Two nurses from University Hospitals Dorset, Liz Hurdidge and Julia Mullally, have put in thousands of hours to bring their emergency care skills to a new level.

They are now some of the first in the country to receive ‘credentialing’ from The Royal College of Emergency Medicine for Advanced Practice.

Liz and Julia are now emergency care advanced clinical practitioners, working as a part of the multidisciplinary team in the emergency department. They will be making an important contribution to the delivery of care, education, service improvement and research.

To achieve the credentialing, the two women, who are both based at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, completed three years of study alongside their full time roles. They clocked up around 4,000 hours of clinical study and more than 1,000 consultant assessments throughout their course.

The award means they are able to look after patients with a wide range of conditions and have expertise in resuscitation, trauma and practical procedures.

Liz said: “I am so proud of how hard we have worked to receive the Royal College of Emergency Medicine credentialing. Our roles are a benefit to the team as they complement the existing medical workforce within the emergency department, ensuring patients continue to receive timely and appropriate care.