The Emergency Medicine core content represents the central body of knowledge for the study and practice of emergency medicine. It includes 23 major categories of content divided into appropriate areas of presenting complaints, clinical symptoms, disease states and etiologies. It represents a consensus of opinion of the American Board of Emergency Medicine, the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine. Although it cannot stand alone, the core content has been used as the framework for the curriculum.
Extensive goals and objectives have been developed for the Emergency Medicine Residency Program based on the core content. These objectives are met through conferences, procedure laboratories, clinical teaching, journal clubs and other academic activities, described in the following sections:
Clinical Rotations (by year)
Didactic Experiences
The curriculum is reviewed annually at resident and faculty meetings.
PGY1 residents in Emergency Medicine gain a strong foundation in the broad field of emergency medicine predominantly through exposure to multiple medical specialties. The first year focuses on aspects of medical & cardiac intensive care units, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, anesthesiology, and pediatric emergency medicine.
In PGY2, Emergency Medicine residents are expected to refine their skills in individual patient evaluation and management with particular emphasis on life threatening disorders. In the Emergency Department, residents develop major manipulative /procedural skills necessary to aid patients with a variety of disorders. Much of the second-year training involves critical care rotations, including the Coronary Care Unit, the Trauma ICU, and the Surgical ICU.
Responsibilities as a PGY2 resident include assistance with instruction of medical students and junior house staff as well as serving as medical command physicians for ground ambulance units and as first responders for all Stroke Alert patients.
In PGY3, Emergency Medicine residents fine-tune both patient care and administrative skills. As team leaders, they are responsible for managing patients with acute and life-threatening disorders. The bulk of PGY3 is spent in the Emergency Department providing patient care, as well as leadership and teaching of other residents and students. PGY3 residents gain valuable prehospital critical care experience on the LifeFlight rotation and serve as medical command physicians for LifeFlight. Continued refinement of resuscitative care as well as consultative skills are stressed. Senior residents are tasked with developing
situational awareness of the ED in preparation for independent practice after
residency.
Other electives may also be arranged according to resident interest and with GME approval.
The Emergency Medicine (EM) Residency Program include the following didactic experiences:
