Acute Medicine Career & Capability Framework for Nurses
Today the Society for Acute Medicine is proud to share the release of the SAM Acute Medicine Nurse Capability Framework – Phase 1.
Hannah Hegarty, SAM Nursing Representative
I’m genuinely excited to share that from 27th July 2026, we’re launching the evaluation study for the SAM Acute Medicine Nurse Capability Framework – Phase 1.
As the SAM Nurse Representative, I’ve seen first‑hand how much our speciality needs a clear, supportive career pathway – one that guides nurses from new to Acute Medicine all the way through to advanced practice. This framework is exactly that. It’s going to help shape the future of our profession and finally recognise Acute Medicine nursing nationally as the specialist area it truly is.
Your voice in this evaluation really matters. By taking part, you’ll help refine something that will support every Acute Medicine nurse for years to come. If you’d like early access to the framework and want to be involved in the study, please join our Acute Medicine Nurse Leadership WhatsApp group
From Flt Lt Meike Gfrarer Acute Medical Unit Nursing Officer, Princess Mary’s Royal Air Force
Nursing Service, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine
“Acute Medicine nurses play a vital role wherever care is needed, from operational environments in the air, on land and at sea, to NHS hospitals across the UK. These Career and Capability Frameworks provide a clear pathway for professional development, enabling nurses to deliver safe, effective and specialist care to patients with acute and complex needs.
This project also highlights the strength of the partnership between the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) and the NHS, demonstrating how military and civilian nurses can work together to advance the profession, develop the workforce, and improve patient outcomes.”
Professor Liz Lees-Deutsch
For the first time Acute Medical Nurses have been provided with a Career Framework to navigate a clear pathway for career progression, supporting them to develop expertise across clinical practice, education, leadership, and research. By strengthening workforce capability and fostering future leaders, the Framework enhances patient care, improves staff retention, and supports the delivery of safe, high-quality acute medical services. I am very excited to see this in action”
Dr Vicky Price President Society for Acute Medicine
” I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to Hannah Hegarty, our Society for Acute Medicine Nursing Representative, for the extraordinary dedication, vision and sheer hard work she has shown in leading the development of the nursing framework. This is a truly landmark piece of work that will help shape the future of Acute Medicine nursing across the UK. As President of the Society for Acute Medicine, I could not be prouder of what Hannah has achieved. Her passion for developing our nursing workforce, her commitment to collaboration, and her unwavering determination have produced something that will benefit patients, nurses and our specialty for many years to come. On behalf of SAM, thank you, Hannah, for this remarkable achievement.”
Dr Ragit Varia President-Elect, Society for Acute Medicine
One of the things that has struck me most throughout my time in Acute Medicine is the extraordinary skill, compassion and leadership shown by our nursing colleagues every single day. They are at the heart of what makes Acute Medicine work.
That is why I’m so proud to see the publication of this Acute Medicine Career Framework for Nurses. It recognises nursing in Acute Medicine as a rewarding career in its own right, with a clear pathway for development from preceptorship through to advanced practice. I hope it will inspire, support and retain the talented nurses who are so vital to our patients and our multidisciplinary teams.
My sincere thanks go to Hannah Hegarty, the working group, the Royal College of Nursing and NHS England for their dedication in creating this landmark framework. I have no doubt it will help shape the future of Acute Medicine for many years to come.
Ragit Varia
President-Elect, Society for Acute Medicine
Please click on the links below for more information.