Meet Claire-Marie Agius. Claire works in ST7 Anaesthesia at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead. For the trainee committee, she’s involved in podcasts, the International Relations Committee, RCOA Patient Information Group and RCOA QI group. Claire's clinical interests include obstetric anaesthesia, environmental sustainability, and regional anaesthesia.
What does the Association Trainee Committee mean to you?
The Trainee Committee represents a diverse group of people who have a common purpose of making voices of anaesthetic doctors heard within multiple different arenas.
What has most surprised you since joining the trainee committee?
I had been a member of the Association since the beginning of my training but when I joined the trainee committee I was amazed by the involvement the trainee committee has on both national and international organisations. This participation ensures that the voices of trainees are effectively represented within numerous committees, making our opinions and perspectives an integral part of decision-making processes.
Furthermore, I have come to recognise the tremendous effort that goes on behind the scenes to enhance training opportunities for fellow trainees, including the facilitation of fellowships, grants, seminars, webinars, the wellbeing podcast, and other valuable resources, while ensuring that open channels of communication with our trainee members are maintained.
What would you like to achieve in your time on the trainee committee?
I am eager to work with relevant stakeholders to find solutions that will shift the focus back onto training opportunities, prioritising them over service provision. By doing so, we can potentially decrease the duration of training, as well as increasing training numbers, which would play a crucial role in mitigating the bottleneck at the registrar level; this while maintaining or even improving the patient care we deliver.
I would also like to minimise excessively frequent rotations, and improve trainee wellbeing, including through the use of our wellbeing podcast “Coffee and a gas”; and maximise collaboration with international organisations in order to increase patient safety and enhance training opportunities for fellow trainees.
Why did you decide to become an anaesthetist/doctor
I was attracted to anaesthesia as I derive satisfaction from working collaboratively within a team with different health care professionals. I enjoy the high level of responsibility that the specialty carries, including making time-critical decisions and using pharmacology to stabilise patients, facilitate a procedure a patient has consented to and/or increase patient comfort.
I also enjoy the procedural aspect of the specialty and meeting with people from all walks of life, generally at a time they will attribute significance to.
What do you like most about your job?
Working collaboratively within a team to make a difference in people’s lives.
What do you like to do in your free time?
Hiking, writing in my journal, playing clarinet in my local music group, going for a run.