Shadowing an advanced clinical practitioner in A&E

During my summer break, I took up an elective at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, shadowing an advanced clinical practitioner (ACP) in emergency medicine. I wanted to gain a better understanding of what hospitals do for the patients brought in by the ambulance service and whether it might be something I would consider as a future career. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine allows ACPs from paramedic and nursing backgrounds to access their specialty portfolio, standardising the role of advanced clinical practice in emergency care.

On my first day, I became involved with the Registrar's monthly teaching session, encompassing simulations and case-based discussions (to name only a few of the methods used to develop knowledge and abilities). For the case-based discussions, a member of the team presents an emergency department case, and together, the team would discuss and learn from the elements that went well, and those that did not. Most importantly, staff felt free to discuss limitations in their practice, and this was respected by everyone. It was great to see how connected the team was, as well as the support available within the hospital setting. I learned a lot from the discussion, especially regarding taking accountability and sharing this as part of the learning process. This is just one example of teaching sessions available to the team. There are also mini teaching sessions four times a week at handover, along with junior doctor teaching and an academic half day. These are all brilliant ideas which could be transferred into the prehospital setting, whether that be by trusts via teams or by individual stations.