Following Prince’s death in 2016, Rick Body reflects on what clinicians might learn from his response to a rain-soaked performance. The post connects resilience, humour and hope with the emotional tone we bring to patients and colleagues during difficult times in healthcare.
Can clinicians be both assertive and respectful? Natalie May challenges the gendered labels applied to women in emergency medicine, explores the harm of polarised assumptions and argues for mutual respect and a shared commitment to patient care when colleagues disagree.
When might withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment be considered in the emergency department? Using hypothetical cases and the 2008 UK code of practice, this 2016 discussion explores uncertain prognosis, reversible causes, patient wishes and the need for senior colleagues and families to be involved.
What makes a career in emergency medicine feel fulfilling? Drawing on Maslow’s ideas, Simon Carley explores personal growth, the conditions needed to thrive at work and the satisfaction of helping others develop, while acknowledging the pressures that can undermine those ambitions.
As UK emergency medicine approached its fiftieth anniversary, Simon Carley used a midlife-crisis analogy to reflect on the specialty’s development. This 2016 essay considers professional identity, external pressures, career choices and the search for a satisfying working life, with a deliberately humorous edge.
Emergency Department Management
Janos Baombe shares experience-based suggestions for preparing for night shifts, coping during them and recovering afterwards. The post covers sleep, food, caffeine, breaks, team interactions and getting home safely, while recognising that clinicians need to find an approach that fits their own circumstances.
Practical perspectives on trauma care and team leadership.
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