HealthCert Insights – A Podcast for Doctors, Nurses and Healthcare Professionals

Rhomboid flap tutorial

In this episode of Life by A Thousand Cuts, A/Prof Tony Dicker takes a closer look at rhomboid closures: a practical flap technique for your surgical toolkit.

While most skin cancers don’t present neatly in a diamond shape, traditional rhomboid flaps are based on excising a diamond-shaped defect, which can sometimes remove more tissue than necessary. In this week's episode, A/Prof Dicker explores both the classic rhomboid flap and the modified rhomboid approach, which allows for effective closure of more natural, circular tumour excisions.

He explores the geometry behind traditional rhomboid flaps (including 120- and 60-degree angles), why the modified rhomboid is often better suited for circular defects, how to design and execute a flap that aligns with natural skin tension lines (thus improving both functional and cosmetic outcomes), and a step-by-step walkthrough of a rhomboid flap on the cheek, demonstrating how tissue is rotated into place for optimal closure.

This episode is highly visual, with step-by-step guidance through the design and movement of tissue flaps to close surgical defects while respecting relaxed skin tension lines. You can watch the video here.

Life by a Thousand Cuts 

This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.

Next steps in your learning journey

🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program

The patient vasectomy journey - What GPs should know

In this latest episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Dr Raj Selvarajan walks through what GPs can expect when managing a patient undergoing vasectomy, from the initial consult and managing patient concerns to communication tips, procedure workflow, and follow-up.

This episode focuses on the patient experience and doctor–patient communication, providing GPs with a clear understanding of how to deliver safe and supportive care.

• What a typical vasectomy consultation looks like, including what should be covered in the first consult, what questions and concerns patients usually raise, and how to approach patient education, risks, and consent.
• Common misconceptions about vasectomy and how to address them to put your patients at ease.
• How to build trust and manage patient expectations, including communication strategies for helping patients feel safe and informed.
• A typical day in a vasectomy clinic, including what the procedure workflow looks like, who is involved, and the structure of a typical work day.
• Dr Selvarajan's philosophies on patient care and how to make the vasectomy experience positive from the patient’s perspective.
• Expert advice for GPs to keep in mind when they first start consulting for vasectomy (and the one clinical detail that they often miss).

Watch this episode here.

 

Want to upskill in the no-scalpel vasectomy method?

Start with HealthCert Education’s Advanced Workshop of Non-Scalpel Vasectomy to build your foundational skills. Then round-out your hands-on vasectomy training with a clinical placement at Dr Raj Selvarajan’s clinic.

Deep dissolving sutures for wound closure

In this week's new episode of Life by a Thousand Cuts, A/Prof Tony Dicker explores the practical considerations of using deep dissolving sutures when closing a wound in skin cancer surgery.

While suturing is a highly visual technique, A/Prof Dicker shares his expert tips that every skin cancer clinician should keep in mind, including:

• When dermal sutures can (and can’t) be placed
• Why absorbable sutures may save patients significant time and inconvenience
• The debate around dyed vs undyed sutures
• How to achieve optimal wound eversion

Alongside this discussion, A/Prof Dicker provides a demonstration video to walk you through the practical aspects of placing deep sutures. Watch it here. 

Life by a Thousand Cuts 

This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.

Next steps in your learning journey

🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program >

How to manage complications in cosmetic medicine

Tune into this first episode of a new podcast series by HealthCert Education, The Aesthetic Shift, in which Kelly Beasy provides expert tips on how to manage complications following cosmetic treatments — what is likely, what is rare, and how to respond.

The Aesthetic Shift podcast is for cosmetic practitioners looking to evolve, diversify, and future-proof their aesthetic practice. Each episode explores core cosmetic topics to help you broaden your offering and build a more resilient practice! Kelly Beasy is a Nurse Practitioner, clinic owner, and cosmetic medicine trainer at KB Aesthetix with 20 years of nursing experience and 10+ years’ experience in the aesthetic industry. She also offers a 1:1 mentorship program for clinicians.

In this episode, Kelly deep dives into how to manage complications following cosmetic treatments such as anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers, Sculptra, microneedling, and Skin Boosters — what is likely, what is rare, and how to respond.

Kelly provides expert tips on how to reduce risk, how to inform your patients about potential complications, and how to react quickly if adverse events occur. She also discusses key protocols and training to equip you with a toolkit to handle most complications you're likely to encounter.

Watch this episode here.

 

Next steps in your learning journey

🎓 Certificate Courses in Aesthetic Medicine
Explore our university-assured, structured Professional Diploma pathway to elevate your skills in primary care Aesthetic Medicine.
➡️  Explore full program >

Insulin & Botulinum toxin for keloid scars: Surprising study reviewed

Tune into this new episode of Life by a Thousand Cuts: a HealthCert podcast series hosted by A/Prof Tony Dicker, offering practical, case-based insights in skin cancer surgery for GPs.

In this episode, A/Prof Dicker dives into a fascinating study from Egypt exploring unconventional treatments for keloid scars, including insulin and Botulinum toxin injections.

The trial, published in the Journal of Dermatologic Surgery in June 2025, compared these options with the standard intralesional corticosteroids. While steroids remained the most effective overall, the study found some interesting pros and cons for each approach, including fewer steroid-related side effects with insulin or Botulinum toxin.

A/Prof Dicker breaks down the trial design, results, and practical takeaways for GPs, and shares when he might (and might not) consider these alternatives in clinical practice.

Helpful resources

Click here for an overview of the paper discussed in this episode.

Watch the video version here.

Life by a Thousand Cuts 

This podcast series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.

Next steps in your learning journey

🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program >

Chaos, clues & clinical change: Conversation with Prof Cliff Rosendahl

Tune into this first episode of Life by a Thousand Cuts: a HealthCert podcast series hosted by A/Prof Tony Dicker, offering practical, case-based insights in skin cancer surgery for GPs.

The series is designed to help you enhance your clinical decision-making, procedural skills, and confidence in skin cancer management. Focus on real-world cases, surgical techniques and tips, journal article reviews, diagnostic and management insights, and guest interviews with GPs and specialists.

In this episode, A/Prof Dicker speaks with Prof Cliff Rosendahl about the evolution of skin cancer medicine in general practice, told through Cliff’s unique journey from GP to educator, researcher, and co-creator of one of the world’s most used dermatoscopy frameworks. It’s a conversation about how ideas become practice, and how individuals can shape an entire field.

 

What's covered in this episode

The early days: Cliff’s path from general practice into skin cancer, and what skin cancer work looked like then vs now.
The creation of SCARD: Why it was needed and how it helped GPs build surgical confidence.
Becoming an educator: What led Cliff to start teaching dermatoscopy, and how teaching and learning in this space has changed.
Translating observation into research: Cliff’s early publications (what drove them and how they came about) and the value of practice-based evidence.
The development of Chaos & Clues: The real-world problems it was trying to solve, how it works, and why it’s still relevant today.
Cliff's book: Turning knowledge into a resource and what he hopes GPs will take away from it.
Reflections and advice for GPs starting out in skin cancer work or dermatoscopy.

 

Helpful resources

Download the slide deck from this podcast here.

You might also be interested to check out Prof Cliff Rosendahl's book mentioned in this episode here.

Watch the video version here. 

 

Next steps in your learning journey

🎓 Certificate Courses in Skin Cancer
Explore our university-assured, structured pathway to elevate your knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
➡️ Explore full program >

Primary care skin cancer screening in North America

This podcast offers an insightful discussion about the landscape of skin cancer care in the United States and Canada, and dives into why physicians may consider integrating skin cancer services into their primary care practice — an especially exceptional listen if you are based in North America.

Hear from Paul Elmslie (Founder of HealthCert Education) as he provides his unique insights into primary care skin cancer screening.

Joined by U.S.-based Primary Care Physician Dr John Howard MD, Paul shares the profound impact of growing and expanding your practice through skin cancer care, rooted in his own experiences shaping the landscape of skin cancer medicine in Australia over the past two decades.

Is vasectomy worth it? Understanding ROI in general practice

In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Dr Raj Selvarajan (a Specialist General Practitioner and Course Director for the HealthCert Education Advanced Workshop of Non-Scalpel Vasectomy) addresses one of the most frequently asked questions he hears from colleagues considering integrating vasectomy services into their practice: Is it worth the investment?

Dr Selvarajan has been performing vasectomy procedures since 2007, after establishing the first no-scalpel vasectomy service in north-east England. He has since led clinics across the UK and now operates scalpel-free vasectomy clinics in Brisbane and Mackay.

In this insightful episode, Dr Selvarajan covers:

• Why vasectomy is becoming more popular among GPs
• Typical costs for setting up a vasectomy service
• Average procedure fee and billing model
• How long it takes to break even
• Other benefits beyond revenue
• Common misconceptions
• What he wishes more GPs knew before offering vasectomy services

 

Want to upskill in the no-scalpel vasectomy method?

Start with HealthCert Education’s Advanced Workshop of Non-Scalpel Vasectomy to build your foundational skills. Then round-out your hands-on vasectomy training with a clinical placement at Dr Raj Selvarajan’s clinic.

 

Dr Terry Harvey’s journey as a skin cancer doctor

In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie (CEO & Founder of HealthCert Education) discusses skin cancer medicine with Dr Terry Harvey (Sunshine Coast Skin Cancer Centre, Queensland).

Dr Terry Harvey is an Accredited Skin Cancer Doctor who completed his master’s degree in skin cancer at The University of Queensland, and he is one of very few doctors worldwide to outperform the University of Vienna’s DermaChallenge AI algorithm.

This insightful podcast covers:

• Dr Harvey's background, what he does, and where he works.
• Why Dr Harvey chose to pursue a special interest in skin cancer medicine.
• The training Dr Harvey undertook to upskill himself in skin cancer.
• What he enjoys most about skin cancer work.
• How the skin cancer subspeciality compares to working in a GP practice. 
• Dr Harvey's advice for other GPs or GP Registrars who are considering pursuing a special interest in skin cancer.
• Top tips for getting started in skin cancer medicine.

Building a prosperous skin cancer clinic

In this episode of HealthCert’s GP Insights podcast, Paul Elmslie (CEO & Founder of HealthCert Education) talks with Skin Cancer Doctor John O'Bryen (owner of Body Scan Skin Cancer Clinic in Buderim, Queensland) about building a prosperous skin cancer practice.

You may be interested to follow Dr O'Bryen's Instagram @skincancerdoctor, where he posts interesting dermoscopy cases which other doctors may learn from.

The podcast covers:

• Dr John O'Bryen's background.
• Why he chose to pursue skin cancer as a special interest field.
• Education he undertook to expand his skillset in skin cancer.
• How his day-to-day work as a Skin Cancer Doctor compares to practising as a generalist, and what he enjoys about his work.
• How he came to buy his skin cancer clinic.
• Important factors to consider when purchasing a skin cancer clinic.
• Challenges he has faced in operating the clinic.
• How he balances patient care with the business and admin aspects of running a clinic.
• How his clinic stays up to date with advancements in skin cancer detection and treatment.
• Common pitfalls and mistakes he sees other clinic owners make (and that he has made himself) and how can they be avoided.
• Rewarding aspects of owning and operating a skin cancer clinic.
• Advice for doctors looking to start/buy their own skin cancer practice.