In this episode of The NICE Podcast, Kate and Ben continue their exploration of complexity in intensive care — shifting focus from conversations to the challenges of delivering care where clinical, operational, and human factors intersect.

Their guest is Dr Nhi Nguyen, 2024 NSW Health Staff Member of the Year, Senior Intensivist, Clinical Director of Intensive Care NSW, and Board Member of the College of Intensive Care Medicine.

Together, they discuss the realities of resource management — exit block, bed allocation, and the difficult decisions required when resources are limited. Nhi also reflects on the importance of deep listening on patient flow and care delivery, and how she maintains balance and wellbeing in her many leadership roles.

This conversation offers an insightful look into how leaders in intensive care navigate constraint and complexity while striving to deliver safe, compassionate, and equitable care.

In this thought provoking episode, Ben and Kate sit down with Tegan Butts, a highly respected local ICU nurse, to talk about something many of us struggle with — how to explain our work in intensive care to the people we love, many of whom don't work in the healthcare industry.

From sending banana emojis 🍌 to navigating the emotional weight of life and death in casual conversation, this episode dives into the complexity of bringing our ICU world into our homes — thoughtfully, ethically, and authentically.

In recognition of Clinical Trials Day 2025, Kate and Ben are joined by Amber Poulter, a Research Clinical Nurse Consultant, for an insightful conversation about the complexities of conducting research in the intensive care environment.

Together, they explore what makes ICU research so challenging and essential. The discussion covers how consent is managed when patients are unconscious or critically unwell, whether patients can be enrolled in trials without their prior consent, and the ethical frameworks that underpin these decisions. They also examine the practical barriers that can make research difficult in ICU, as well as the enablers that support successful trial conduct.

This episode shines a light on the purpose-driven people making ICU research possible, and why it matters for patients, families, and the future of intensive care.

• Clinical Trials Day 2025 - At the forefront of every therapeutic breakthrough, you’ll find clinical research professionals who are driven by a powerful purpose: advancing treatments that transform patients' lives. ​Clinical researchers move innovative therapies from scientific discovery to the developments of tomorrow. With every data point collected, every protocol created, and every patient served, their contributions have the potential to improve health outcomes and benefit generations to come. ​ These professionals are powered by a commitment to drive clinical research forward. ​They are powered by knowing that the work they do matters. ​They are powered by the common purpose of advancing human health. ​ And, together, their purpose is realized—study by study, patient by patient—in communities around the world. ​ For Clinical Trials Day 2025, ACRP honors the power and purpose of all clinical research professionals.