COVID – FICMLearning

Being a Trainee and a Chair during COVID-19

Sally El-Ghazali

It has been an odd few months… when I initially planned to write this blog it I planned to write about something somewhat different – but then along came COVID-19…

They’re worried about us…

Som Sarkar

We were approaching the end of April. We had just come through a CQC inspection, COVID was in full swing on our 13 bedded unit, running 3 times our capacity having spilled out into our main theatres, anaesthetic rooms and recovery.

Planning for an invisible enemy

Sarah Marsh

Back at the start of the year, we all watched the news with curiosity about a place called Wuhan, and a new coronavirus that was ravaging the city. We continued to watch with further interest as it made its way towards Europe.

Working as an International Medical Graduate with a BAME Background during COVID-19

Shashi Chandrashekaraiah, Sushruth Raghunath, Avinash Jha, Arif Akbar, Ikenga Samuel & Mohammed Elshamy

International Medical Graduates (IMGs) account for approximately 25% of the current UK trainee doctor workforce and are predominantly of black Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. There has been a lot of discussion during the current COVID-19 crisis about IMGs and their contribution to the NHS, VISA/Immigration health surcharge and the more important topic of increased mortality among BAME doctors from COVID-19.

5 Things I wish I’d known before COVID…. (pt. 5)

Ella Terblanche, Anand Krishna, Rosie Baruah

COVID-19 has presented challenges unlike anything we have faced before. In this blog, colleagues share their experiences by describing five things they wish they had known.

5 Things I wish I’d known before COVID…. (pt. 4)

Ollie Cohen, Hannah Grafton-Waters, Greg Barton

COVID-19 has presented challenges unlike anything we have faced before. In this blog, colleagues share their experiences by describing five things they wish they had known.

The academic response to COVID-19

Tony Rostron

For those of us who contribute to patient facing research, there were signals in early March that our working lives were about to change. The safety implications related to recruitment of and sampling from patients in studies who were potentially infected with SARS-CoV-2 needed to be considered. As a result many NIHR portfolio studies, supported by their funders, decided to pause recruitment.

5 Things I wish I’d known before COVID…. (pt. 3)

Zoe Brummel, Andy Breen, Peter Shirley

COVID-19 has presented challenges unlike anything we have faced before. In this blog, colleagues share their experiences by describing five things they wish they had known.

5 Things I wish I’d known before COVID…. (pt. 2)

Jack Parry Jones, Nicki Credland, Guy Parsons

COVID-19 has presented challenges unlike anything we have faced before. In this blog, colleagues share their experiences by describing five things they wish they had known.

5 Things I wish I’d known before COVID…. (pt. 1)

Helen Singh, Joel Meyer, Richard Benson

COVID-19 has presented challenges unlike anything we have faced before. In this blog, colleagues share their experiences by describing five things they wish they had known.

#BetterTogether: The Critical Care Team

Sarah Clarke

One of the difficult jobs during this pandemic is not only our dedication and commitment to best care of our patients, but the supervision and support of those less familiar to the Critical Care environment. This may be our own trainees, but also others for whom the decision to come to our ‘space’ hasn’t necessarily been their own; and includes other specialty trainees, senior medical staff, nursing colleagues and allied health professionals.

Decision Making Part 1

Danny Bryden, Dale Gardiner

In the first part of this series, Danny Bryden and Dale Gardiner give their views on decision making, particularly with respect to admission to critical care. They also discuss wellbeing, and the impact of COVID-19. Danny is vice dean of the FICM. Dale is a consultant in anaesthesia and ICM in Nottingham, and is the national clinical lead for organ donation with an interest in medical ethics.