16th July 2026
Trust colleagues have showcased how they are leading the way in developing innovative educational approaches that strengthen multidisciplinary working, enhance clinical competence and improve outcomes for patients, at the Association for the Study of Medical Education Annual Scholarship Meeting in Birmingham recently.
From Silos to Safety: Learning Together to Prescribe Safely
Dr Danielle Thornton, SAS Doctor in Medical Education, and Edel Davidson, Lead Clinical Education Pharmacist, presented Learning Together to Prescribe Safely, an interprofessional simulation programme developed through collaboration between medical and pharmacy colleagues.
The project, created with contributions from Dr Cathy Daly, Dr Tiarna Byrne, Lead Clinical Education Pharmacist Lisa Ferguson, Foundation Training Year Lead Pharmacist Helen Murphy and Professor Roisin O’Hare, brings together Queen’s University Belfast FY0 medical students and foundation trainee pharmacists to work through realistic prescribing scenarios.
By encouraging collaborative decision-making, effective communication and shared learning between professional groups, the programme helps to strengthen prescribing practice, reduce potential errors and support safer, higher-quality patient care.
Before the Patient
Also at the conference, Medical Education Fellow Dr Tiarna Byrne delivered an oral presentation on Before the Patient, an innovative educational initiative designed to improve doctors’ preparedness for high-risk procedures.
Developed in collaboration with specialist faculty members Dr Laura Carr, Dr Neil McAleavey, Dr Alison Herron, Dr Philip Canney, Dr Laura Gordon and Simulation Technician Laura Kerr, the programme uses immersive simulation to build familiarity, confidence and clinical readiness before trainees perform procedures on patients for the first time.
The initiative helps bridge the gap between training and clinical practice, enhancing learner confidence while reinforcing the Trust’s commitment to patient safety and high-quality care.