ED Launchpad: Thriving in the Emergency Department”, designed to help new NHS doctors transition smoothly into the fast-paced ED environment. The course balances practical skills, system navigation, teamwork, and resilience.

Course Structure & Key Areas to Cover

1. Introduction to the NHS ED Ecosystem

• Overview of the NHS ED: Triage systems, majors/minors/paeds/resus, flow & targets (4-hour rule, etc.).

• ED Team Roles: Consultants, nurses, ANPs, HCAs, porters – who does what?

• Culture & Expectations: How to ask for help, escalation pathways, and the “hidden curriculum.”

• Common Pitfalls for New Starters: Prescribing errors, miscommunication, burnout triggers.

2. ED Survival Toolkit: Practical Skills

• Handover & SBAR: Giving/receiving concise, effective handovers.

• Documentation & Legal Aspects: What to document, DNACPR, safeguarding, and capacity issues.

• Prescribing in ED: Common errors, IV fluids, analgesia, and antibiotic protocols.

• Procedures Workshop: Cannulation, ABGs, catheters, suturing, and chest drains (simulation/videos).

3. Managing Common ED Presentations

• “Can’t Miss” Diagnoses: STEMI, PE, sepsis, stroke, ectopic pregnancy, SBO.

• Time-Sensitive Cases: Trauma calls, anaphylaxis, status epilepticus.

• The “Undifferentiated” Patient: Approach to dizziness, abdominal pain, SOB.

• Paediatric ED Basics: NICE guidelines, safeguarding red flags.

4. Systems & Workflow Hacks

• ED Tech & IT: Using ICE, PACS, ED discharge summaries, e-prescribing.

• Disposition Decisions: When to admit vs. discharge (and how to sell it to specialties).

• Escalation & Referrals: How to call a specialty without getting roasted.

• Night Shifts & Lone Working: Managing risk when seniors are scarce.

5. Human Factors & Resilience

• Team Dynamics & Communication: How to disagree politely, conflict resolution.

• Managing Stress & Uncertainty: Cognitive biases, decision fatigue.

• Wellbeing in ED: Coping with death, moral injury, and shift-work survival tips.

6. Simulation & Case-Based Learning

• Interactive Scenarios: “The collapsing patient,” “the angry relative,” “the drug seeker.”

• Mock Trauma Calls/Majors: Role-playing with feedback.

• Reflection Session: “What would you do differently?”

We have our team of highly qualified emergency physicians with years of teaching experience. Gain from their personal experience, tips, feedback, and Q&A sessions!

In order to enable individualized treatment and maximum communication we keep our classes to a small size. With this, it becomes possible for every student to receive individualized feedback, gain the attention that he or she needs in order to learn, and be able to practice the skills repeatedly.

Receive in-depth feedback on your performance; it will address strengths and areas of improvement. We are clearly focused not only on getting you through the exam but on developing your cognitive abilities to help you succeed academically and in your future practice in the UK.