In our emergency medicine course students will be taught the various clinical skills used during an emergency to treat a patient. All teaching will be carried out in our state-of-the-art clinics to ensure a high degree of realism helping to prepare students for their time on the wards.

The course covers a range of topics and techniques within the exciting field of emergency medicine, spanning essential skills in cardiac and pulmonary resuscitation, basic life Support, suturing and more. Sessions are led by our highly skilled and experienced lecturers, there to help students develop their understanding of emergency medicine and explore the plethora of opportunities available within the world of medicine.

The Emergency Medicine course runs from 9:30am – 4pm for 5 consecutive days with an hour break for lunch. We teach at a low student to tutor ratio (8:1) meaning that students are supervised and encouraged throughout their course.

Day 1

Morning Session: Basic Life Support

Following introductions to other students and lecturers, students will be given their own scrubs and stethoscopes. They will begin their week with an overview of basic life support – including CPR on adults and children, choking, and the recovery position.

Afternoon Session: History Taking

This session introduces students to the key elements of history taking as a basis for the rest of the week. They will explore frameworks for history taking before having a go at implementing the skills learnt in roleplay scenarios.

Day 2

Morning Session: Venepuncture

After an introduction to the different blood tests and indications for carrying them out, students will have the opportunity to learn and practice venepuncture (taking blood) using our medical phlebotomy training arms.

Afternoon Session: : Cardiac Emergencies

After exploring the anatomy and physiology of the heart, students will gain an understanding of electrocardiograms (ECGs) through taking ECG readings and exploring common abnormalities seen in cardiac emergencies.

Day 3

Morning Session: Cannulation and IV Fluids

The students will learn about the different routes medications may be administered, with a focus on the intravenous route which is commonly used in emergency settings. Following this, students will learn how to cannulate and will be able to practice this on our medical phlebotomy training arms.

Afternoon Session: Chest examinations

During this session, students will learn how to carry out a basic cardiac and respiratory examination, exploring common abnormalities that may indicate sinister underlying causes in an emergency setting. To expand further on these signs, students will learn the basics of chest X-rays and common X-ray findings that they might see on the wards.

Day 4

Morning Session: Abdominal emergencies

After gaining an understanding of the acute abdomen, covering a range of emergencies that may present with abdominal pain, students will learn how to examine the abdomen.

Afternoon Session: Suturing and Career Advice

Students will have the opportunity to learn and practice different techniques to suture cuts of different shapes and sizes. This will be followed by an informal Q&A session regarding the medical career and medical school.

Day 5

Morning Session: ABCDE Assessment and Scenarios

Students will have combine all they have learnt throughout the week to gain a better understanding of the A-E assessment used in the emergency department and will work through numerous scenarios.

Afternoon Session: Practical Summary Session

In small groups, the students will have the opportunity to utilise all the knowledge and practical skills they have learned to work through a practical A-E scenario, with the aim of managing the situation calmly and effectively and saving the patient.

• Students must be studying a minimum of A-Level Biology or Chemistry.
• The course supports university and work experience applications, as almost all universities and employers now require previous laboratory experience before considering an applicant.

During this 5-day course, students will learn skills beneficial for any university application including:

• Learn basic life support including CPR, choking and the recovery position
• Confidently take a patient’s history in an OSCE simulation
• Carry out venepuncture to both take blood and administer medications
• Test for cardiac emergencies using ECG and put together a treatment plan
• Learn how to administer medication via cannula and how to deliver IV fluids
• Carry out a basic chest examination including the lungs and heart
• How to read an X-ray and look for signs of concern
• Learn how to examine the abdomen and administer care in abdominal emergencies
• Suturing and wound care
• Utilise the ABCDE assessment method as used in A&E departments