SUPPLEMENT October 2013 specialist training. This will require us to CEM news increase funding and numbers available for these posts. Improving recruitment rates into higher specialist training will require “Time and tide waits for no man” and so College to the Keogh Review Evidence both short and long term recognition of the although my first newsletter as president Base. I am obliged to the hundreds of indi- workload, and the intensity and proportion has yet to be published, I am tasked with vidual contributions that were then col- of antisocial hours worked. putting pen to paper again, to ensure early lated to produce our final submission. Our current strategy to the emergency receipt at the printers to accompany the I and the vice-presidents have attended medicine challenges we all currently face conference supplement. As I write, I am several further meetings to discuss ‘models can be summarised as: (1) promoting short sat a short distance from my boat (dinghy) of care’ and ‘delivery of care’—our contri- term training incentives; (2) building on the Riviera (Devon). I trust you too butions have been grounded in the medium term capacity; and (3) ensuring have had the opportunity for some rest responses, suggestions and experiences of long term sustainability. and relaxation this summer. fellows and members. These ‘demands’ are not the stuff of By the time you read this, the Autumn Further to my remarks last time, and by dreams, in contrast with the current night- Scientific Meeting will have seen many of way of emphasis of the key issues of mare of inadequate and incomplete rotas. us gather for learning and networking, as recruitment and retention, I am meeting We know that last year the average locum well as engaging in the witty banter, pene- with the BMA Trainees Committee and spend per emergency department was in trating analysis and exchanges of ironic Consultant Committee negotiators to out- excess of £600 000. There is also good evi- anecdote that are the hallmarks of the well line our thoughts on how the contract in dence that senior emergency medicine doc- rounded emergency medicine doctor. England can be amended to promote both tors use resources more efficiently and I will have completed several firsts, interest and sustainability in an emergency make better decisions, thereby reducing including awarding the William Rutherford medicine career. Clearly these discussions waste and increasing productivity. We need Prize and giving a ‘Keynote address’—I will relate to the contract in England as this to persuade governments to spend more regret to inform you that the organisers is currently the only one to which both par- wisely, more strategically and to do so now! have declined to offer refunds to those ties have agreed to consider negotiating. Finally, I would wish to urge us all to polite enough to have listened. Nevertheless, were we to persuade the avoid adopting ‘the victim role’. To do so What I can announce however is the BMA of our case, and they in turn able to will further undermine our morale at a time appointment of Katherine Henderson as persuade the Government, this would be when our skills and aptitudes are more nec- College Registrar and Francis Morris as a powerful exemplar to the governments essary than ever. Emergency department CPD Director. The College is immensely of Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of doctors have embraced the finest ideals of a grateful for the time each has committed to Ireland and Scotland. service predicated on altruism. We hold the these unpaid roles, and from a personal per- The other key driver for the College cur- moral high ground. In these times of both spective, Katherine at least can only do bet- rently is the need to increase the number of austerity and evidence based practice, it is ter than the last bloke! training posts, particularly in the first few for others to prove their value; ours is not in Moving from speculation to informa- years. We need to avoid being ‘hostages to question. tion, I hope that you will all have had the fortune’ with respect to the proportion of opportunity to read the response of the trainees who select to enter higher Clifford Mann emj.bmj.com emjsupp-2013-S10.indd 1 9/3/2013 6:45:51 PM EMJ Supplement and Turkish). For a more practical clinical FOAM: the Internet, social media learning experience, visit St Emlyns virtual hospital, based in the UK (and the world!). These sites function as single platforms and medical education retrieving updated blogs from over 100 emergency medicine and critical care web- “If you want to know how we practiced from where they can be followed (Twitter, sites, allowing you to access a rich variety of learning. Some sites offer a wide range medicine 5 years ago, read a textbook. Facebook, Google + , Vimeo). Podcasts and RSS feeds are the most popular media of emergency medicine related topics while If you want to know how we practiced others focus on specific areas, such as aca- medicine 2 years ago, read a journal. through which most of the learning can be easily accessed by mobile devices. demic emergency medicine, ultrasound, If you want to know how we practice For many doctors and nurses, FOAM is trauma or critical care. Below are high- medicine now, go to a (good) conference. now an indispensible tool to keep them up lighted a few of the resources available: If you want to know how we will be to date in their practice. It dispenses with – The EMCrit podcast, authored by Scott practicing medicine in the future, lis- the old nomenclature of ‘social media’ and Weingart, gives insightful reviews of ten in the hallways and use FOAM.” is changing the medical education para- topics related to the management of Joe Lex, 2012, Emergency Physician digm to a more distributed, less controlled critically ill patients in the emergency and, arguably anarchic, embracement of department. Social media has changed the way the online learning. While there are many – Traumacast (The Eastern Association world interacts with each other. Not only vocal advocates of FOAM, there are also of Trauma Surgeons—EAST) delivers has it brought together old friends, but it some concerns about how it will fit into interviews and reviews specific details is also evolving into an essential tool for the future of medical learning and how it is about the acute and chronic manage- medical education. The Internet pervades quality controlled. ment of trauma patients. our lives through smart phones and high – Trauma.org—this site is divided into speed Internet access. A global audience three main sections: a library of educa- now exists that listens and watches the IDENTIFYING FOAM tional material, a community section of creation and sharing of cutting edge medi- A Google search will identify a lot of con- blogs and research, and a resources cal knowledge freely distributed by tent badged under #FOAM. The quantity area with information on conferences, experts in their field. Expert discussions of educational material can be overwhelm- training and links to other resources. are taking place right now that are both ing, making it difficult to know which sites – EM ED podcast is a distinctive pro- free and available for you to learn from to focus on and which offer the highest gramme designed to give indepth knowl- and join. It is no surprise that emergency quality material. The user needs to decide edge of the management of children by medicine, a speciality that prides itself on not only which sites to use but also in EPs. innovation, is leading the way in the crea- which format to access them. This article – SMART EM offers indepth topic spe- tion and sharing of online content. hopes to give some brief guidance to cific analyses of best practice. FOAM that focuses on emergency medi- cine and critical care. FOAM offers access Table 1 lists some high quality popular WHAT IS FOAM? to knowledge that many around the world #FOAM resources that provide a good FOAM is Free Open Access Medical Edu- simply could not otherwise afford. place to learn about the range of educa- cation. The term was coined by Mike tional material available. From these sites Cadogan at the 2012 International Emer- you can access podcasts and their social gency Medicine Conference (ICEM) in SO WHERE to START? media links. Dublin to highlight the increasing quan- 1. Make sure that you can access the tity and quality of the free, high quality Internet! medical education available on the Inter- 2. Think about how you want to learn THE PRACTICALITIES OF ACCESSING FOAM net, created and shared by experts in criti- and what format best suits you. Access to podcasts is simple by searching cal care and emergency medicine. video? audio? text? websites? or a bit through the iTunes Podcast library, Zune FOAM is available as podcasts (some of everything? for Windows phones, Yahoo or Google formatted for audio but some including 3. Visit some #FOAM sites to get a taste Play. Accessing the RSS feeds is easy by lecture slides, radiographs, ECGs and/or of what is available. downloading and installing a good RSS ultrasound images), tweets, email notifica- 4. Ask a friend who already uses #FOAM reader (examples include Flipboard, Feedly, tions, webinars, videos and blogs. It is dif- and get help. Pulse on the iPhone or iPad; NewsBlur, ficult to know which of these to focus on The Old Reader, Digg Reader, Newsvibe, or how to do so. Each author decides how For a great introduction to FOAM with Pulse on your desktop; NewsBlur, Digg to make his education available, but most links to many other FOAM sites, try the Reader, Pulse on Android operating sys- of them broadcast through websites with Life in the Fast Lane (this site is run pre- tems).