The Quality Improvement Project (QIP) is part of the Final Fellowship of Royal College of Emergency Medicine (FRCEM) examination from August 2018 in place of the Clinical Topic Review. In Wessex we recommend everyone does a QIP from now on.
There are no absolute rules about when a trainee must do their QIP, but since the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has made it possible to spread the burden of exams over the whole of higher specialist training we encourage trainees to take advantage of that by doing their QIP in Specialty Training Year 4 (ST4) – get started in the first three months.
The choice of topic is key to a good project. Many trainees will already have ideas of Quality Improvement Work often growing from practice within their own department. Sources of ideas would be their Supervisors, department’s recent yellow or green Serious Untoward Incidents (SUIs) and Morbidity and mortality (MandM) meetings.
Trainees must read the RCEM website for advice about what is acceptable as a QIP and they should anticipate that a good QIP will take a minimum of 6-12 months to complete. (Length up to 6000 words). The College has produced a guide – which is essential reading.
Since this is a new element to the exam, we are providing training in QIP methodology. We have a QIP lead in each department and there are regular QIP clinics at Wessex Regional Emergency Medicine Trainee Association (WREMTA).
Contact us
The regional lead is Dr Sarah Morrish, who is based at Southampton. To contact Sarah, please email via sarah.morrish@uhs.nhs.uk.