12 May 2022
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine stands fully with our ACP colleagues who are an invaluable part of the EM workforce.
For the avoidance of doubt: we are aware of recent comments on social media regarding ACPs in Emergency Medicine.
We find comments questioning the value and clinical credibility of ACPs unprofessional and deeply offensive to that group of clinicians, who are our colleagues working alongside other professional groups within EDs.
The route to RCEM credentialling is a significant undertaking and ACPs are held to a high standard. RCEM credentialled ACPs are able to perform clinical duties at the level of a CT3 physician, or RCEM tier 3 clinician.
RCEM workforce guidance states that ACPs should not be supervising EDs at night in the role of a tier 4 clinician. However, as part of our efforts to consider sustainable careers, we are looking at what the future holds, and we anticipate that this includes progressive entrustment of ACPs within EDs.
The future of EM includes a diverse workforce from many professional backgrounds, and ACPs are a hugely important and valued part of that workforce.
