Piloting an A&E and practice nurse educational exchange

The accident and emergency (A&E) department acts as an interface between primary and secondary care. Traditionally, general practice has been viewed negatively by A&E nurses. This article explores some of the issues surrounding these views. The need to challenge the traditional view of A&E as simply a department within a hospital and replace it by one that identifies A&E within the broader community context is identified. This change in ethos requires nurses who work in the A&E department to challenge their beliefs about the specialty. There is a need to look at the educational preparation of A&E nurses. A pilot educational exchange scheme, developed to explore ways of improving the relationship between A&E nurses and nurses working in general practice, is described.