What issues are important to ACEM trainees?

In my spare time I contribute to our college journal, Emergency Medicine Australasia. Since 2014, the journal has included a "Trainee Focus" section, which I am currently a section editor for. ACEM has decided to help make all of these articles open access #FOAMed.

The new section also reinforces the critical role of trainees in the emergency medicine workforce – as service providers, innovative thinkers, role models and future leaders – and the importance of positive training experiences in growing a generation of highly skilled and motivated EM physicians.

In proposing this new section, the Editor-in-Chief has employed a broad definition of a trainee: anyone with a requirement for EM education and training. This includes medical students, junior doctors, ACEM trainees, emergency physicians, rural generalists, emergency nurses and beyond. (from the inaugural section)

We aim to highlight topics important to ACEM trainees and others, and stimulate discussion around some of these controversial issues. This section gives us access to experts and prominent figures in ACEM and the emergency medicine community, and allows exploration of issues that will impact on trainees now and in the future. I'm sure you all read this with great vigour each issue, but to recap, recently, we've tackled:

• Subspecialisation in emergency medicine
  With perspectives from trainees and overseas experience, and a debate on the role in Australia with Peter Cameron and Stephen Parnis.
• Gender equality in Australasian emergency medicine
  With viewpoints from trainees, and perspectives from former ACEM president Sally McCarthy and FACEM Simon Judkins
• The new format ACEM fellowship exam
  An explanation of why changes have come about, a response from ACEM on the changes, and a debate whether the exam ensures an adequate standard from Don Liew, Vic Brazil and Simon Carley
• Compassion fatigue
  Exploring the cost of caring too much, how we can recognise and prevent this, with perspectives from immediate-past ACEM president Anthony Cross and overseas
• Australasian emergency medicine workforce issues
  Do we have too many emergency physicians, is there sufficient demand, are there jobs, and how do you get one?
• Bullying & harassment
  An exploration of issues within emergency medicine, what it is, how to deal with it, and how to ensure performance management doesn't become bullying

Earlier topics covered were:

• The impact of time-based targets on emergency medicine training and trainees
• The role of universities in specialist emergency medicine training
• The role of short courses in training (such as ALS, ATLS, ETM, APLS, etc)
• Teaching medical students in ED, what is the role of trainees?
• Global health for emergency medicine trainees
• The inaugural issue: Should consultants work night shifts?

What else is important to you?

This section is there as a platform for topics important to ACEM trainees, to stimulate discussion and advocate for trainee welfare. So, trainees, what topics and issues are important to you that you would like to see explored further?

Share your thoughts and suggestions, or submit an article for publication!