What We Do
Education & Events
WICC Education Day - Melbourne
Thursday 29th October 2026
WICC Education Day - Sydney
Friday 6th November 2026
Proudly sponsored by Toll
WICC Education Day - Brisbane
Thursday 26th November
For the first time, Women in Critical Care (WICC) is bringing our event into Melbourne City, creating a day of learning, connection and conversation for women across the critical care community.
We welcome students, clinicians currently working in critical care, those aspiring to advanced practice roles, and leaders from across the healthcare industry. Proudly supported by Monash University, the event will bring together experienced clinicians, educators and leaders to share practical knowledge, professional insights and lessons from working in complex, high-performance environments.
Sessions will explore a diverse range of topics, including leadership and confidence, the physical demands of critical care practice, working in complex and challenging environments, navigating career progression, women and shift work, and practical strategies for managing fatigue.
The clinical program will also include advanced airway management, high performance both as an individual and within teams, and a dedicated session on eCPR, exploring patient selection and indications, the systems required to make eCPR possible, and learning from real clinical cases. Importantly, this discussion will extend beyond eCPR itself to consider what these systems and cases can teach us about improving the care of all patients experiencing cardiac arrest.
As always, WICC is about more than attending presentations. The day is designed to create opportunities to learn from experienced clinicians, ask questions, share experiences, build professional networks and connect with others at different stages of their critical care journey.
The WICC Sydney event will bring our community together for another full day of clinical learning, professional development and connection, this time proudly hosted and sponsored by Toll at the Aeromedical Crewing Excellence (ACE) Training Centre.
The program is designed for students, clinicians working in advanced and critical care roles, those considering their next career step, and leaders from across healthcare.
Throughout the day, participants will hear from experienced clinicians and industry leaders while also having opportunities to engage in practical discussion, shared learning and networking. Sessions will explore the challenges of leadership, confidence and decision-making in high-pressure environments, alongside conversations about career development, the physical demands of critical care practice, shift work and fatigue, and sustaining performance over the course of a career.
Clinical sessions will include advanced airway management, high-performance practice in individuals and teams, and eCPR, with a focus on indications, systems of care and lessons from real-world cases. The eCPR discussion will also consider how these principles can be applied more broadly to strengthen the management of all cardiac arrest patients, not only those who ultimately receive extracorporeal support.
A unique feature of the Sydney event will be the opportunity to experience the Toll ACE Training Centre, a purpose-built aeromedical education and simulation facility used to prepare clinicians for the demands of retrieval and critical care practice. Participants will be invited to tour the facility and gain insight into the training, clinical capability, teamwork and preparation required to work as a Critical Care Paramedic in the aeromedical environment.
As with all WICC events, the focus will remain on creating a welcoming space where participants can learn from experienced clinicians, ask questions, build networks and connect with others across the critical care community.
The WICC Brisbane event will bring together women from across paramedicine, critical care and the wider healthcare community for a day designed around clinical learning, professional growth and meaningful connection.
Open to students, clinicians already working in critical care, those aspiring to advanced practice roles, and healthcare leaders, the program will combine practical clinical education with conversations about the realities of building and sustaining a career in high-pressure environments.
Across the day, sessions will explore leadership, confidence and professional identity, as well as the physical and psychological demands of working in complex settings. We will also look at career progression, women and shift work, fatigue management, and strategies for maintaining performance and wellbeing across demanding roles.
The clinical program will include advanced airway management, high-performance practice for individuals and teams, and eCPR, with discussion around indications, system design and learning from real cases. Importantly, the eCPR session will also consider how these lessons can strengthen resuscitation systems and improve decision-making for all cardiac arrest patients, regardless of whether eCPR is ultimately used.
Throughout the event, participants will have the opportunity to engage directly with experienced clinicians and leaders, work through clinical concepts, ask questions and learn from the experiences of others. The Brisbane day is designed to be interactive, practical and welcoming, creating space for participants at every stage of their career to build confidence, broaden their networks and connect with the growing WICC community.
Upcoming Events
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WICC Education Day - Melbourne
WICC Education Day - Brisbane
The Women in Critical Care (WICC) Melbourne Day, held on the 11th June 2026, was our first dedicated WICC education and networking day, bringing together women from across paramedicine and critical care for a program that deliberately combined clinical practice, leadership, wellbeing and career development.
We were fortunate to hear from an incredible group of women with very different professional perspectives. Dr Emma West shared her clinical expertise and experience working within critical care, while Associate Professor Tegwyn McManamany brought a leadership and academic perspective, encouraging discussion about professional development, career progression and creating opportunities for women within paramedicine.
High performance Psychologist Bree Van Ryswyk shifted the conversation toward the human side of high-performance clinical practice. Her session explored the psychological demands of working in high-pressure environments and drew useful parallels between elite performance, preparation, resilience and the realities of critical care practice.
We also heard from Critical Care Paramedic Daria West, who shared her experiences of working and progressing within critical care. Daria's contribution prompted important conversations about the realities of a critical care career, including navigating career progression alongside life outside of work and returning to professional practice following extended periods of leave. We also spent time getting hands-on with practical skills and clinical scenarios, giving participants the opportunity to learn alongside peers and experienced Critical Care Paramedics. These sessions encouraged collaborative problem-solving, shared clinical reasoning and informal mentoring, with participants able to practise skills, ask questions and learn from the experience of senior CCPs in a supportive environment.
Across the day, formal presentations were complemented by open discussion, questions and opportunities for participants to connect with speakers and with one another. This was an important part of the event; creating an environment where women considering critical care, those currently undertaking advanced training, and experienced clinicians could learn from each other rather than simply attend another clinical education day.
The Melbourne event really captured what WICC is trying to achieve; combining high-quality education with honest conversations about careers, leadership and the experiences of women in critical care, while creating opportunities for mentorship, connection and greater visibility of women within advanced paramedic practice.
The WICC Brisbane Day continued our focus on combining high-quality clinical education with honest conversations about the realities of working in advanced and critical care practice.
Critical Care Paramedics Prue Snedden and Julia Massingham led a series of clinically focused sessions exploring advanced ECG recognition, bradyarrhythmias and tachyarrhythmias, transcutaneous pacing and synchronised cardioversion. These sessions gave participants the opportunity to consolidate advanced cardiac knowledge, work through clinical decision-making and connect theory with the practical realities of managing complex patients in the prehospital environment.
We were also joined by Associate Professor and MICA paramedic Tegwyn McManamany, who contributed her experience and perspective on leadership, professional development and the broader critical care workforce.
Intensive Care Paramedic Imogen Mosher delivered a case-based presentation centred on the management of a complex paediatric patient. Her session went beyond the clinical case itself, exploring the challenges of stepping into a new ICP role, managing uncertainty and making high-stakes decisions while working in geographically challenging and resource-limited environments. It prompted valuable discussion around clinical confidence, escalation, teamwork and the transition into advanced practice.
Throughout the day, participants were encouraged to ask questions, work through cases and learn directly from experienced clinicians, creating a practical and supportive environment where clinical skills, decision-making and shared experience were equally valued.
Past Events
What We Do
Our Research
Women in Critical Care Paramedicine: Experiences of Entry, Progression, and Belonging
Creating Sustainable Returns: How Australian Ambulance Services Support Paramedics After Extended Leave
Evaluating and Advancing Gender Equality in Paramedicine: A Multi-Method Study of Measurement, Organisational Practice and Paramedics’ Experiences
Led by WICC Advisory Team member Imogen Mosher, this project explores how women experience entering, progressing and finding a sense of belonging within intensive and critical care paramedicine.
Moving into specialist practice involves more than completing further education or meeting clinical requirements. Women may also navigate questions of confidence, credibility, access to opportunity, workplace culture and whether they feel recognised and supported within the critical care environment.
The study will examine the barriers and enablers that shape women’s pathways into critical care, including the factors that influence whether they apply for specialist roles, continue progressing and feel able to contribute fully once they are there. It will also explore what belonging means to women working in these settings and how workplace relationships, leadership, mentorship and professional culture affect their experiences.
By centring women’s voices, Imogen’s work aims to identify practical opportunities to improve recruitment, development and retention across critical care paramedicine. The findings will help inform more inclusive pathways and workplace cultures where women are supported not only to enter specialist practice, but to build confidence, develop clinical authority and thrive over the course of their careers.
Led by WICC Advisory Team member Daria West, this project explores how Australian jurisdictional ambulance services support paramedics returning to work following an extended period of absence.
Returning to operational practice after time away can involve much more than refreshing clinical knowledge. Paramedics may need to rebuild confidence, adapt to changes in clinical guidelines and equipment, regain familiarity with operational systems and reconnect with the physical and psychological demands of frontline practice. These challenges may be particularly significant for clinicians returning after parental leave, caring responsibilities, illness, injury or other extended career interruptions.
The study will examine the return-to-work policies, programs and practical supports currently offered across Australian ambulance services. It aims to identify areas of consistency, examples of good practice and opportunities to strengthen return-to-practice pathways.
By better understanding how paramedics are supported during this important career transition, Daria’s work seeks to inform safer, more flexible and more inclusive approaches that recognise clinicians’ existing expertise while helping them return to practice with confidence. Ultimately, the project aims to support workforce retention and ensure that extended leave does not become an unnecessary barrier to continued clinical or specialist practice.
Alisha’s PhD, Evaluating and Advancing Gender Equality in Paramedicine: A Multi-Method Study of Measurement, Organisational Practice and Paramedics’ Experiences, examines how gender equality is understood, measured and experienced across the paramedicine profession.
The research brings together evidence from the academic literature, an evaluation of organisational gender equality practices, and the experiences and perspectives of paramedics themselves. It aims to identify where progress is being made, where gaps remain, and what meaningful gender equality should look like in practice.
Importantly, this PhD is designed to have translational impact. The goal is not simply to describe gender inequality, but to generate practical evidence that can inform policy, strengthen organisational accountability and support safer, fairer and more inclusive paramedic workplaces. Through this work, Alisha hopes to contribute to lasting change for current and future generations of women in paramedicine and critical care.