Close to the bone – Dr Anthony Cross

The ambulance had radioed ahead: 32-year-old male, motorcycle vs truck. He was unconscious, with an obvious head injury. Vital signs were stable, intubated at the scene. The ambulance was five minutes away.

The team follows a well-drilled routine when he arrives. We transfer him onto the trauma trolley: careful with the breathing tube; keep the neck immobilised; watch out for lines. Everyone gets on with their job – calm, efficient…

Watch Dr Anthony Cross re-tell Close to the bone:


imageClose to the bone by Dr Anthony Cross appears in EMERGENCY: Real Stories from Australia’s ED Doctors, available now from Penguin Books Australia.


imageDr Anthony Cross

Anthony was born and bred in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and went on to obtain his medical degree at Monash University. He had ‘always’ wanted to be a doctor but Year 10 work experience at Box Hill Hospital Emergency Department convinced him that emergency medicine was the ideal career.

Throughout subsequent training he kept an eye out for other possible careers but none seemed to provide the variety, satisfaction or interest of emergency medicine. He subsequently found intensive care to provide variety and severity of illness so trained in that discipline. He now works as a staff specialist half time in each specialty, back at Box Hill.

Anthony sees College activity as a way of fulfilling a doctor’s broad professional responsibilities and of giving something back to the specialty he loves. When not engaged in work or College activity he loves to spend time with his family, on a bike or, preferably, both.

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