This commentary proposes a competency-based model for integrating Emergency Medicine (EM) into undergraduate medical curricula in Ghana, advocating for a 3–6 week clinical rotation in the 1st and final clinical years (4th and 6th years), led by EM consultants and specialists.
The model proposes five core training domains — trauma, medical and paediatric emergencies, procedural and ultrasound-guided skills (including POCUS), resource stewardship, and disaster preparedness — with a blended assessment approach (OSCEs, simulation feedback, logbooks). It is framed against a backdrop of ~1 emergency physician per 600,000 people and a finding that 77% of in-hospital deaths occurred within 24 hours of admission at one Ghanaian teaching hospital.
The model is a conceptual blueprint only — no pilot data or formal evaluation in Ghanaian medical schools has been conducted. Faculty scarcity (fewer than 100 trained emergency physicians for 32+ million people) poses a major implementation barrier. Resource constraints (simulation facilities, ultrasound equipment) limit nationwide scalability.
Medical schools in low-resource African settings should consider embedding a structured, standalone EM rotation in the early and final clinical years to better prepare junior doctors for frontline emergency care. Phased rollout starting at a flagship institution, using senior residents as primary bedside trainers, can help overcome faculty shortages.
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