Despite still being seen as a relatively ‘new’ specialty, Acute Internal Medicine (AIM) has reached full adulthood, with its 23rd birthday being celebrated in 2023, and as a new specialty it is somewhat apt that it’s the same age as the new millennium. Arguably, the coming of age of the specialty has been its role in helping deal with the increased pressures on the urgent and emergency care system, not least with Covid pandemic. However, AIM still faces challenges in its implementation in certain areas. The specialty continues to innovate with regards to service development including Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC), a new Higher Specialty Training curriculum1 including innovations such as mandatory Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) as well as the guidance for Enhanced Care Units (ECUs)2 allowing centralised care for those patients needing closer monitoring and specialized care.
There has also been a commitment from the Government to expand medical undergraduate numbers, including opening new medical schools3, and as such, the Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) decided that it was important to provide an indicative syllabus for undergraduates that encompasses the wide spectrum of conditions seen, as well as some of the many innovative services offered by AIM teams4.
It’s clearly imperative to promote the specialty to future colleagues as well as provide a template for medical educators to ensure that AIM remains the place where doctors of the future ‘pull everything together’ with regards to the holistic care of acutely unwell patients. Acute medical Units (AMUs) have been described as powerhouses of Medical Education, and as such it is important we harness this energy to educate the future medical workforce.
I hope you find it of use, it will also be on the society’s website5 alongside other educational resources including helpful documents, webinars and podcasts.
References
- https://www.jrcptb.org.uk/sites/default/files/AIM%202022%20curriculum%20DRAFT.pdf accessed on 11/12/2023
- Smallwood N, Krishnamoorthy S, Bonnici K et al. Enhanced Care Units: Guidance on development and implementation within Acute Medicine. Acute Med. 2023;22(1):12-23
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/expansion-of-medical-school-places-to-be-accelerated-to-next-year#:~:text=Government%20will%20expand%20medical%20school,in%202024%2C%20subject%20to%20consultation. Accessed on 11/12/2023
- Trimble M, Slinger K, Komrower-Price V, Murch N, An indicative undergraduate syllabus for training in Acute Medicine, Acute Med. 2023:22(4):204-208
- https://www.acutemedicine.org.uk
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