2024.2 and 2025.1 Buchanan Prize winners

ACEM is proud to congratulate all winners of the Buchanan Prize throughout the 2024-2025 financial year.

The Buchanan Prize is awarded to the highest scoring candidates in a cohort of the Fellowship Examination (Clinical), also known as the ‘OSCE’, on their first attempt of the examination. The examination is held twice each year.

A total of 277 trainees sat the 2024.2 OSCE examination, which was held at Cliftons in Sydney.
 
Dr Lidia Samcewicz-Parham 

Emergency medicine as a specialty was never on Dr Lidia SamcewiczParham’s radar as a junior doctor. She had envisaged becoming a GP when she did a Northern Territory placement.

"I did ED training there. I loved that it was like a team sport. I enjoyed the problem-solving aspect."

Exam preparation included leaning into moments in her everyday work that were opportunities for exam practice, such as obtaining a patient’s consent for a procedure.

Her partner was studying for the same exam and being able to study together had the most positive impact on preparing for the exam.

During the mock OSCEs she focused on reading the STEM rather than trying to predict the questions, "to truly understand the nuances of the situation and to have faith that I would come up with reasonable answers to whatever was asked."

On exam day, it was helpful to imagine she was interacting with a real patient at her hospital and "to do or say the things that I’d do in real life."
 
Dr James Wayte
Just two days after his son’s birth, Dr James Wayte had a second reason to celebrate when he found out he had been awarded the Buchanan Prize.

Dr Wayte’s study approach was drilling down on stations he found most challenging. "It was repeat and repeat until I was strong across all stations."

His advice is to have a strong understanding of the exam structure, the types of stations and the exam’s time constraints.

"I often tell people that given enough time anyone could probably answer the questions. So it’s about practising to consolidate precise answers under time pressure and to convey core knowledge rather than only the textbook answer that you may have prepared for the written exam."

He is grateful for his DEMT’s support which included advice on work-life balance.

He said he likes the variety of emergency medicine. "No two days are the same. It’s a broad mix of different presentations and skills."
 
A total of 219 candidates sat the 2025.1 OSCE examination, which was held at Cliftons in Sydney.
 
Dr Joanna Belcher
Dr Joanna Belcher was holding her two-week-old baby when she found out she had been awarded the Buchanan Prize.

To prepare for the exam, Dr Belcher split previous example stations by type and worked through stations in each category, creating a structure for each.

Her study tips include practising the stations out loud, recapping content in the context of a station, not revising notes for hours, and doing trials to practice controlling your nerves.

Thirty-two weeks pregnant when she sat the OSCE, she was grateful for her husband’s support. "Training has been varied thanks to a partner who is open to adventure and diverting from the well-trodden path."

Emergency medicine appealed for many reasons. "It’s varied, enables problem solving, it’s collegial, and a challenge medically and logistically."
 
Dr Kathryn Lally
Dr Kathryn Lally, awarded the Buchanan Prize, said she is grateful to ACEM for supporting her training, which has been different to most of her colleagues.

"As a family we’ve been caravanning throughout the country for the past four years. No other training program would have allowed that flexibility."

As a regional candidate working in an isolated area, she reached out to FACEMs throughout Australia asking to participate in their OSCE practice.

"They were very generous with their time. I travelled twice to Perth for practice exams. In regional WA, I relied on locums who came to town to do OSCE practice with me."

She advises not to let study and exams overrun your life.

"I have three children and knew if I didn’t spend time with them my anxiety levels would go up and study productivity go down. You need to do regular study but maintain oversight of what else is important, like family and friends."
 
Dr Ian Marley
Dr Ian Marley had felt self-doubt after doing the exam so felt very surprised when he found out he had won the Buchanan Prize.

"I worried about passing. I got a lot of 'I told you so’s' and 'We knew you would be fine' comments when I told the consultants I worked with the news."

His advice is to prepare and sort your life, "because life doesn’t go on pause just because you’re studying. It was a priority to be present for my partner and child."

His wife, a full-time surgical trainee, was his biggest support. "She was working longer hours than me and with a young child she held the fort. I’m still trying to repay that."

Emergency medicine appeals on many levels: "The scope of practice and wide variety of cases. Every day you’re seeing patients from all walks of life. The regular surprise of seeing something that you’ve never encountered before makes the work interesting."
 

Dr Brad Ryan
Dr Brad Ryan’s first inspiration to do emergency medicine was watching the TV series ER as a child.

"Then, as an intern, I fell in love with the specialty. You treat anyone who comes through the door. People think emergency medicine is about resuscitation but it’s the patient interactions which make the biggest difference and are most rewarding."

The Buchanan Prize winner said the decision to do the exams can be a scary prospect.
"It can be daunting, but it’s important to believe in yourself. Telling yourself you’ve been in stressful situations before, passed previous exams, and this is just one more hurdle to overcome."

While the exam result was a huge milestone, the most significant moment was the joy he and his wife felt when they had their baby.

"We’d gone through IVF treatment, and our son was born soon after I’d completed the written exam. My achievement is small compared to what she did."
 
Dr Alyce Scanlan
Dr Alyce Scanlan said being awarded the Buchanan Prize was welcome news after all the hard work.

"I did practice stations at the hospital every day, studying while I was driving to and from work, and did team calls with my fellow registrars. I was living, breathing and dreaming it!"

She is grateful to her husband "who stepped back from work to help look after our young kids" and extended family. "They cheered me on and helped where they could."

She advises practising with consultants and registrars and taking on their advice.

A balanced approach is also key. "Time with family to rest and reset will help you go into the exam feeling calm and prepared."

Emergency medicine aligned with everything she wanted in a specialty – problem solving, cognitive and hands-on procedural skills.

"The ED feels like a family. You’re also forming relationships with junior colleagues by mentoring and teaching them. I like being part of their journey."
 
Dr Melanie Witthers

"I love my job. My happiest days are when I’m in the paediatric area of the ED making sick kids feel better and allaying their parents’ fears," said Dr Melanie Withers, who found out she had won the Buchanan Prize while travelling to Greece for a post-exam holiday.

While preparing for the exams felt like a long process, she had a very supportive study group who were "brutally honest."

Dr Withers said she was also lucky to work with consultants who were happy to help, and to have the support of her partner.

Her top advice for future candidates is to make sure it’s the right time to do the exam, which includes having support from others.

"Also consider stepping down to 0.75, which I found was perfect to maintain balance between study, going out for lunch, walking the dogs and not feeling guilty."