Teaching and learning - A&E Department

The A&E Department is a key setting for medical and healthcare training. With a practical and multidisciplinary approach, we offer undergraduate, postgraduate and specialist training, tailored to the needs of future healthcare professionals and with a strong commitment to innovation and quality of care.

• Key Aspects of Emergency Patient Care (Medicine):  An elective module within the Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine programme, which, since the 2007-2008 academic year, has introduced fifth-year students to the field of emergency care, in both pre-hospital and in-hospital settings. Worth 2 ECTS credits, this module focuses on developing the skills required to identify, assess and stabilize patients facing an imminent threat to life.
• Clinical Skills (Nursing): Nursing students complement their theoretical training with practical experience in the A&E Department, thanks to active collaboration with the University of Barcelona’s (UB) nursing schools.
• Social Work in A&E: Our professionals also serve as lecturers on the UB’s Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, contributing their expertise in managing complex cases within the emergency setting.
• Clinical Rotations (Medicine): Fourth- and fifth-year students can undertake a 100-hour clinical rotation, equivalent to 4 ECTS credits, during which they rotate through the various sections of the department under the direct supervision of medical professionals and residents.
• First Contact with the A&E Department (Third-year students): A practical day introduces students to the workings of emergency care, offering them direct experience with patients and the emergency medical team.

Postgraduate training in the A&E Department is designed for residents from various specialties, who undertake clinical rotations in units such as the Chest Pain Unit, and in emergency and urgent consultations.

Clinical rotations: Over a two-month period, first-year residents in medical specialities and third- or fourth-year residents in Internal Medicine or Family Medicine immerse themselves in clinical practice. The sessions include clinical case presentations, literature reviews and discussions supervised by specialists. On the nursing side, residents specializing in Family and Community Nursing, Mental Health, Occupational Health, and Geriatric Nursing also undertake rotations and on-call duties in the A&E Department at both centres.

External placements: We open our doors to residents from other centres in Spain and abroad, offering training placements of between one and six months, recognized by the Ministry of Health and valid in the applicant’s country of origin.

Specialists in the A&E Department take part in training sessions organized every six months, which include:

• Updates on emergency topics.
• Presentation of studies carried out within the department.
• Mortality and readmission review. 

Advanced training is also promoted through accredited programmes such as the UB Master’s Degree in Emergency Medicine and the EuSim courses for simulation instructors.

• Master’s Degree in Urgent and Emergency Medicine. University of Barcelona.
• Fundamental Critical Care Support and Fundamental Disaster Management Programme ,University of Barcelona.
• EuSim Basic and Advanced Simulation Instructor Course (SAFER Norway)
• Ultrasound training at EcoSEMES, SoCMUE and Winfocus.

The A&E Department is not only dedicated to patient care and professional training, but also has a strong commitment to the community. Through various initiatives, we bring the reality of urgent care closer to the public, promote prevention, and encourage a society that is better informed and prepared to deal with emergency situations.

•  “Let’s Go to A&E” workshops: Since 2002, this initiative has trained between 800 and 1,000 secondary school pupils each year, introducing them to how the A&E department works and promoting the prevention of the most common health conditions among young people.
• PROCES Programme (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Schools): With the aim of saving lives, the programme teaches basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques to between 200 and 500 secondary school pupils each year, raising awareness of the importance of acting quickly in the event of a cardiac arrest.

With a practical, innovative and committed approach, the A&E Department is not only a centre of excellence in medical care, but also a benchmark in training future professionals and raising public awareness of the importance of health and prevention.