The purpose of the Emergency Medicine elective clerkship is to provide the student additional didactic and practical clinical experience in the areas of evaluation, diagnosis, and management of the patient presenting medical/surgical problems. Also, the student is expected to gain additional clinical knowledge and practical experience pertaining to the natural course of disease.
The Emergency Medicine elective rotation should provide practical clinical exposure and knowledge in the area of Emergency Medicine. This may be accomplished through a variety of learning structures developed to achieve proficiency in the following areas:
- Demonstrate and develop skills in (supervised) patient evaluation, diagnosis and management of medical/surgical maladies, which he/she encounters during the clerkship.
- Demonstrate development and expansion of competency in performing the following psychomotor skills:
- Demonstrate and discuss the principles of clean and sterile technique.
- Demonstrate the ability to scrub, gown, and glove alone and with assistance, and to maintain proper sterile techniques in the Emergency Room setting.
- Demonstrate and discuss proper isolation technique.
- Demonstrate knowledge of and proper usage of commonly used instruments.
- Perform simple procedures such as suturing lacerations and surgical wounds, removal of sutures and skin staples, steristrip use in lacerations and surgical wounds, drainage of abscesses, and surgical dressings.
- Application of osteopathic principles and procedures, as appropriate.
Basic Medical Skills:
During the clerkship, various degrees of familiarity with fundamental medical/minor emergency skills are expected including:
- Familiarity with a variety of surgical procedures through observation and by assisting the attending physician
- Develop a degree of manual proficiency in emergency procedures through actual supervised performance
- Define and be aware of the various emergency procedures and consider those available as aids in diagnosis
in Emergency Medicine should be expanded through:
- Supervised and critiqued clinical work-ups of patients
- Reading and case presentations
- Formal clinical presentations by emergency services staff
- Performance feedback to the student
in patient evaluation, diagnosis, management, and therapy may be accomplished through:
- Emergency Service assignments
- Specific assigned and/or supervised case responsibilities
The students may be assigned patients with common diseases, disorders, trauma or problems appropriate to the emergency services, and should be able to perform the following under staff supervision:
- Obtain a complete and accurate history and physical examination
- Keep adequate and up-to-date medical records
- Identify patient problems utilizing the SOAP format
- Provide patient case presentation to the attending physician with appropriate management strategy
- Propose a plan for the management of the patient, with review by the attending
The student should have the opportunity to participate in experiences specific to the emergency room including:
- Introduction of the student to the daily operations of emergency services
- Orientation of the student to patient triage management of the emergency services patient
- Development of the necessary skills for evaluating patients for hospitalization and ambulatory care
- Development of the clinical skills pertaining to emergency service patient care
- Maintain a human approach by recognizing and allaying the fears and anxieties of the patient and their family and attempting to understand the impact of the patient's background and environmental relationship to his/her illness or trauma
of learning may include:
- Tracheal foreign bodies
- Recognition and care of acute injuries
- Psychiatric emergencies
- Medical emergencies
- Acute emergencies of hematology
- Urological emergencies
- Care of acute infections and prevention
- Abdominal emergencies
- Acute electrolyte imbalances
- Eye emergencies
- Pediatric emergencies
- Dental emergencies
- Gynecological emergencies
- ENT emergencies
- Wound care
- Environmental emergencies