Emergency medicine & education
Opinion, letters and a related rapid response.
The BMJ · Letter · 2026
Medical education cannot depend on goodwill alone.I host, produce and edit the St Emlyn’s podcast, and have produced more than 290 episodes. With colleagues and guests, I explore clinical practice, education and the decisions we make in emergency medicine. Interviewing means listening closely, bringing ideas together and finding the next question as the conversation develops.
Interview · July 2026
My conversation with Sara Crager explores how clinicians develop expertise—and how we can make clinical reasoning easier to teach.
Interview with Sara Crager. Accompanying post by Simon Carley, 11 July 2026.
Read and listen on St Emlyn’sRound-up · June 2026
Episode 293 · February 2026 round-up, posted 27 June 2026.
Read and listen on St Emlyn’sConversation · April 2025
With Peter Brindley at LTC · 16 April 2025.
Read and listen on St Emlyn’sThe St Emlyn’s podcast — a shared project
1 million+
recorded downloads
From 2016 to 15 September 2026.
157,000
downloads in two years (rounded)
180
countries and territories
Podbean figures for the whole St Emlyn’s podcast. Two-year figures: 1 September 2024–31 August 2026. Downloads are not individual listeners.
Speaking, hosting or an education project?
I write about the clinical decisions, working relationships and teaching that shape emergency medicine. Here are three pieces to start with.
Conference reflections · 6 May 2026
What hosting in Murcia taught me about the connections between talks, simulation and conversation.
Read the article on St Emlyn’sReflection · 30 March 2025
My reflections on Matt Morgan’s talk at The Big Sick: teamwork, survival and the craft of telling a story.
Read the reflection on St Emlyn’sLeadership · Archive · 29 March 2022
The article accompanying my RCEM CPD talk in Bournemouth, reflecting on what I had learned about leading a trauma team.
Read the archive article on St Emlyn’sResearch I have contributed to with colleagues.
Digital learning
Social-media-enabled learning in emergency medicine: a case study of the growth, engagement and impact of a free open access medical education blogCarley S, Beardsell I, May N, Crowe L, Baombe J, Grayson A, Carden R, Liebig A, Gray C, Fisher R, Horner D, Howard L, Body R. Postgraduate Medical Journal. 2018;94(1108):92–96. First published online 20 October 2017. DOI: 10.1136/postgradmedj-2017-135104.
Conference participation
Are there too few women presenting at emergency medicine conferences?Carley S, Carden R, Riley R, May N, Hruska K, Beardsell I, Johnston M, Body R. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2016;33(10):681–683. First published online 17 August 2016. DOI: 10.1136/emermed-2015-205581.
Clinical investigation
Is routine coagulation testing necessary in patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain?Martin D, Beardsell I. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2012;29(3):184–187. First published online 10 March 2011. DOI: 10.1136/emj.2010.106526.
Triage & admission
Can emergency department nurses performing triage predict the need for admission?Beardsell I, Robinson S. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2011;28(11):959–962. First published online 20 October 2010. DOI: 10.1136/emj.2010.096362.
Guides, curricula and editorial projects from the St Emlyn’s team.
Revision & assessment
Revision guide editor. Main contributing author: Trudie Pestell; illustrations and videos: Nick Smith.
Undergraduate learning
A St Emlyn’s educational resource collection.
Session outlines and an introduction to the St Emlyn’s approach.
Resources for starting in the emergency department and navigating further learning.
Earlier work in examination preparation and digital education.
Continue the conversation
Get in touch about professional collaborations or explore my speaking and hosting work.