We’ve celebrated the graduation of 11 doctors from our Academy of Emergency Medicine, which was set up in 2018 by consultants in our A&E to train and educate our doctors.

The latest graduates were presented with their certificates by academy leads, emergency medicine consultants Lunik Sarder and Darryl Wood, in a ceremony at Queen’s Hospital on Tuesday 21 April.

Graduate Mustafa Khalif (above, receiving his certificate from Darryl Wood), our first resuscitation fellow, said:

This is the best thing that has ever happened to me in my medical life. I’m proud to graduate as the first resus fellow.

The academy offers training in our A&E across a range of areas including ultrasound, research, education and resuscitation. Programmes are tailored by emergency consultants, who provide shop floor supervision, using their vast experience to support students’ career development, giving them the skills to excel in emergency medicine.

Darryl said:

This event was about recognising the doctors who’ve come through our A&E fellow posts – clinical, resus and research. It’s brilliant to see so many of them graduating.

We as faculty members serve as mentors, providing invaluable guidance and support to students throughout their journey. Whether it's conducting groundbreaking research, delivering cutting-edge lectures, or providing hands-on training in real clinical settings, we are dedicated to empowering our students to reach their fullest potential.

We’re proud of the programme we’ve built, balancing clinical work with academic and research opportunities, despite the challenges. A special thank you to everyone who has supported the programme and helped make this graduation happen.

Lunik (above with graduate Ahmed Ghoniem, senior A&E registrar), added:

I’m extremely proud to be part of the academy, and our Trust. The support offered here for academic advancement was key to my decision to work here – despite the three-hour daily drive!

Since its inception the academy has helped develop our staff grade, associate specialist and speciality grade (SAS) doctors, providing a higher level of care to our patients, as well as reducing our reliance on locum doctors.