The all-inclusive POCUS Mastery Retreat offers a chance to reconnect with colleagues, step back into the learner’s seat, and sharpen your skills within a relaxed, retreat-style setting. Hosted at the serene Waitākere Resort, this 2-day / 1-night programme blends high-level education from experts and robust discussion giving you space to deepen your mastery while enjoying meaningful time with peers who share your commitment to high-quality POCUS practice.

Michael Schick

Retreat Clinical Lead

Bio: Dr Michael Schick completed his training in Emergency Medicine at Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia, USA followed by an Emergency Ultrasound fellowship at University of California Davis. He went on to become an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Director of Global Ultrasound at UC Davis.

His most notable publications are the texts Fundamentals of Emergency Ultrasound and Ultrasound in Resource Limited Settings: A Case Based, Open Access Text. Dr. Schick works as an Emergency Specialist at North Shore and Waitakere Hospitals and is EMUGs Aotearoa’s Incoming Co-Chair.

Title: Team Based Learning

Session Overview: Grow your expertise as an educator!  Team Based Learning or TBL is an effective educational technique, particularly for identifying and filling knowledge gaps.  It is an interactive, fun way to learn and leverages all the expertise in the room, not just the “educators”.  Michael plans to explain TBL, make a case for using it, and will move the entire group through all the steps so that everyone will feel confident deploying TBL themselves.

Patrick Gladding

Title: Echocardiography: Core Views and Interpretation

Session Overview:  A practical, case-based session covering essential echocardiographic views,  interpretation, and valve pathology.  Not sure if that incidental valve finding is important?  Let a cardiologist help!  Live patients with valvular pathology are being recruited for scanning.

Bio: Dr Patrick Gladding is dual trained in both Internal Medicine and Cardiology. He completed Cardiology training at the Greenlane Cardiovascular Service in Auckland and has been a practising cardiologist since 2007.

He undertook a Fellowship in Advanced Imaging at the Cleveland Clinic in 2010 and completed a PhD in cardiovascular medicine in 2013. Patrick works at Allevia Cardiology as well as North Shore and Waitākere Hospitals.

His expertise spans cardiac imaging, angiography, and personalised cardiovascular care, including genomic medicine. He is also the founder of Theranostics Laboratory.

Aaron Danielson

Title: Practical Education Frameworks That Solve All My Problems

Session Overview: As a medical education expert, people frequently get me involved when something doesn't go quite right. We all experience teaching sessions that don’t land as intended. This interactive session introduces practical education frameworks that help troubleshoot common teaching and curriculum challenges. Designed for clinicians who teach, supervise, or design training, the session includes applied strategies and a facilitated Q&A.

Bio: Dr Aaron Danielson, MD, MAS, is Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at UC Davis Health in Sacramento, California. He is a practising emergency physician and graduate of a Medical Education Fellowship.

He serves as Program Director for the Emergency Medicine Residency and Chair of the Curriculum Evaluation and Outcomes Subcommittee at UC Davis. Dr Danielson has extensive experience across undergraduate and graduate medical education, with particular expertise in clinical skills instruction, curriculum design, and evaluation.

Kenneth Khor

Title: Paediatric Echo and Congenital Heart Disease

Session Overview: Practical echocardiography tips and tricks tailored to the paediatric population

Bio: Dr Kenneth Khor is a Paediatrician at Kidz First, Middlemore Hospital. He graduated from Aberdeen, Scotland in 2005 and completed Paediatric training there before undertaking a Paediatric Cardiology Fellowship at Starship Hospital in 2015.

Since 2021, he has worked across General Paediatrics, Paediatric Cardiology, and Rheumatic Fever services at Counties Manukau. His clinical experience includes a wide range of complex and high-acuity paediatric echocardiography cases, which he brings into practical teaching environments.

Martin Necas

Title:  Advanced Ultrasound Techniques: Expanding Your Clinical Scope

Session Overview: An advanced, hands-on scanning session covering:

• Pelvic obstetrics and gynaecology

• Testicular ultrasound

• Musculoskeletal applications

• Soft tissue assessment

• Advanced DVT evaluation using colour and spectral Doppler

The session includes discussion and supervised practical scanning time.

Bio: Martin Necas is a specialist sonographer and Clinical Tutor of Ultrasound Imaging at Waikato Hospital, Hamilton. He is an experienced clinical instructor, university lecturer, researcher, and author or co-author of 25 peer-reviewed papers and clinical guidelines.

He is also the author of a textbook on artefacts in diagnostic ultrasound and has delivered more than 250 conference presentations, workshops, and webinars internationally. Martin is a strong advocate for efficient, evidence-based, and clinically targeted ultrasound utilisation.

Debbie Rafferty

Title: Peer Support in Practice

Session Overview:   A practical, evidence-informed session focused on clinician wellbeing and resilience in high-pressure environments. Debbie will explore how peer support can be embedded into everyday practice, how to recognise early signs of strain in colleagues, and how to step in with confidence and care. Expect practical tools, honest conversation, and strategies you can apply immediately within your team.

Bio: Debbie Rafferty is an occupational therapist and business leader with a longstanding commitment to injury prevention, wellness, and professional development. She began her career in Northland as a neurodevelopmental therapist, working closely with children, families, and schools before moving to Perth, where she developed a strong focus in vocational rehabilitation.

In Northland, Debbie co-leads a multidisciplinary team, supporting both individuals and organisations to navigate complexity with clarity and confidence. Drawing on extensive clinical and leadership experience, she brings real-world understanding and practical, people-first insight to her supervision and coaching work.