GLOBAL EM
Faces of EMIG members
Developing an EMIG in a ResourceConstrained Environment: Lessons Learned From the First EMIG in West Africa By Adebisi Adeyeye, MBBS, SimileOluwa Onabanjo, MBBS, and Faith Omimi Ibu, MBBS, on behalf of the SAEM Global Emergency Medicine Academy
Background
The field of emergency medicine (EM) evolved out of the necessity of caring for a rapidly growing population of patients seeking immediate and unscheduled medical care for emergency conditions. In the United States, community physicians began working part-time and full-time to staff the emergency department around the clock until residency training developed and emergency medicine was recognized as a standalone specialty over 50 years ago. The specialty of EM has since grown to become the bedrock of emergency care in more than 65 countries worldwide. In Nigeria, the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria recognized EM as a specialty in 2019 and residency training commenced in 2022 at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
A pilot study carried out in 2020 among medical students across the nation demonstrated a huge gap in knowledge of the specialty of EM, its scope and training. However, about 88% agreed that the specialty of emergency medicine would improve the Nigerian health care system and about 20.5% indicated interest in pursuing EM. This study highlighted the need for increased awareness and education about the specialty (Adeyeye et al, 2021). Despite substantial interest in the specialty at the medical student level, specialized emergency physicians currently constitute less than 1% of the medical workforce in Nigeria. This is attributed to poor awareness, lack of training programs, mentorship, and guidance. For this to change, it is
imperative that medical students who show interest in the specialty be well informed, prepared, and guided to pursue their desired career path. Emergency Medicine Interest Group, Nigeria (EMIG NG) was established to promote the specialty in the medical student community and provide an array of resources and support to EM-bound students, converting interest to reality.
The Process
The development of this group was completed in six stages. 1. Information sourcing Being the first of its kind in Nigeria, we began by gathering information
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