All in Opinion
The ACEM Foundation recently formally established its fourth pillar: Sustainable Emergency Medicine and Climate Health. This is more than a symbolic addition. It signals that the College will “encourage, support and promote practice, research and education of sustainable emergency medicine and climate health”. Here’s what sustainability looks like for ACEM.
Bumps, bruises and visits to the ED are part and parcel of raising kids, and long hours spent working in the ED can sometimes leave FACEMs at a loss when it comes to helping their own family members and loved ones. FACEM Dr Michael Lovegrove was glad he went to the ED when his daughter complained of pain and was eventually diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis.
Emergency medicine as a speciality is turning 25 years old in Papua New Guinea. EM trainee Dr Ulysses Oli, a final-year candidate of the Masters of Medicine in Emergency Medicine (MMed EM) program at the University of Papua New Guinea, currently working at the Port Moresby General Hospital ED, reflects on what this means to him.
Dr Ajith Thampi has made the journey from International Medical Graduate to FACEM. With a deep commitment to supporting international and local medical graduates, Ajith draws meaning from the many stories shared by the doctors he mentors.
This isn’t a piece about being nice. It’s about choice, about what it means to care when it is hard to care. Not when things are calm, but when someone’s screaming, the phone won’t stop, and another trolley rolls in. Because this is where it matters most.
Since Maureen Williams was diagnosed with Addison’s Disease 45 years ago, she’s become a committed advocate for sharing information about the condition in the hope it may help raise awareness amongst medical professionals to recognise the symptoms and offer helpful support and advice – “a mission that goes into overdrive during Addison’s disease awareness month each May”.
“Wellness is not something I can do intermittently and store away for later,” writes FACEM Dr Amaali Lokuge. “My personal cup of wellness is usually completely depleted at the end of one emergency shift, so it needs to be replenished daily.”
“sEMCAN strongly supports actions that will see our healthcare systems shift to a more sustainable, cleaner future,” says FACEM Dr Simon Judkins writes about his membership involvement in the Sustainable Emergency Medicine and Advocacy Network.
What’s in a name? For those who have battled preconceptions about their International Medical Graduate (IMG) designation, FACEM Dr Ajith Thampi believes it can be quite a lot.
“You have to assume all systems are going to fail and plan ahead.” A year after Cyclone Gabrielle hit Aotearoa, Dr Matthew Marion shares what working in the aftermath of the cyclone taught him – and how old-school still works in the ED.
Climate change is increasing emergency department presentations, writes Dr Lai Heng Foong as she calls on health professionals to urgently unite against this public health threat.
“How can we continue to make decisions about the health and welfare of Indigenous people without their strong voice in the room?” writes ACEM President-Elect Dr Stephen Gourley. “If we are going to get better decisions and make real positive change, then we need to change what we are doing.”
Inaugural Chair of ACEM’s Indigenous Health Working Group and Subcommittee, Dr Elizabeth Mowatt, discusses ACEM’s journey towards Reconciliation, and her hopes for the College to continue helping establish cultural safety and equity in healthcare by listening to and working with Aboriginal people and communities.
Cultural safety is everybody’s responsibility, writes Gabby Ebsworth, a proud Wangkumara and Barkindji woman. Read her essay on the importance of embedding cultural safety at all levels of the health system.
Dr Julianne Schliebs believes the Advanced and Complex Medical Emergencies (ACME) course provided her with a rare opportunity to reflect on her own practice.
Dr Sarah Grainger encourages people working in ED to exercise their sphere of influence and advocate for older patients during their ED journey.
ACEM President Dr Clare Skinner writes that we must work together to ensure safety in the ED and change the culture that tells us a lack of safety is just part of the job – because it isn’t.
The 2023 Australian Federal Budget should have a positive impact on EDs – but in ways that may not be immediately obvious, writes James Gray, ACEM’s Acting General Manager for Policy and Regional Engagement.
Dr Thomas van Dantzig found adventure and opportunity when he took a leap and moved to Aotearoa New Zealand to complete his emergency medicine training.
