Spotlight On An Expert - Carl Armstrong

In 2009, I completed a BN (Hons) in Nursing at the University of Liverpool, and my career began as an A&E nurse at a busy inner-city emergency department in Liverpool, where I worked across multiple emergency settings as a staff nurse and later charge nurse.

Over the years, I progressed through several roles, including Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) and later, after completion of an MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice, an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP).

My roles in emergency medicine included clinical assessment and management of a broad scope of patient presentations, from trauma injuries to life-threatening conditions, and I enjoyed the fast-paced, high-demand environment.

As an ENP, my role focused on the treatment of injuries, wound care, suturing, and fracture management. Later transitioning to an ANP, I expanded my role in autonomous clinical practice across all areas of the emergency department, including critical illness and resuscitation.

After several years, I undertook a secondment with the Hospital at Night Medical Emergency Team, providing out-of-hours clinical support to nursing and medical staff, as well as working on the medical response team for deteriorating patients and cardiac arrests across the large inner-city hospital. I was able to use my A&E experience in this role, as well as learning a lot from the wider nursing and medical hospital teams in areas that I would not have otherwise had exposure to, but at the end of my secondment, I opted to return to A&E.

In 2020, I transitioned to a part-time role, working in both general practice and A&E as an ANP, before later moving to full-time general practice — a decision that provided a better balance for my young family and, after many years of shift work, was a welcome change.

I have since worked across several primary care practices in the Northwest as an ANP, including within ANP-led surgeries. I have been able to transfer many of my skills from my time in A&E, as well as develop new skills and services, developing and leading on the implementation of a minor surgery service, providing skin lesion excision, biopsies, as well as musculoskeletal joint and tendon injections.

One of my areas of particular interest is men’s health, with a focus on improving access to healthcare for men. Recognising that men are often less likely to engage with healthcare, in 2023, I ran a local proactive prostate cancer screening initiative with support from Prostate Cancer UK, to help men make informed decisions about PSA testing.

The initiative, which was published in Pulse, has encouraged proactive healthcare engagement amongst male patients, addressing barriers to screening and fostering better conversations around preventive care.

Two years ago, I joined Somek & Associates as an expert witness, which has been a steep learning curve, but the supportive team has been excellent throughout the process. The structured training and guidance have been invaluable, and my trainer has been particularly outstanding, providing expert mentorship and experience. Reviewing cases from a medico-legal perspective has significantly impacted my clinical work, strengthening my ability to anticipate potential risks, improving my documentation practices, and reinforcing the importance of logical clinical reasoning and decision making. Working as an expert witness has undoubtedly improved my clinical practice.

Earlier this year, I began working part-time as a Lecturer in Advanced Clinical Practice at a large University, alongside my clinical role and expert witness work, and I have enjoyed this new challenge. I’m certain that my experience of expert witness work and report writing has been an important part of my development into a part-time academic career.

Outside of work, I enjoy returning to the Lake District, where I grew up, and spending time camping, relaxing in pub gardens, and enjoying a real ale.

Carl Armstrong became an expert witness for Somek & Associates in 2023 and practices as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (GP surgery & A&E) and also undertakes musculoskeletal soft tissue & joint injections.

To learn more about becoming an expert witness, visit our recruitment pages here.