To be world-leader in the development of global emergency medicine that is clinically excellent, evidence-based, compassionate and equitable.
Our vision - For RCEM to be a world-leader in the development of global emergency medicine that is clinically excellent, evidence-based, compassionate and equitable.
+ Our MissionIn order to support our members and fellows involved in global emergency medicine work, we would like to connect with you to gain insight into your work, to help with networking between teams and get you involved in setting the agenda for the committee.
You can connect with us in the following ways:
The current members and fellows serving on the committee are:
There is growing interest in global health participation among emergency care doctors in the UK. The GEM Committee undertook a survey of members and fellows of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine involved in global health to gain a better understanding of their interests, the work they are involved in, as well as the benefits and barriers of this work. A paper was published in the EMJ on the findings of this research and can be found below.
Enabling leading Emergency Clinicians from low and middle income countries to visit UK clinical centres where they can develop their knowledge and exchange good practice under the Visiting Observer Fellowship Scheme.
+ What is the Visiting Observer Fellowship Scheme?This is a new scheme which offers short clinical observership placements within the UK National Health Service (NHS) to Emergency Medicine doctors from low-resource settings.
Placements will last for four weeks around September/October 2024. During this time, successful Visiting Fellows are invited to visit the RCEM UK head office and attend the RCEM Annual Scientific Conference (8-10 October).
During the attachment, the doctor is not given any responsibility and is not able to make clinical decisions or give clinical advice. The doctor will not receive or be required to obtain registration or a license to practice with the UK General Medical Council.
We wish to make awards to the most suitable applicants who will be able to use their award to their own maximum benefit and, to an extent, to the benefit of the College’s international work. If no suitable applicant can be identified, then the award may not be made in any given year.
The judging panel will take into consideration the following criteria:
The judging panel will be mindful of the requirement for:
Please send your application to globalem@rcem.ac.uk by 17:00 on Wednesday 31 July 2024.
Download the Observer Fellowship guidance and application form.
+ Welcome to our Global Placement Grant Scheme for UK-based RCEM members and fellows!
Our Global Health placement grants offer RCEM members and fellows based in the UK, the opportunity to spend time in low-income settings, working to improve healthcare systems and or support programmes developing Emergency Medicine. By sharing their skills, knowledge, and expertise to help build capacity, develop sustainable solutions, and empower local healthcare providers to deliver high-quality care.
Whether you’re a trainee or have completed your training, we welcome applications from all backgrounds and levels of experience. We ask applicants to evidence that their selected placements are tailored to their skills and interests, and that the selected partner organizations evidences a project with a focus on sustainable impact. Where possible evidence of how this placement may offer a future opportunity for RCEM to support the development of EM in that particular setting.
Grants of £1,250 are normally awarded although in some extreme cases amounts above this may be considered if the rationale behind this is evidenced. The Global Emergency Committee will review all applications and if successful confirm approval of the funds to support an international placement.
Longer term placements will be favoured due to the ability the building meaningful relationships in-country and in the interest of environmental sustainability.
If you would like to apply, please download the application form below and return it to globalem@rcem.ac.uk by 17:00 on Wednesday 31 July 2024.
Global Placement Grant Scheme application form
Please see below the reflections of the 2022 successful Global Placement grant winner who has recently returned from a volunteer programme with AFEM in South Africa.
Emma Gold’s placement was with the African Federation of Emergency Medicine (AFEM). AFEM is the BEC training credentialing body for IFEM for the African region. This is the most active WHO region in rolling out the BEC training. My role involved assisting in the logistical and technical support to countries that want to conduct BEC courses. I worked with the country focal point to support them through the credentialing process and facilitator progression. I manage the AFEM BEC training tracking database and have been strengthening the existing records of completed training.
If you would like to apply for endorsement of EM development activities in LMIC, please review the process and criteria document found here.
Please complete the application form found here and send via email to globalem@rcem.ac.uk
The GEM Committee are working towards making Fellowships in Humanitarian Medicine and Global Health more accessible to UK doctors and have created a framework for educational standards, this document can be found here .
Helpful papers around international fellowships can be found below:
If you would like to share opportunities that are in line with these standards, please email globalem@rcem.ac.uk
+ Apply for endorsement of EM development activities in LMIC
If you would like to apply for endorsement of EM development activities in LMIC, please review the process and criteria document found here.
Please complete the application form found here and send via email to globalem@rcem.ac.uk
The GEM Committee are working towards making Fellowships in Humanitarian Medicine and Global Health more accessible to UK doctors and have created a framework for educational standards, this document can be found here .
Helpful papers around international fellowships can be found below:
If you would like to share opportunities that are in line with these standards, please email globalem@rcem.ac.uk
+ RCEM Global EM Handbook
A guide for Emergency Physicians undertaking Global Emergency Medicine work abroad has been produced by the GEM Committee and can be downloaded below.
This handbook provides a brief introduction to global emergency medicine and working overseas in an emergency care setting for those that may be new to the field or for those that are considering volunteering abroad. It aims to signpost to a range of helpful resources and provide an idea of some current opportunities.
A practical guide for supervision of a GEM Fellowship program within a UK Emergency Department been produced by the GEM Committee and can be downloaded below.
Increasing numbers of UK ED are offering fellowships in Global EM (GEM). These positions are being taken by doctors across various grades including junior positions after foundation year 2 (FY2) training, intermediate specialist training (ACCS level), more senior ST4 and post CCT fellowships. So far, there has not been a standardised framework for these posts.
The aim of this GEM fellowship guide is to provide a suggested practical framework for organising a GEM Clinical Fellowship programme within a UK Emergency Department.
Download the RCEM Global Guide for GEM Fellowships
Core Curricular Elements for Fellowship Training in International Emergency Medicine
Experience with the core curricular elements for international emergency medicine fellowships
Information for trainees about going out of programme can be found here
If you would like to share opportunities that are in line with these standards, please email globalem@rcem.ac.uk
Are you holding or know of any EM development activities in LMIC or Low-Income settings and would like to apply for endorsement from the College?
Please find the GEM Endorsement criteria and process guidance and application form below:
In collaboration with colleagues at the African Federation for Emergency Medicine we present rapid-fire evidence reviews where we conduct literature reviews on key topics related to COVID-19 . Presentations are accompanied by written summaries.
Review 6: Treatments for COVID 19 [MP4]
[PPT] [Written Summary ] NOVEMBER 2020
Review 5: Maternal and child health [MP4]
[PPT] [Written Summary] NOVEMBER 2020
Review 4: Public Health and Epidemiology in COVID-19 [MP4]
[PPT] [Written Summary] AUGUST 2020
Review 3: COVID-19 Virology [MP4]
[PPT] [Written Summary] JULY 2020
Review 2: COVID-19: The impact on Healthcare Workers [MP4]
[PPT] [Written Summary] AUGUST 2020
Review 1: HIV, TB & BCG [MP4]
JULY 2020
A list of other helpful resources have been compiled by the committee and can be downloaded here.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) have a range of Global Health Toolkits. The toolkits have been written by experts in the Obstetricians and Gynaecologist fields but they are currently at trial stage. RCOG are looking for piloting opportunities so if any members are interested please contact RCOG on globalhealthtoolkits@rcog.org.uk
A list of other helpful resources have been compiled by the committee and can be downloaded here.
Trainees have previously taken time out of training – either as OOPT or OOPE, or sometimes as a career break between posts. This time can be invaluable for new professional and personal experiences.
If you have taken time out of training for Global Health work and are interested in sharing your experiences, we would love to hear from you!
Please contact globalem@rcem.ac.uk
Further information about going Out Of Programme.
The RCEM Global Emergency Medicine committee and The University of Manchester have been conducting an important piece of research to understand the Global Health (GH) engagement of those working in Emergency Medicine (EM) across the UK. This has contributed to a live mapping exercise linking regional GH work.
Many of you in emergency care are involved or interested in global health, whether that is in an area of access, resource and/or context-limited healthcare. This map will hopefully serve to bring your work closer together, encourage collaborative engagement and demonstrate the breadth of programmes and projects the UK emergency care community are a part of. This will create the potential for growth in UK global emergency medicine (GEM) and demonstrate commitment to a more sustainable model of working in GEM.
Please click the link or the map below to see more information on how to use the map and how to add your work.