Performance reviews get a bad rap — and for good reason. They’re often rushed, compliance-driven, and disconnected from what really matters: people, capability, and growth.

In this episode, Zoe, Michelle, and Karen are joined by Emma Piercy, Learning Innovations Lead at Ausmed, to explore why performance management often falls short in healthcare — and how it can be redesigned to work better for everyone involved.

Together, they unpack the real reasons reviews get delayed or avoided, the damage that can do to culture and trust, and how a culture of reflection and feedback helps you move from reactive firefighting to proactive capability-building.

Emma also lifts the lid on Ausmed Perform™ — a new performance management tool built specifically for healthcare — and what early pilot results reveal about how it’s saving time, improving quality, and strengthening retention.

Whether you’re still stuck in spreadsheets or already rethinking your approach, this episode offers practical insights, a few rants, and a whole lot of heart.

Contact the show at podcast@ausmed.com.au

Follow Ausmed on LinkedIn, Facebook & Instagram

EVENT INFO: Building Workforce Capability with AI | Melbourne, VIC
Nov 20, 2025 — Location TBA — Early Registration Now Open

Resources:

• Learn more about Ausmed Perform™ | Workforce Capability System
• Performance Reviews in Healthcare | Emma's Toolbox Guide
• Demo of Ausmed Perform™ | Launch Webinar
• 10 Takeaways from the Gold Coast | AI Event Recap
• Generative Learning Experiences | Ausmed AI Features

Learn More About Ausmed: https://lnk.bio/ausmed/organisations

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The future of learning isn’t static — it’s responsive, reflective, and built for capability.

In this follow-up to our first AI episode, Zoe, Michelle, and Ausmed CEO Will Egan explore the next phase of AI in learning: generative learning — and the governance frameworks that make it safe and useful in real-world healthcare settings.

From rubrics and role-based prompts to closed systems and guardrails, this episode takes a look into how generative AI can personalise learning, support performance, and finally help us bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Contact the show at podcast@ausmed.com.au

Follow Ausmed on LinkedIn, Facebook & Instagram

Resources:

• AI and Privacy | Guide
• AI Bias and Cultural Safety in Aged Care | Guide
• Using AI in Healthcare Education | Guide
• How AI and Machine Learning Is Impacting Nursing | Guide
• What does AI mean for healthcare in Australia? | Guide
• Why Reflection Matters | Guide
• Thinking Differently About Change (Pt. 1) | Thought Leadership
• Smart Strategies for Healthcare Education | Thought Leadership

Learn More About Ausmed: https://lnk.bio/ausmed/organisations

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A gut feeling can tell you everything — especially when it comes to safety, trust, and team culture.

In this special bonus episode, Zoe sits down with Rasa Kabaila NP to explore what psychological safety really looks and feels like in practice.

From recognising the early signals of unsafe environments to understanding why values only matter once they are tested, this is an honest and grounded conversation about care, connection, and culture.

For anyone trying to hold onto good people and build something that lasts, this one’s for you.

Contact the show at podcast@ausmed.com.au

Follow Ausmed on LinkedIn, Facebook & Instagram

Resources:

• Rasa Kabalia | LinkedIn
• Psychological Safety in the Workplace | Thought Leadership
• Leading with Empathy | Thought Leadership
• How to Minimise Burnout | Thought Leadership
• Living Through Workforce Pressures | Thought Leadership
• Building a Resilient Workforce | Guide
• Provider Guide to Trauma-Informed Care | Guide
• Storytelling in Education | Guide
• Put Some Concrete in Your Breakfast | Book

Learn More About Ausmed: https://lnk.bio/ausmed/organisations

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Worried about AI stealing your job? ...or are you ignoring it until it goes away? This aversion might be blocking you from pathways to real improvements in workforce capability.

Will Egan (CEO of Ausmed) joins Zoe, Michelle and Karen to outline the three phases of AI adoption: Risks, Opportunities and Governence.

Together, they breakdown the fears around accuracy, bias and job disruption, before shifting into the real, practical opportunities AI offers.

From productivity and augmentation (not replacement), to the reflective, Generative Learning Experiences being developed at Ausmed.

Separate the reality from the hype and start rethinking how Artificial Intelligence could actually strengthen your workforce.

Contact the show at podcast@ausmed.com.au

Follow Ausmed on LinkedIn, Facebook & Instagram

EVENT INFO: Building Workforce Capability with AI | Gold Coast, QLD
Sept 29, 2025 — evening prior to the Aging Australia National Conference.
*allocation exhausted → join the waitlist here

Resources:

• AI Bias and Cultural Safety in Aged Care | Guide
• Using AI in Healthcare Education | Guide
• How AI and Machine Learning Is Impacting Nursing | Guide
• What does AI mean for healthcare in Australia? | Guide
• Why Reflection Matters | Guide
• Thinking Differently About Change (Pt. 1) | Thought Leadership
• Smart Strategies for Healthcare Education | Thought Leadership

Learn More About Ausmed: https://lnk.bio/ausmed/organisations

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forget policy binders and bureaucratic buzzwords, Zoe, Michelle and Karen are back with a grounded, challenging and surprisingly relatable take on governance.

They explore the tensions between high-level governance ideals and the reality of applying them down in the weeds.

What emerges is a refreshing discussion about how governance, when it's 'good', supports trust, capability, and clarity at every level of an organisation.

Contact the show at podcast@ausmed.com.au

Follow Ausmed on LinkedIn, Facebook & Instagram

Resources:

• Strengthening Care with Provider Governance | Thought Leadership
• Governance and Accountability in Aged Care | Guide
• Statement of Rights: Aged Care Governance | Guide
• A Rights-Based Framework in Aged Care Governance | Guide
• Responsible Person Duty in Aged Care Governance | Guide
• Integrating Clinical Governance | Training Requirement
• Partnerships in Healthcare Governance Planning | Training Requirements

Learn More About Ausmed: https://lnk.bio/ausmed/organisations

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A trauma-informed approach is often seen as a specialist skill — but what if it was embedded into the everyday systems that shape how we give feedback, lead teams, and build trust?

In this special bonus episode, Zoe sits down with Dr. Karen-Ann Clarke — a veteran mental health nurse, educator, and academic — to explore how trauma impacts learning, behaviour, and relationships at work. From simple shifts in language to strategies for supporting underperformance, this is a practical and powerful conversation for anyone building capability in others.

Whether you’re designing training, mentoring staff, or shaping team culture — this episode offers new ways to lead with care, build resilience, and create high-trust environments.

Contact the show at podcast@ausmed.com.au

Follow Ausmed on LinkedIn, Facebook & Instagram

Resources:

• Provider Guide to Trauma-Informed Care | Guide
• Trauma-Informed Care in Aged Care | Ausmed Article
• Psychological Safety in the Workplace | Thought Leadership
• Leading with Empathy | Thought Leadership
• Psychological Risks and Hazards - A Legal Perspective | Guide
• Storytelling in Education - The Power of Supervision | Guide
• Phoenix Australia | Ausmed Partner
• Phoenix Australia - Trauma and Aged Care Training and Information | Ausmed Partner
• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) | CDC
• What is Complex Trauma? | Blue Knot Foundation

Learn More About Ausmed: https://lnk.bio/ausmed/organisations

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is your strategy being discussed regularly? or is it just gathering dust in a drawer?

Zoe, Michelle and Karen explore how strategy can support capability, guide decision-making, and bring people into alignment.

They talk about what it takes to make strategy visible, turning it into something people actually use — and how to keep it alive through everyday habits, team culture, and shared understanding.

Because when strategy works, it becomes part of how people think, speak, and work together.

Relevant Articles:

• A Guide to Workforce Strategy | Guide
• Recharge Week - A People and Culture Initiative | Thought Leadership
• The Real Cost of Poor Onboarding in Aged Care | Thought Leadership
• Words Really Matter | Thought Leadership
• How Do I Implement Adaptive Learning Strategies? | Guide
• How Can I Implement Self-Directed Learning Strategies? | Guide
• Creating a 'Learning Culture' in your Team | Guide
• Organisational Leadership in Healthcare: What is it? | Ausmed Article
• Workforce Planning in Aged Care | Ausmed Article

Learn More About Ausmed: https://lnk.bio/ausmed/organisations

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Change is everywhere in healthcare — new roles, new reforms, new technologies. But how we navigate that change? Why do some of us thrive on change while others dread it?

Zoe, Michelle and Karen tackle the real-world messiness of change management and the capability it takes to lead, support, and shape it. What starts as a reflection on Zoe’s own role transition quickly unfolds into a bigger conversation.

Michelle champions momentum, challenging the idea that leaders always need to slow down for others. Karen argues for listening, trust, and understanding the emotional impact of change. And Zoe’s caught in the middle — balancing action with empathy.

Whether you’re driving change or trying to survive it, this episode brings sharp perspectives, practical insights, and a little bit of group therapy.

Contact the show at podcast@ausmed.com.au

Follow Ausmed on LinkedIn, Facebook & Instagram

Resources:
Prepare Your Board for the New Standards | Webinar
Aged Care Reforms - Will They Deliver the Change We Need? | Thought Leadership
The Real Cost of Poor Onboarding in Aged Care | Thought Leadership
Am I a Leader or a Manager? Can I Be Both? | Thought Leadership
Preparing for Your First Audit Under the New Standards | Guide
Adapting to Regulatory Changes in Healthcare Training | Guide

Learn More About Ausmed: https://lnk.bio/ausmed/organisations

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.