Join the conversation

X is an excellent networking tool, and it can really help you get the most out of professional events, conferences, and courses whether they're virtual or face-to-face.

We'd encourage all of our emerging leaders to "join the conversation" on X during the conference, using the hashtag #ELC24BRIS (you can learn more about hashtags below), and hope that you enjoy the experince so much that you continue to use it to support your professional networking, continuing medical education, collaborative projects, research, and keeping in touch with what the colllege and our community of 8000+ followers are up to.

So if you don’t already have an X account, there's no better time to take the plunge. And if you're already using it, please consider sharing your tips and tricks with a fellow delegate who's decided to dip their toe in.

Getting started

Download our guide on 'Setting yourself up on X/Twitter in six simple steps'. And check out the latest advice from X if you get stuck.

Create your community

Once you've set yourself up with an X account, the next step is to “join the community”. Don’t worry, you don’t have to start tweeting yet if you don’t feel ready to. This is about building your network.

Start by following some key accounts. You can do this by clicking on the "handles" below and then clicking "follow".

@ANZCA (the official ANZCA account).
@ANZCA_FPM (the official Faculty of Pain Medicine account).
@CTN_ANZCA (the official account for the ANZCA Clinical Trials Network).
@GKMuseum (the official account for the Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History).
@VBeavis (ANZCA President Dr Vanessa Beavis - 900 followers).
@MickVagg (FPM Dean Associate Professor Michael Vagg - 850+ followers)
@GongGasGirl (ANZCA Councillor Dr Tanya Selak - 20,000+ followers)
@Scruff888 (ANZCA Councillor Dr Scott Ma - 2000 followers)

Next, subscribe to the following “lists” we've set up under the ANZCA account. A list is a curated group of X accounts.

List of fellows (an ever-growing directory of fellows who are on Twitter).
List of anaesthesia-related organisations and publications (this is a really good starting point for other accounts to follow).

How hashtags work

Hashtags (#) are used to index keywords or topics and allow users to easily follow topics they are interested in. This can include events, and most conferences now – including the ELC, ASM and FPM Symposium – will have a unique hashtag. You can use them to create a virtual network that can be accessed:

By anyone at any time.
On any device.
From anywhere in the world.

This makes them particularly handy for conferences! At the 2023 ASM, more than 1000 speakers and delegates used the meeting Twitter hashtag to “join the conversation”.

If you already have an X handle, please let us know what it is. The meeting hashtag – #ELC24BRIS – is already up and running, so follow that for the latest ELC updates. We've registered it with the Healthcare Hashtags Project so anyone can follow the conversation online.

Here are some hashtags to look at.

#ELC24BRIS (the official ELC hashtag – also already up and running. So take a look at how people are using it).
#ANZCAtrainees (a hashtag for trainee-related content).
#ANZCAfoundation (a hashtag for the ANZCA Research Foundation).
#anaesthesia (a common hashtag for anaesthesia threads from AU, NZ, UK and other countries using British spelling).
#anesthesiology / #anesthesia (the more common hashtags for US and Canadian content).

Social media dos and don’ts

Social media certainly isn’t without its risks. But a little common sense goes a long way!

Keep your social media conversations collaborative and respectful. The ELC is covered by ANZCA's social media policy and you may also be subject to your hospital's policies.

DO discuss cases and general medical advice in a public forum.

DON’T identify individual patients. Or diagnose someone outside a formal clinical setting.

DO challenge what other people/organisations say and think.

DON’T attack the organisation/person who is saying them.

DO have fun

DON’T forget that humour is highly subjective.

DO express your opinion

DON’T do anything in public that you wouldn’t want your boss, your staff, your peers, or your nana to see.

DO share the work of others

DON’T share it without reading it first, especially if you don’t know the source.

DO choose who to hang out with (and who to ignore)

DON’T fall victim to the confirmation biases of the echo chamber.

The AMA has produced some really handy guidelines to help Australian and New Zealand medical practitioners use social media confidently and responsibly.

Using X at the ELC

All ELC sessions “open” for delegates to discuss on social media channels (primarily X) unless otherwise advised. The session chairs will flag any presentations, slides, or findings (for example, where content is confidential or sensitive) that are to be left out of the social media conversation. Please respect the wishes of your peers and colleagues in this regard.