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It is heartening that Emergency Medicine has caught up so well. Little surprise then that so many institutes have come up with novel ideas and equally innovative qualifications in Emergency Medicine. As of now, I think there is an MD, Fellowship, PG Certificate course and MCEM. Certainly the DNB board wouldn't want to be left behind and would take every opportunity to start a DNB in EM. I am sure many more institutes are waiting in the wings to join this bandwagon.

On the one hand it is encouraging to see this speciality being embraced and taken forward in a big way. On the other hand, being slightly sinister, I have doubts about the validity of these exams and qualifications.

Who sets the standards? Do these people setting the standards have any formal training in what they are professing and assessing? Have these assessment tools been ratified? Can emergency medicine in the context of our subcontinent be assessed with the same yardstick as used in say the US, UK or Oz?? How credible is the training on offer? Would factors like the type of hospital (Public Sector vs Private sector), patients etc affect the training received by the candidate?

I think these are very pertinent questions that one has to keep in mind before making what could be a very important decision in ones life. Hopefully, that particular institute/course/degree doesn't disappoint the trusted soul halfway through!!!

Certainly there is need for the specialty to be recognised by the MCI first. The specialty still being in its infancy, needs to have a central governing body which oversees research, education, training, accreditation, revalidation and governance etc of its members and trainees and the processes involved. This would help set the benchmarks thus paving the way to a uniform and more reliable system of education and training, thus helping foster the cause of the specialty.