the significant number of questions that arose from this webinar, we have compiled a four-part FAQ series with Dr Kosterich. In the final podcast in the four-part series, Dr Kosterich answers your most common questions about the evidence surrounding the use of medicinal cannabis in primary care (and so much more!).
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Dr Joe Kosterich is a doctor, speaker, author, media presenter and health industry consultant. Wanting you to be healthy and get the most out of life, Dr Kosterich writes for numerous medical and mainstream publications and is a regular on radio and television. He is often called to give opinions in medico legal cases, is clinical editor of Medical Forum Magazine, adjunct professor (teaching) at UWA and a lecturer at Curtin Medical School. Medical Advisor to Medicinal Cannabis company Little Green Pharma and Chairman of Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association, Dr Kosterich has self-published two books: Dr Joe’s DIY Health and 60 Minutes To Better Health, and maintains a website and blog with health information and commentary. Previously he held senior positions in the Australian Medical Association and sat on numerous industry and government boards. He has extensive corporate experience in the setting up and management of medical centres and in helping businesses maintain a healthy workforce. Through all this he continues to see patients as a GP each week.
In the podcast, Mark speaks about the melting pot of personalities, influences and behaviours in the workplace. He covers some of the ways practice owners and managers can prevent staff issues before they arise. This can be particularly through optimising communication channels and remembering that all employees come to work each day for the betterment of their patients.
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Mark discusses the most common problems practice managers will encounter in human resources, including:
- Communication style
- Workflow
- Clashing emotions
The podcast delves deeper into these common problems and offers some solutions practice managers can take on board.
Mark also touches on the issue of hierarchy, ownership and authority within a medical practice and how practice managers can handle this. It is essential that all staff respect the structure and understand who does what job, without assuming that one job is more important than another.
Professor David Wilkinson is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University. He is a registered general practitioner and public health medicine specialist. Since 2004, Professor Wilkinson’s clinical work has focused on skin cancer medicine in primary care. He has published research papers on the topic, designed and led development of the only Master of Medicine degree in skin cancer, and helped develop and present a suite of skin cancer short courses delivered by HealthCert Education.
When utilising a medical service, patients are very discerning about time management and are focused on getting the best care in the shortest timeframe and at the more affordable price. Realistically, patient complaints are a common occurrence in the majority of medical practices.
In this podcast, Paul talks about the most common reason for patient complaints (including the doctor running late and poor communication) and how doctors and practice managers can best manage these complaints.
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There are two types of complaints: those that are voiced inside the clinic and those that are expressed outside the clinic (through social media, word of mouth or online reviews, by way of example). Paul explains some strategies for handling both types of patient complaints in a way that minimises damage to the reputation of you and your medical practice.
Unfortunately, patients who have a negative experience are more likely to tell people about that experience than patient who have a positive one. Paul covers some of the ways doctors and practice managers can communicate with patients to resolve issues before they develop.
About Presenters
Professor David Wilkinson is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University. He is a registered general practitioner and public health medicine specialist. Since 2004, Professor Wilkinson’s clinical work has focused on skin cancer medicine in primary care. He has published research papers on the topic, designed and led development of the only Master of Medicine degree in skin cancer, and helped develop and present a suite of skin cancer short courses delivered by HealthCert Education.
Paul Elmslie is the Founder and CEO of HealthCert Education and the National Skin Cancer Centres. Paul is a pioneer of the subspecialised skin cancer clinic model and has built a network of dedicated skin cancer referral centres and training facilities across Australia. Paul has owned or operated about 28 skin cancer clinics in his 20+ years of experience.
Welcome to this podcast series, Conversations with Professor David Wilkinson! In this episode, Professor David Wilkinson (Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Macquarie University) speaks with Professor Michael Henderson (Deputy Director; Division of Cancer Surgery, Tumour Stream Director; Melanoma and Skin, Peter Mac) about the current landscape of melanoma management.
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Prof Henderson talks about how the treatment of melanoma has significantly changed not just over his career, but even in the past few years. He speaks about the options now available to patients with advanced metastatic melanoma – treatments that offer more hope than ever before and can dramatically improve patient prognosis.
The latest data suggests that 70 per cent or more of patients who receive combination immunotherapy for melanoma are likely to survive five years – an extraordinary feat in comparison to statistics from just 10 years ago.
In the podcast, Prof Henderson speaks about the stage at which primary care doctors should be sending patients on to a melanoma unit, and when referral to these tertiary centres is most appropriate. This includes mention of the latest melanoma management guidelines.
Prof Henderson also discusses sentinel node biopsy and whether this is a recommended or necessary standard of care in melanoma management.
Hear all this and much more in the full podcast above.
Professor David Wilkinson is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University. He is a registered general practitioner and public health medicine specialist. Since 2004, Professor Wilkinson’s clinical work has focused on skin cancer medicine in primary care. He has published research papers on the topic, designed and led development of the only Master of Medicine degree in skin cancer, and helped develop and present a suite of skin cancer short courses delivered by HealthCert Education.
Professor Michael Henderson is a Professor of Surgery with the The University of Melbourne and surgeon in the Melanoma and Skin Service, Breast Service and Sarcoma Service at Peter Mac. He graduated in medicine from The University of Melbourne and trained as a general surgeon. He completed his training with a Fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston. Melanoma makes up a major part of his clinical workload and he is actively involved in clinical and translational research. He maintains an active clinical and translational research interest in melanoma and is supervising several higher degree research candidates.
In this latest podcast, Elena Currie (Co-founder, Aesthetic MET) talks about aesthetic consultations and how to manage the problem of psychological conditions and body dysmorphia among your patients.
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A psychological focus is crucial to identify the drivers for patients wanting cosmetic procedures and to assess whether they are doing it for the right reasons. In the podcast, Elena talks about what body dysmorphia is and why it’s important for medical practitioners to keep it in mind as part of every aesthetic consultation.
Body dysmorphia is an imagined defect or a completely distorted perception a person possesses about their physical appearance. This is a diagnosed psychiatric disorder with compulsive behaviours, rather than simply a poor body image. Patients with body dysmorphia may change clothes often throughout the day or wear loose clothing to camouflage their perceived flaw; they may wear excessive make-up or check their reflection in a mirror repeatedly throughout the day.
Elena believes that medical practitioners in the aesthetic industry have a duty of care to guide patients with body dysmorphia in the right direction. Studies have shown that only about 3.6 per cent of people with this condition actually have an improvement in their symptoms following a cosmetic procedure.
It’s important for practitioners to screen patients for symptoms or compulsions of body dysmorphia during an aesthetic consultation, because treating these patients can lead to dissatisfaction from the patient as well as aggression and abuse towards the practitioner.
Elena gives practical advice for the questions practitioners can ask during aesthetic consultations and what to keep in mind, including understanding patients’ mental and emotional health. She also discusses the mistakes to avoid when conducting an aesthetic consultation, including poor communication and pointing out patients’ flaws rather than strengths.
The podcast also covers how practitioners can create an environment of trust and set appropriate expectations for their patients.
With the launch of our new online Professional Diploma of Medicinal Cannabis program – the first university-reviewed program in medicinal cannabis for doctors in Australia – Dr Joe Kosterich recently held an insightful webinar on the uses and benefits of medicinal cannabis in primary care.
To address the significant number of questions that arose from this webinar, we have compiled a four-part FAQ series with Dr Kosterich. In the third podcast in the series, Dr Kosterich answers your most common questions about the implications, side effects and limitations of medicinal cannabis (and so much more!).
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Dr Joe Kosterich is a doctor, speaker, author, media presenter and health industry consultant. Wanting you to be healthy and get the most out of life, Dr Kosterich writes for numerous medical and mainstream publications and is a regular on radio and television. He is often called to give opinions in medico legal cases, is clinical editor of Medical Forum Magazine, adjunct professor (teaching) at UWA and a lecturer at Curtin Medical School. Medical Advisor to Medicinal Cannabis company Little Green Pharma and Chairman of Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association, Dr Kosterich has self-published two books: Dr Joe’s DIY Health and 60 Minutes To Better Health, and maintains a website and blog with health information and commentary. Previously he held senior positions in the Australian Medical Association and sat on numerous industry and government boards. He has extensive corporate experience in the setting up and management of medical centres and in helping businesses maintain a healthy workforce. Through all this he continues to see patients as a GP each week.
Welcome to this podcast series, Conversations with Professor David Wilkinson! In this episode, Professor David Wilkinson (Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University) speaks with Paul Elmslie (Founder and CEO of HealthCert Education and the National Skin Cancer Centres) about a key part of a successful medical business: people.
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About Presenters
Professor David Wilkinson is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University. He is a registered general practitioner and public health medicine specialist. Since 2004, Professor Wilkinson’s clinical work has focused on skin cancer medicine in primary care. He has published research papers on the topic, designed and led development of the only Master of Medicine degree in skin cancer, and helped develop and present a suite of skin cancer short courses delivered by HealthCert Education.
Paul Elmslie is the Founder and CEO of HealthCert Education and the National Skin Cancer Centres. Paul is a pioneer of the subspecialised skin cancer clinic model and has built a network of dedicated skin cancer referral centres and training facilities across Australia. Paul has owned or operated about 28 skin cancer clinics in his 20+ years of experience.
In this insightful podcast, Elena Currie (Co-founder, Aesthetic MET) talks about cosmetic injectables, adverse reactions, and how medical practitioners can get support with managing complications.
In the podcast, Elena describes the current market for cosmetic procedures in Australia – particularly injectable procedures like dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle injections – and how this impacts practitioners and patients.
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Elena discusses the possible adverse reactions and side effects of cosmetic injectables, including blindness and interaction with adjacent muscles, and the actual risk of these adverse events occurring. She also talks about complications like vascular occlusions and delayed inflammatory reactions, which affect around one per cent of patients.
There is often a false stigma attached to adverse events from cosmetic injectables that purports any complications are related to the experience level of the practitioner who performs the procedure. In fact, research has found that 65 per cent of practitioners with 11+ years experience has had one or more adverse events.
Elena breaks down the Four Ps of the real causes of adverse reactions: the practitioner, the patient, the placement, and the product. She says two of the main mistakes made by practitioners are failing to have a sound understanding of facial anatomy and injecting too fast.
In terms of the patient, cosmetic injectables stimulate an immune response that not all patients can tolerate, and not all patients will fit into a “textbook” case. It’s important to ensure that patients are receiving these treatments for the right reasons and don’t try to overdo it.
Elena then discusses some of the options available to practitioners in terms of finding the right training to perform cosmetic injectables as well as adequate support in managing complications. She explains the importance of finding a credible training provider that avoids pharmaceutical sponsorship where possible, delivered by experts who are practising and invested in the field.
In terms of managing complications, Elena co-founded Aesthetic MET to create a formalised, structured aesthetic safety support service. You can learn more about Aesthetic MET and much more in the full podcast below.
With the launch of our new online Professional Diploma of Medicinal Cannabis program – the first university-reviewed program in medicinal cannabis for doctors in Australia – Dr Joe Kosterich recently held an insightful webinar on the uses and benefits of medicinal cannabis in primary care.
To address the significant number of questions that arose from this webinar, we have compiled a four-part FAQ series with Dr Kosterich. In the second podcast in the series, Dr Kosterich answers your most common questions about conditions medicinal cannabis can treat in primary care (and so much more!).
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Dr Joe Kosterich is a doctor, speaker, author, media presenter and health industry consultant. Wanting you to be healthy and get the most out of life, Dr Kosterich writes for numerous medical and mainstream publications and is a regular on radio and television. He is often called to give opinions in medico legal cases, is clinical editor of Medical Forum Magazine, adjunct professor (teaching) at UWA and a lecturer at Curtin Medical School. Medical Advisor to Medicinal Cannabis company Little Green Pharma and Chairman of Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association, Dr Kosterich has self-published two books: Dr Joe’s DIY Health and 60 Minutes To Better Health, and maintains a website and blog with health information and commentary. Previously he held senior positions in the Australian Medical Association and sat on numerous industry and government boards. He has extensive corporate experience in the setting up and management of medical centres and in helping businesses maintain a healthy workforce. Through all this he continues to see patients as a GP each week.
Welcome to our podcast series on medical business management, Conversations with Professor David Wilkinson! In this episode, Professor David Wilkinson (Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University) speaks with Dr Jeremy Hudson (Skin Cancer Doctor and Chair of Dermatology SI RACGP) about the current landscape of skin cancer care, including digital imaging and its impact on the work of GPs and skin cancer doctors.
Prof Wilkinson and Dr Hudson discuss how skin cancer care has changed recently and how it functions in practice today. Dr Hudson explains that the entire basis of detecting skin cancer is seeing a patient face-to-face, talking to the patient and using a dermatoscope, which continues to be the primary decision-making tool in skin cancer diagnosis.
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Stronger magnification and a range of digital imaging tools – including artificial intelligence – have strengthened skin cancer care in recent years, helping doctors to diagnose skin cancers earlier. Despite this, technology is not a substitute for the diagnostic skills of GPs and skin cancer doctors who continue to be the workhorse of skin cancer detection.
But where is skin cancer care headed in the future for GPs and primary care skin cancer doctors? Dr Hudson describes how sequential imaging and artificial intelligence fit into clinical application and which patients would most benefit from these technologies. He talks about the problems of AI-bias and skills degradation for doctors.
Prof Wilkinson discusses pathways of care for high-risk patients and how screening and managing these patients might be changing.
Dr Hudson also speaks about the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Specific Interests (RACGP SI) Dermatology body and how GPs and skin cancer doctors can get involved.
If you are a general practitioner with a special interest in general dermatology and would like to have input at the national RACGP level, you are invited to join the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Specific Interests (RACGP SI) Dermatology body. This is a body of approximately 2,500 GPs who officially work under the RACGP as a grass-roots body to raise contemporary issues and assist with policy development. If you want to have direct input into the RACGP either raising issues or developing solutions, register for the RACGP SI Dermatology group: RACGP – RACGP Specific Interests.
Professor David Wilkinson is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University. He is a registered general practitioner and public health medicine specialist. Since 2004, Professor Wilkinson’s clinical work has focused on skin cancer medicine in primary care. He has published research papers on the topic, designed and led development of the only Master of Medicine degree in skin cancer, and helped develop and present a suite of skin cancer short courses delivered by HealthCert Education.
Dr Jeremy Hudson works full time in Skin Cancer Medicine and Surgery in Townsville, Queensland, and has extensive qualifications in the field, performing regular skin checks and a wide range of treatments including non-surgical therapies, basic excisions and complex flap and graft surgery. Dr Hudson strongly believes that patients deserve access to the best and latest advancements in skin cancer medicine. He also holds the position of Senior Lecturer at James Cook University, where he writes and teaches courses in skin cancer medicine, dermoscopy (skin cancer imaging), and advanced graft and flap surgery. He is currently developing a series of online written and video resources for skin cancer surgical training. Dr Hudson is an active member of several research and training organisations including the Dermatology Special Interests Group (RACGP), the Skin Cancer College of Australasia, and has assisted in research projects on surgical outcomes, histological sampling and tissue samples for cell line studies. He is a strong advocate of education for both patients and doctors, and has worked extensively in both paid and volunteer positions to deliver high quality care and raise local training standards.
Welcome to our podcast series on medical business management, Conversations with Professor David Wilkinson! In this episode, Professor David Wilkinson (Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University) speaks with Paul Elmslie (Founder and CEO of HealthCert Education and the National Skin Cancer Centres) about how to deliver a really high quality skin cancer service for your patients and measure patient satisfaction.
Prof Wilkinson and Paul speak about how this goes beyond the standard clinical care provided by general practitioners and primary care doctors.
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In everything we do, we expect good quality products and services – whether it be getting our car serviced, having a hair cut or visiting the doctor. We look for services that deliver what we need while also being professional, on time, clean and COVID-Safe. This podcast looks at the importance of the service patients receive and how doctors can provide a really good service outside of the clinical work, and how this is measured and managed.
It is important to note that patients have choices – they don’t have to see you. And a patient with a poor experience has the ability to tell tens of thousands of other potential patients about their situation via online platforms. Paul talks about how doctors can manage the patient journey – all the way from booking their appointment to the recall and follow-up stages – to minimise patient complaints, create raving fans, and ultimately deliver an exceptional patient experience.
Everyone plays a role in patient satisfaction – from the receptionist to the doctor and beyond. A great way of measuring this patient satisfaction is through a Net Promoter Score (NPS) that collects feedback from patients immediately after their appointment. This kind of data is essential for understanding what is working well in your practice and what areas need to be improved. Paul discusses how the NPS works and how the data can be used to improve the overall patient experience in your practice.
Did you know: People are 10 times more likely to share a negative experience with their friends than a positive experience.
Importantly, Paul says that the key thing you need to do as a doctor or practice manager when managing poor patient feedback is to show that you are listening, that you care, and that you are going to take action. This helps to diffuse the situation and can convert a patient from a “detractor” into a “promoter”.
About Presenters Professor David Wilkinson is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University. He is a registered general practitioner and public health medicine specialist. Since 2004, Professor Wilkinson’s clinical work has focused on skin cancer medicine in primary care. He has published research papers on the topic, designed and led development of the only Master of Medicine degree in skin cancer, and helped develop and present a suite of skin cancer short courses delivered by HealthCert Education.
Paul Elmslie is the Founder and CEO of HealthCert Education and the National Skin Cancer Centres. Paul is a pioneer of the subspecialised skin cancer clinic model and has built a network of dedicated skin cancer referral centres and training facilities across Australia. Paul has owned or operated about 28 skin cancer clinics in his 20+ years of experience.
With the launch of our new online Professional Diploma of Medicinal Cannabis program – the first university-reviewed program in medicinal cannabis for doctors in Australia – Dr Joe Kosterich recently held an insightful podcast on the uses and benefits of medicinal cannabis in primary care.
To address the significant number of questions that arose from this webinar, we have compiled a four-part FAQ series with Dr Kosterich. In the first podcast in the series, Dr Kosterich answers your most common questions about prescribing medicinal cannabis in primary care (and so much more!).
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Dr Joe Kosterich is a doctor, speaker, author, media presenter and health industry consultant. Wanting you to be healthy and get the most out of life, Dr Kosterich writes for numerous medical and mainstream publications and is a regular on radio and television. He is often called to give opinions in medico legal cases, is clinical editor of Medical Forum Magazine, adjunct professor (teaching) at UWA and a lecturer at Curtin Medical School. Medical Advisor to Medicinal Cannabis company Little Green Pharma and Chairman of Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association, Dr Kosterich has self-published two books: Dr Joe’s DIY Health and 60 Minutes To Better Health, and maintains a website and blog with health information and commentary. Previously he held senior positions in the Australian Medical Association and sat on numerous industry and government boards. He has extensive corporate experience in the setting up and management of medical centres and in helping businesses maintain a healthy workforce. Through all this he continues to see patients as a GP each week.
Dr Hannah Mayr – Assistant Professor at Bond University and one of the expert presenters of the HealthCert Advanced Certificate of Medical Nutrition Management – delivers an insightful podcast on nutrition and dietary patterns and their role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and management.
In the podcast, Dr Mayr explains how a dietary pattern approach to CVD management differs from a traditional approach.
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Dietary approaches towards CVD management have typically taken a nutrient-based focus, like lowering saturated fats or reducing sodium in the diet, or a focus on specific food groups, like vegetables. Often these approaches are targeted towards clinical risk factors, but fail to reflect how patients truly eat foods.
A dietary pattern approach considers the combinations of foods that should make up a person’s diet. It focuses on which types of foods are eaten regularly and which foods should be eaten less often, and can translate better into practical recommendations and is less prescriptive than traditional diets.
About presenter - Dr Hannah Mayr Dr Hannah Mayr is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian who completed her PhD thesis at La Trobe University. Under the principal supervision of leading Mediterranean diet researcher, Prof Catherine Itsiopoulos, she investigated the effect of a Mediterranean versus low-fat diet on inflammation and adiposity in patients with coronary heart disease.
Dr Mayr has published a number of reviews, methods and results-based papers within this work and received the ‘New Researcher Award’ at the 2018 Dietitians Association of Australia National Conference for her thesis work exploring a novel dietary assessment tool, the Dietary Inflammatory Index. Her research and practice interests are in dietary patterns and interventions, chronic disease and metabolic health.
Dr Mayr currently works as a post-doctoral researcher at Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) in Brisbane and externally with La Trobe, which includes activities to enable implementation of the Mediterranean diet into routine care for chronic disease management. At PAH she leads a mentorship group focused on research capacity building for clinical dietitians. She also teaches into the Master of Nutrition and Dietetics at Bond University and she is passionate about engaging dietetics students in research activities.
Show notes Heart Foundation: Heart Healthy Eating Patterns: https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/getmedia/e86eadc0-db35-4e71-815d-75614414f79a/Nutrition_Position_Statement_-_HHEP_FINAL-3.pdf
Heart Foundation: Dietary Patterns and Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes: https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/getmedia/463b101d-0741-47fb-8f89-09629d8cc6d4/Dietary_patterns_and_cardiovascular_disease_outcomes.pdf
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 8th Ed.: https://health.gov/our-work/food-nutrition/2015-2020-dietary-guidelines/guidelines/
If you have any questions for Dr Hannah Mayr, we invite you to join the free HealthCert Community at community.healthcert.com and comment your questions on this post.
In the podcast, Paul covers how medical practitioners might go about setting up skin cancer services in an existing general practice setting or subspecialised clinic.
Paul talks about what an ideal skin cancer service might look like, focusing on how to achieve early diagnosis and management of skin cancer and having conversations with patients in primary care about their skin cancer risk. He also discusses the differences between standalone skin cancer facilities versus skin cancer services delivered within a general practice, and how this has changed over the years.
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When providing skin cancer care within general practice, Paul recommends setting aside a dedicated block of time each week in which you only perform skin checks, biopsies and treatments, in order to streamline the services.
David and Paul also discuss the importance of GPs having the competence and confidence to pick up a dermatoscope and check any suspicious lesions incidentally noticed during patient consultations in mainstream general practice.
About Presenters Professor David Wilkinson is Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University. He is a registered general practitioner and public health medicine specialist. Since 2004, Professor Wilkinson’s clinical work has focused on skin cancer medicine in primary care. He has published research papers on the topic, designed and led development of the only Master of Medicine degree in skin cancer, and helped develop and present a suite of skin cancer short courses delivered by HealthCert Education.
Paul Elmslie is the Founder and CEO of HealthCert Education and the National Skin Cancer Centres. Paul is a pioneer of the subspecialised skin cancer clinic model and has built a network of dedicated skin cancer referral centres and training facilities across Australia. Paul has owned or operated about 28 skin cancer clinics in his 20+ years of experience.
In the podcast, Christina explains what the non-diet approach to weight management actually means and how it works. The non-diet approach is a set of strategies that medical professionals can use to support patients in their healthcare, with an overall aim of helping patients to improve their health without necessarily changing their body weight. The non-diet approach has a strong focus on supporting patients to eat a wide variety of foods to achieve nutritional quality, rather than prescribing meal plans or portion sizes for weight loss.
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About presenter - Christina Turner Christina also talks about some non-diet strategies including mindful eating, such as eating with our five senses, as well the Health At Every Size movement, and so much more. Christina is currently a Senior Teaching Fellow and Internships Lead within the Master of Nutrition and Dietetic Practice Program at Bond University. She teaches into the clinical and communication/counselling subjects including eating disorders, weight-inclusive practice and non-diet nutrition, cognitive-behavioural therapy and motivational interviewing topics.
Show notes * Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH): https://www.sizediversityandhealth.org/ * Health at every size Australia: https://www.haesaustralia.org.au/ * Find a weight neutral health care provider: https://www.haesaustralia.org.au/find-a-provider
If you have any questions for Dr Christina Turner, we invite you to join the free HealthCert Community at community.healthcert.com and comment your questions on this post.
In this podcast, accountant specialist Kelly Chard and Paul Elmslie (Founder and CEO of National Skin Cancer Centres and HealthCert Education) provide expert advice for doctors on tax planning, reviewing your trading structure, and starting the new financial year with the right tools.
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Some of the topics covered in this podcast include:
- Why there’s never been a better time for planning
- Easy end of financial year tax planning checklist
- Structure checkpoint pre 30 June
- Setting up your financial systems for optimal efficiency from 1 July
In this podcast, Dr Sharon Sykes (a GP with a special interest in Women’s Health) and Paul Elmslie (Founder and CEO of National Skin Cancer Centres and HealthCert Education) provide a guide for GPs in screening and supporting victims of domestic violence.
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Some of the topics covered in this podcast include:
- The statistics of domestic violence during times of COVID-19
- Why has their been an increase in domestic violence?
- As a GP, how can you help?
- What is your role?
- Prevention
- Early identification
- Responding to disclosures
- Follow up and support
- Why don’t victims just leave?
- What support services are available?
- How to provide continuing care
In this podcast, Paul Elmslie (Founder and CEO of National Skin Cancer Centres and HealthCert Education) provides an expert guide to telehealth consultations in general practice.
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The podcast covers:
- What is telehealth?
- Australian government guidelines
- Methods of delivering telehealth
- Billing options: Private and MBS
- Case study: National Skin Repair Centres
- Getting started in your practice
In this podcast, Paul Elmslie (Founder and CEO of National Skin Cancer Centres and HealthCert Education) and Ben Williams (COO, Medical and Surgical Requisites) offer expert advice on how to save money and time on medical consumables and equipment in your practice, including how to do a health check of your clinic’s bottom line.
In this Podcast, Paul Elmslie (Founder and CEO of National Skin Cancer Centres and HealthCert Education) and insurance expert Stephen Price offer advice on the right insurance protection for you and your practice in times of COVID-19.
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The Podcast covers:
- Does your insurance policy cover you for COVID-19?
- Do you have the right income protection cover / life insurance?
- Who is and isn’t covering pandemics? Which insurers should you consider at this stage?
- Reassurance for existing policy holders.
- How to claim: Benefits in your policy you may be unaware of.
- Standard contracts vs professional contracts.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, we are here to support medical professionals facing challenging circumstances on the frontline.
Professor David Wilkinson – Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University, general practitioner, public health medicine specialist and epidemiologist – provides a clinical update and advice on the current COVID-19 situation. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, we are here to support medical professionals facing challenging circumstances on the frontline.
Professor David Wilkinson – Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Macquarie University, general practitioner, public health medicine specialist and epidemiologist – provides a clinical update and advice on the current COVID-19 situation. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, we are here to support medical professionals facing challenging circumstances on the frontline.
The final episode in our ’30 years of dermoscopy’ podcast series features two luminaries in the world of dermoscopy and skin cancer medicine, Associate Professor Andreas Blum and Professor H. Peter Soyer. Both speakers are internationally recognised for their contributions to their field and we are excited to share their perspectives.
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Associate Professor Andreas Blum from the University of Tübingen in Germany is known as a leader and developer in the diagnosis, surgical treatment and prevention of skin cancers. He shares his recollections from his career, articulating that although a dermatoscope is simple to use, it has transformed skin cancer medicine.
Professor H. Peter Soyer has similarly had a remarkable impact on dermoscopy and skin cancer medicine diagnostics, particularly in the use of medical imaging and remote diagnostics. Recognised as a pioneer and world leader, he discusses his career and views on the future of dermoscopy.
What are the origins of the first hand-held dermatoscope? In today’s podcast – the fifth in our ’30 years of Dermoscopy’ series – we hear from the grandson of inventor Helmut A. Heine, Oliver Heine. Joining him in this episode is the distinguished President of the International Dermoscopy Society, Associate Professor Iris Zalaudek.
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Oliver Heine, President and CEO of Heine Optotechnik, shares the story behind the development of the Heine DELTA 10, which resulted from his grandparents’ experiences in 1988. Listen to his riveting account of the genesis of the revolutionary hand-hand dermatoscope, an instrument that has eternally changed the dermatological field and continues to have far-reaching impact.
Leading dermato-oncology researcher, Associate Professor Iris Zalaudek, speaks about her career-long dedication to the field of dermoscopy. She recounts her early experiences with the pioneering technology and her subsequent research into metastatic melanomas at Graz University, which led her to the realisation that dermoscopy and early detection were the optimal methods to address skin cancer lesions.
Dermoscopy is certainly a global field, with many of its key players based in locations across the world. This week’s episode of ’30 years of Dermoscopy’ proves that is the case with speakers Professor Giuseppe Argenziano (Italy) and Thorsten Trotzenberg (USA) outlining their distinct experiences, one as an academic and the other as a medical product developer.
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Professor Giuseppe Argenziano, from the Second University of Naples, is widely known as one of the founding fathers of dermoscopy. In his fascinating discussion, he shares his incredible formative experiences with dermoscopy and provides a unique insight into the development of Epiluminescence Microscopy (ELM).
Thorsten Trotzenberg co-founded 3Gen LLC in California in late 1999, which led to the launch of the world's first polarised pocket dermatoscope in 2001. In his illuminating podcast, Thorsten gives an exclusive behind-the-scenes insight into its development journey, conveying the innovative strides made along the way – advances that continue to this day.
Our journey exploring the fascinating 30-year history of dermoscopy continues this week with episode three. We are fortunate to have engaged the esteemed Professor Harald Kittler from the Medical University of Vienna in Austria and Associate Professor Caterina Longo from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy to discuss their involvement with dermoscopy.
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Both speakers offer their unique viewpoints and advice on dermoscopy, with Professor Kittler recounting his very early experiences with the technology during its development phase as a huge stereo microscope at the Medical University of Vienna in 1986. Associate Professor Longo came to dermoscopy more recently in 2012 by way of the large clinic where she worked in Italy. She was greatly inspired by the enthusiasm of her mentors there, which led to her focus on dermoscopy both academically and clinically.
This podcast episode reflects on the remarkable changes in dermoscopy over time and highlights our current rapid move into a phase of digitised dermoscopy.
In this week’s episode, we continue our series celebrating the 30-year history of dermoscopy. Each episode features global leaders in the field of dermoscopy speaking about this vital piece of equipment that has forever changed the landscape of skin cancer diagnosis. We are excited to share with you the experiences of two renowned dermatologists and academics in this episode: Professors Luc Thomas and Cliff Rosendahl.
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Professor Luc Thomas is the Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the Medical University of Lyon in France, and is well regarded for his specific and deep experience in pigmented lesions of the nail, which he discusses in this podcast. He is a strong advocate for the use of dermoscopy, which has revolutionised both his practice and his research. In this podcast, he summarises his experiences, offers advice for other clinicians and speculates about the future of dermoscopy.
Australian-based Professor Cliff Rosendahl has had a massive impact on dermatology and is the Course Coordinator of the Masters of Medicine (Skin Cancer) at The University of Queensland. In this podcast, he speaks about his personal experience with dermatoscopy equipment and provides an interesting story about his first dermatoscope, proving that more expensive equipment is not always better! He posits a well-informed hypothesis for the future of Artificial Intelligence and dermatoscopy.
Welcome to our series of podcasts celebrating the 30-year history of dermoscopy! This series features a number of leaders in the field, each of whom provide a short summary of how they have used dermoscopy in their practice, the impact it has had, and their thoughts about the future of this technology.
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In this short podcast, Professor Ashfaq Marghoob – a dermatologist from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and a presenter of the HealthCert Certificate Courses in Dermoscopy – provides a fascinating insight into his own experiences and journey with dermoscopy. Starting at the beginning of the true history of dermoscopy itself, Professor Marghoob speaks movingly about the impact the very first dermatoscopes had on him.
Then, Dr Aimilios Lallas from Aristotle University in Greece speaks about his own experiences with dermoscopy – beginning with his residency training in dermatology – and how this has changed over time as the technology itself has developed. Enjoy!