How to become a Director of Emergency Medicine Training (DEMT)
DEMTs are the principal contact point for trainees at their training site.
As a DEMT you have a number of important roles including involvement in educational supervision, In-Training Assessments (ITAs) and assisting trainees and coordinating rotations.
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A Prospective DEMT Must
- Be currently undertaking clinical work (0.5 FTE or greater) at the relevant ACEM-accredited emergency department.
- Be at least three years post attaining Fellowship (unless a site has co-DEMTs and the other DEMT is at least three years post attaining Fellowship).
- Be in good standing with the College (i.e. financial and CPD compliant).
- Not be applying to be the sole DEM at the site, as well as the local WBA Coordinator or sole Coordinator of a local mentoring program.
- Have completed the three Assessing Cultural Competence Modules:
- Foundations of Assessing Cultural Competence Module.
- Assessing Cultural Self-Awareness & Cultural Adaptability Module.
- Assessing Cultural Literacy & Cultural Bridging Module.
Please note: a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College for Physicians (FRACP) can also apply to be a DEMT in a dedicated Paediatric Emergency Medicine site.
Before applying to become a DEMT, firstly talk to your Director of Emergency Medicine (DEM) who will need to support your nomination to the role. The Regional Censor will discuss your suitability for a DEMT role with you via a phone call, before making a recommendation to the College to accept your application.
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ACEM Assess the Following Qualities and Requirements
- An understanding of the requirements of the FACEM Training Program.
- Engagement in education activities within the emergency department in which they work.
- Experience in the delivery of clinical education programs at postgraduate level.
- Capacity to meet all required ACEM assessment and feedback deadlines.
- Prior experience with mentoring, supervising and/or assessing junior doctors, including the provision of honest, appropriate and timely feedback.
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What are the Responsibilities of a DEMT?
As a DEMT you are responsible for all trainees at your training site, regardless of whether they are working in the emergency department (ED) or rotated to non-ED posts.
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Your Duties as a DEMT Include
- Ensuring an appropriate institution-based training program is in place for emergency medicine trainees.
- Acting as the contact person for emergency medicine (EM) trainees and providing information on training programs, examination regulations and opportunities for internal rotations within the institution.
- Providing regular feedback, guidance and support to trainees as they progress through their training.
- Interviewing and counselling new trainees on career choice and training in emergency medicine.
- Encouraging trainees to attend regional faculty courses or conferences.
- Facilitating the rotation of advanced trainees to other units appropriate to their needs.
- Supporting trainees to develop in all domains of the ACEM Curriculum Framework including research skills (scholarship and teaching), effective communication and ethical behaviour (professionalism).
The key facts about conducting In-Training Assessments:
- DEMTs assess and provide structured feedback on overall performance during the training placement.
- The assessment usually takes approximately 20 minutes, with five to 10 minutes of feedback.
- DEMTs may select the format of feedback they believe is most appropriate.
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What Support will I Receive as a DEMT?
DEMTs have access to an online support network through eLearning, which also includes a number of useful resources.
The online support network allows you to discuss the role and responsibilities with your fellow DEMTs from every other training site in Australia and New Zealand. In addition, ACEM also run DEMT face-to-face workshops throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Face-to-face workshops are held throughout the year and provide valuable information on DEMT feedback principles and ACEM training policies and processes. They are also an opportunity to discuss issues and best practices with your fellow DEMTs.
The ACEM training team also officer an optional orientation phone call a few weeks after an appointment have come into effect for any follow up on processes, IT navigation etc.
How to Become a Special Skills Post (SSP) Supervisor
Every Special Skills Placement (Category A or T) will have a nominated supervisor. This person is required to have qualifications and credentials within the discipline. On the discretion of the Accreditation Subcommittee, supervisors with extensive experience and expertise in the relevant special skills discipline will be accepted as having equivalent skill srequired to be an approved supervisor for the SSP. For Category A placements, SSP Supervisors should also be familiar with any specific criteria related to their role as outlined in the relevant SSP Guideline for their discipline.
You can find all the relevant guidelines on the Training Site Accreditation page.
The SSP supervisors must be employed at a minimum of 0.3 FTE at the site.
To be added as a Special Skills Supervisor to an established Special Skills post, please email a recent C.V to [email protected] with the details of the post. This review process can take three-to-four weeks so it is recommended CVs be sent in prospectively where possible.