The South East Scotland Emergency Medicine training scheme offers unmatched potential to successful applicants.

It allows placement in the largest Emergency Department in Scotland (RIE) with very high levels of activity, delivery of large numbers of advanced procedures (rapid sequence inductions, procedural sedations), and training in pre-hospital care, as well rotation to a variety of District General Hospitals, and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.

The scheme has a large proportion of trainees undertaking subspecialty training, including paediatrics, acute medicine, intensive care medicine and emergency ultrasonography, and has one of the highest volumes of research output in the UK for Emergency Medicine.

There are specific teaching programmes for ST1-3 and ST4-6 plus SpRs, which are well supported by Consultants, and an exceptionally high pass rate of FCEM and MCEM examinations.

One of the strengths of the South East Scotland region is the emphasis and importance that education and training hold within the specialty. From being taught to teaching: the opportunities are endless, whether you prefer short patient centred learning or formal structured sessions, there really is something for all educational and learning styles.

The Emergency Department at RHSC offer a weekly paediatric programme with emphasis on the management of the acutely unwell child. St. John’s Hospital offers a well established educational programme incorporating a departmental M&M focussing on the care of adults and children presenting to a district general hospital. EM trainees at SJH also benefit from small group weekly consultant teaching centred on management and FCEM preparation.

A monthly day long educational programme based at the RIE has recently been developed incorporating ACCS curriculum teaching. The varied sessions are aimed at FY2, ACCS, GPT and non training doctors. An exciting recent development within the region has been the development of more multidisciplinary simulation teaching which also will be embedded into existing teaching programmes.

Within the formal weekly higher specialty teaching programme, the focus is on preparing the trainee for their role as a Consultant, preparation for FCEM and an embedded PHEM programme. Additional FCEM management, SAQ, critical appraisal and OSCE preparation is delivered to trainees approaching their CCT from the consultant group.

All life support courses (ALS, EPLS and ATLS) are available within the region and are supported by Emergency Medicine consultants from across the region. Addition courses such as the TEAM course, ultrasound and medical education are also available.

Trainees are encouraged and supported financially via a study budget to attend external training and educational events when appropriate for their continuing professional development.

Edinburgh is a spectacular place. Built on dormant volcanoes, overlooking the Firth of Forth, the Ochil and Pentland Hills, and crammed full of stunning architecture from every era of the last millennium, it lives up to its UNESCO World Heritage Site fame. Within this unique cityscape is every opportunity for experiencing life to its full - the world-renowned International Festival that visits each August, along with the Film, Book and Fringe festivals is a reason in itself to be here. You also have the choice of a bustling pub, club and dining scene, with several Michelin-starred establishments, the full range of arts venues, national sporting arenas, shopping and transport links direct to Europe and America. For those more active, there are any number of sporting clubs for football, rugby, cycling, hockey, cricket and tennis, as well as council and championship golf courses, reasonable surf and kite surfing beaches, sailing, dry slope skiing, mountain biking and international climbing arenas. The schooling is thought to be amongst the best in the UK, and there are 3 Universities in the city. It is also surprisingly sunny!

The medical community is similarly blessed - strong links with the University of Edinburgh (with recent Nobel prize) and Napier University afford world-leading research, and this is translated to all 4 of the major hospitals in and around the city, which host all the major local, regional and supra-regional specialties. The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh has recently been earmarked for Major Trauma Centre status, and already forms the hub of all time-critical illness requiring specialist intervention for the region.

It's got it all...