WEDNESDAY TEACHING FUN
Teaching happens every Wednesday from 0900 - 1300hr. Wherever possible, extra SMP and FACEM staff are rostered over this time to ensure that junior medical staff have protected teaching time and the department remains functional.
DAY shift
Shift runs from 0800-1800hr.
The FACEM attends the morning handover meeting with the overnight doctors and the day shift inpatient medical, mental health, and HDU teams. Although the function of reading through all the admitted patients from the previous 24 hours may seem superfluous, it is an opportunity to say good morning to the rest of the hospital teams and find out about bed status. After this, the night senior doctor will hand over the short stay department. If there are no immediate crises needing management in the main department, the FACEM should then complete a ward round in short stay. Towards the end of the day shift, the FACEM should complete the radiology report checking.
The Senior Medical Practitioner (SMPs) will usually get a hand over of the patients in the ED being looked after by the night team. This handover process has not specifically been formalised; the FACEM should do a review the patients in the department even if they have been handed over to someone else.
The junior medical staff are free to start seeing patients from the beginning of the shift. In low tempo periods, or towards the end of the shift the HMO should complete the microbiology report checking.
SWING SHIFT
Shift runs from 1000 - 2000
No need to get handover, just get stuck into work. There are also five-hour shifts in the middle of the day to provide extra coverage during teaching times and allows for flexible working hours to people with children needing school pick-up.
Evening SHIFT
Shift runs from 1300-2300.
The evening consultant attends the 1300hr nursing huddle at the allocation whiteboard. There is no formal handover process between shift leaders at 1300hr however it is helpful to do a board round with all staff to get a sense of how the department is travelling. The evening consultant should get handover of the short stay unit ~ 1700hr. Handover to the night team starts at 2230hr and you normally get out on time.
Night shift
Shift runs from 2230 - 0830
The senior doctor in ED overnight has many responsibilities. Apart from seeing the ED patients, they respond to MET calls on the ward and look after short stay. There is an emergency physician on call every night who can be called for advice or to come in. Response times are anywhere from 5-25 minutes depending on which consultant is on call due to distance from the hospital. The night senior ED doctor is supported by a HMO who also manages the bulk of the ward cover work. Both clinicians typically attend the morning handover meeting.