The Critical Care, Resuscitation and Airway Skills in High Fidelity Simulation (CRASH) course is designed to support anaesthetists returning to work. It provides a safe, supportive environment to revise key skills, rehearse critical scenarios and rebuild confidence before resuming clinical duties.
Returning to work after a period of leave can be challenging. Time away from clinical practice can affect confidence and make previously familiar tasks feel more difficult.
The CRASH course is a full‑day program designed to be supportive, confidential and non‑judgemental. It is based on the highly successful Gas Again return‑to‑work course developed in the United Kingdom, which forms part of a structured return‑to‑work package for anaesthetists.
Who the course is for
CRASH is designed to be part of a structured return-to-work plan for participants who:
- are planning to return to clinical work within the next 3 to 6 months
- hold full general registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra)
The scenarios and discussions assume a basic understanding of anaesthesia so is most suited to participants who have completed at least one year of anaesthetic training.
What the course covers
The course focuses on refreshing practical skills, managing critical events and rebuilding clinical confidence.
Topics and activities include:
- Advanced life support (ALS), including arrest and peri‑arrest scenarios
- Airway skills, including videolaryngoscopy, fibreoptic skills and managing 'can't intubate, can't oxygenate' (CICO) scenarios
- High‑fidelity simulation of critical anaesthetic emergencies
- Problem‑based learning discussions (PBLDs), including obstetric emergencies and paediatric emergencies
The course also provides individualised, practical advice to support your return to work.
Program delivery and structure
CRASH is a face‑to‑face, full-day program with a high faculty‑to‑participant ratio to provide individual attention.
Learning methods include:
- hands‑on skills training
- high‑fidelity simulation scenarios
- problem‑based discussions
Assessment
There is no assessment component to the course. Individual performance or competence is not shared with future employers or supervisors of training.
Participants will sign a confidentiality agreement at the start of the day to agree not to share details of the scenarios.
ANZCA Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
This course is recognised for ANZCA CPD under Knowledge and Skills.
- Short courses, workshops, PBLDs and small group discussions
- 2 CPD credits per hour
Emergency response activities are accredited for:
- Major haemorrhage
- Cardiac arrest
Faculty
The CRASH course is delivered by a faculty with interest in medical education and personal experience returning to work after a period of leave.
Faculty members include:
- Janette Wright (Convenor)
- Kara Allen (Convenor)
- Elizabeth Leslie
- Patricia Newell
- Barbara Heath
- Allanah Scott
- Sheila Barnett
- Juliana Kok
- Cath Pedrotti
- Sally Lacey
- Megan Allen
Our CRASH faculty focus on creating a respectful, empathetic learning environment and providing practical strategies that can be applied in the workplace.
Register now
Search our events to find the next available CRASH course.
Fully booked?
If a course is fully booked, contact crashcourse@mh.org.au to be notified when future dates are scheduled.
ASA sponsorship
The Australian Society of Anaesthetists (ASA) sponsors up to 20 participants a year to attend the CRASH course. The sponsorship covers $200 towards the virtual course or $400 towards the hybrid or face‑to‑face course.
You must be a current ASA member to be eligible.