St James’s ED Induction.

Starting out in a new department can be a challenging time. Whether you are starting out in what will hopefully be a long and rewarding career in Emergency Medicine (EM) or you are rotating through the department as part of a training scheme, and everything in between, it is completely normal to find the first few days and weeks to be a daunting experience. The aim of this site is to help you get started in EM and make the transition to our way or working feel like less of a giant leap.Emergency Medicine is a fast passed specialty that differs significantly from other hospital based specialties in that we see completely undifferentiated patients. There is a wealth of free open access medical education (FOAMED) resources focused on the specialty of EM which can help with learning about EM and managing the patients we see.

Below are our tips for surviving and thriving in the ED

1.     Don’t judge anyone, put yourself in their shoes instead

• No one wants to sit on hard plastic chairs for hours on end waiting to be seen

• If they are here it’s because they are frightened / worried / feel like they have nowhere else to go

• You should display unconditional positive regard for every patient you see.

2.     Be a team player

• Unlike a lot of ward based care, the entire ED team is in the one location looking after the patients under our care at the same time, jump in when your needed, help out your colleagues

• Learn your colleagues names and use them

3.     Ask for help

• EM is a team sport

• Never manage sick people alone

• Your senior colleagues don’t, you shouldn’t either

4.     Take your breaks

• Your career is a marathon not a sprint

• It is better for you and your patients if you have taken your breaks.

• Stay well hydrated throughout your shift

5.     History is key

• Get skilled at taking a focused accurate history

• Never presume. If you forgot to ask or don’t know say so.

• We don’t expect you to know everything but we do expect you to be honest all of the time

6.     Look the part

• You should always dress in scrubs which can be obtained from the dispenser outside the ED

• You should never wear you scrubs to and from work. This is an infection control issue.

7.     Don’t forget to learn

• You are here to learn, not just to provide a service

• Read up on a topic from at least one patient per shift

• Ask questions – your seniors don’t know what you don’t know unless you tell them

8.     Don’t ever be rude

• Civility saves lives

• If you find yourself in a difficult situation / conversation don’t engage in rude behaviour, remove yourself from the situation and either approach it in a different way / time or escalate to your senior.

You may be anxious at first but don’t worry, after a couple of weeks it will feel very familiar. We look forward to working with you all.

Below are some links to how to use the SJH IT system and some useful resources relevant to EM and shift work. There’s also links to the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine and Irish Emergency Medicine Trainee’s websites.

Best of luck,

The ED team.