Emergency Medicine
Residency Curriculum
The training program consists of didactic instruction, supervised clinical experience, and structured administrative and laboratory experience designed around a core curriculum to prepare the graduate to be able to successfully challenge the examination for certification of the American Board of Emergency Medicine. The resident is evaluated formally by one-on-one observations of patient care, standardized oral exams, patient surveys, MD Challenger Assessments, regular in-service examinations and supervising faculty to ensure the trainee's progress.
The Core Curriculum is based on The Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine as adopted by ABEM, ACEP, SAEM, CORD, RRC-EM and EMRA. The curriculum has been organized into an itemized list of clinical disorders, administrative entities, and physician skills with which the graduating resident should be familiar. Five hours of didactic conference are presented weekly with approximately 2/3 involving Model topics. In addition, Trauma conference, Journal Club and case conferences are presented. Short courses are presented, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACS), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), Advanced Pediatric Life Support (APLS), Advanced Wound Management, Surgical procedures lab and Human Subjects protection. Residents must achieve ACLS instructor, ATLS provider and APLS provider status. MD Challenger, a comprehensive review of Emergency Medicine is provided. Residents are expected to complete by graduation.
First-year residents spend 4 months in the Emergency Department and for 8 months they experience a variety of off-service rotations to learn the basic principles and practice of medicine in ward and clinic services (Internal Medicine, MICU, Trauma & Surgery ICU, Tox/Research, Ob/Gyn, Orthopedics, Anesthesia, and an elective). They are given the opportunity to make decisions, think through problems, formulate diagnoses and present their cases to supervisors. For residents with prior training, the curriculum can be adjusted to individually accommodate their education.
Second-year residents spend two months in a trauma rotation at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, that has a strong emphasis on teamwork with an aggressive neurosurgical approach, and one month each in MICU, Cardiology Consultation Service, Peds ED and Research. Seven months are spent in the Emergency Department.
Third-year residents spend more than half the year in the Emergency Department in a senior resident and supervisory role. They help orient first-year residents and assume more of the organization and decision making responsibilities of the department. During this year, residents perform an Administration rotation, an EMS rotation, and an elective in addition to completing a research project. Each year 2 residents are offered the opportunity to serve as Chief Residents. These positions offer increased learning opportunities in teaching and administration, and are particularly appropriate for those considering an Academic career.