Val McDowall (RGN, MSc Clin Ed, SFHEA, Honorary Fellow University of Edinburgh,)

Resuscitation Officer MBChB University of Edinburgh, Deputy Theme Head Resuscitation - Emergency Care Clinical and Resuscitation Skills (ECCARS)

  • Centre for Medical Education

Contact details

Address

Street

Clinical Skills Centre
Chancellor's Building
49 Little France Crescent

City
Edinburgh
Post code
EH16 4SB

Availability

  • Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

Background

Val joined the CME in 2003 as a Resuscitation Officer and is based within the Emergency Care, Clinical and Resuscitation Skills team (ECCARS). An Advanced Life Support instructor (adult and paediatrics), she is responsible for all acute care and resuscitation teaching throughout the 6 years of the undergraduate programme. Val is the Deputy Theme Head for Resuscitation .

She has a keen interest in acute care simulation, emergency care and the transition from medical student to newly graduated doctor; particularly within immediate care and medical emergency management. Her MSc Clinical Education dissertation looked at the expectations of junior doctors in managing acutely unwell patients.

Val is a qualified nurse with a clinical background of Emergency Medicine at the RIE,where her love of all things acute and traumatic prepared her well for pre-hospital Medic One and resus calls.  She continues to maintain her clinical credibility by working shifts in the Emergency Department, occasionally holds the hospital cardiac arrest bleep and spends several days a year shadowing specialist paramedic 3RU staff in the prehospital environment.  

Whilst primarily responsible for undergraduate resuscitation, Val works closely with the Resuscitation team on NHS Lothian and is regularly involved in postgraduate multidisciplinary teaching, both within Lothian and South East Scotland.

She takes great pride in the students, and loves when they come back to teach with the ECCARS team following graduation.

Qualifications

Registered General Nurse

MSc Clinical Education University of Edinburgh

Senior Fellow Higher Education Academy

Advanced Life Support Instructor (Adult and Paediatric)

Responsibilities & affiliations

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Senior Fellow Higher Education Academy

Scottish Resuscitation Group

Resuscitation Council UK – Advanced Life Support Instructor

Advanced Life Support Group (ALSG) – Paediatric Advanced Life Support Instructor

Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) member

Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME) member

Scottish Clinical Skills Network (SCSN) member

Clinical Skills Managed Education Network

 

Undergraduate teaching

I  work within the University of Edinburgh as a Resuscitation Officer. The undergraduate MBChB programme within the University of Edinburgh is closely monitored by the General Medical Council, and as such my fundamental responsibility is to quality assure the teaching of the acute care and resuscitation teaching that Edinburgh delivers. Other key responsibilities day to day are the design, delivery and assessment of acute care and resuscitation skills teaching to all six years of the Edinburgh undergraduate medical programme, ensuring it is fit for purpose and aligned to local, governmental and General Medical Council strategy. This successful programme of resuscitation and acute care skills has been acknowledged and recognised by the GMC and senior NHS clinical staff.

Personal tutor.

 

Postgraduate teaching

Advanced Life Support courses. Foundation Year medical simulation teaching. Post graduate nurse ILS course.