The Intensive Care Unit has an established and highly regarded teaching program, with focused sessions every week. Specific tutorials are tailored for Registrars and Senior Registrars approaching the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care's formal examinations, as well as for junior trainees. Didactic lectures, as well as case reviews and regular journal club meetings, complement small group tutorials and problem-based learning sessions.

The major research interests of the Intensive Care Unit include quality of life assessment, the early detection of acute renal failure, high flux renal replacement therapies, post-traumatic stress disorder and its management, idealising fluid management and advanced ventilatory modes.

The Intensive Care Unit is also a full member of the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society’s Clinical Trial Group, and is involved in a number of international, multi-centred prospective studies, frequently with NH and NRC support.

Intensive Care trainees are strongly encouraged to develop their own research interests, as well as to demonstrate active involvement in existing research projects. Intensive Care trainees are exposed to a course on research methodology as well as fundamental statistics in Intensive Care.