Craig Ellis wrote:
> But having said that I honestly believe that we are in the best position
to manage the critically ill patients in the department - I dont think
anaesthetists have the edge by any means - unless we hand it to them by
default.
Couldn't agree more...while anaesthetists are technically good at looking
after ill patients, they do not impress me as diagnosticians, that's our
job!!
Cliff Reid wrote:
> Training programs in A&E medicine should produce specialists in emergency
medicine who are the "experts in the initial management of any illness or
injury from minor to major" that Craig describes. I can count the number of
times in my SpR training that I had useful shop-floor training from a
consultant on the fingers of one foot. It's time that changed so that we're
judged by the letters 'FFAEM', rather than which Royal College financially
skinned us alive when we were SHOs.
Like PP I'm appalled that you have not received much shop floor training
Cliff, I hope my own registrars don't feel like that.
I note your point about FFAEM, but let's face it, many of today's
consultants have considerable experience prior to higher training, some 5
years of surgical specialties in my case, and we had to pass higher exams in
these areas, but weren't forced to do so after our Reg/SR appointments. Even
today's SpRs have an exit exam which is only 25% clinical, and that's hardly
going to encourage development of well rounded competent clinicians, is it?
(perhaps room for another thread there?)
Stephen Hughes wrote:
> These patients do not just sue us. They sue their employers and their
neighbours etc. They see a man in a suit who sends instructions to those of
us who have an interest in minor injury. A cheque follows some
(considerable) time later.
An interesting point Stephen, but I agree, the men in suits sure pay a lot
better than the NHS does!!
Finally, on a personal note to Cliff (no I won't mention your love life!)
but your patient today turned out to have a ruptured spleen on CT (as you
and John predicted); he remained perfectly stable but the surgeons felt his
spleen was unsalvageable and arranged theatre later this evening.
Regards
Adrian Fogarty
|