Emergency Medicine

Clerkship Objectives Index | Ambulatory | Emergency Med | Family Med | Internal Med | Neurology | Ob/Gyn | Peds | Psych | Surgery | Sub-I

CURRENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES & ALIGNMENT

Overarching outcome goals: The student will become familiar with the initial evaluation and stabilization of patients who present to the emergency department with urgent and emergent medical illnesses and traumatic injuries. The student will gain experience managing acutely ill and injured patients in a timely fashion. He/she will follow the patient's emergency department course, and provide an appropriate disposition. The student will become familiar with a variety of invasive and noninvasive techniques that are routinely used in the treatment of patients in the emergency department. The required procedures are suturing, peripheral IV placement, performing ABG's, and Foley catheter insertion. Students are expected to participate in all aspects of patient care including resuscitations.

In the course of the clerkship, the student will perform the following:

Knowledge for Practice

• Obtain an accurate problem-focused history and physical examination
• Recognize immediate life-threatening conditions.
• Participate in patient management, by developing an evaluation and treatment plan, monitoring the response to therapeutic intervention, and developing an appropriate disposition and follow-up plans.
• Educate patients on safety and provide anticipatory guidance as necessary related to the patient's chief complaint. Educate patients to ensure comprehension of discharge plan.
• Develop a differential diagnosis when evaluating an undifferentiated patient.
• Prioritize the likelihood of diagnoses based on patient presentation and acuity.
• List the worst-case diagnoses.
• Create a diagnostic plan based on differential diagnoses.
• Develop a management plan for the patient with both an undifferentiated complaint and a specific disease process.

Patient Care

• Assume responsibility for the management of patients at the level of a subintern
• Independently collect both focused and comprehensive patient histories
• Independently perform both focused and comprehensive physical exams
• Demonstrate appropriate wound management techniques including basic suturing skills
• Describe appropriate wound care and management
• Participate in adult resuscitations and identify and describe the pathophysiology behind treatment protocols
• Demonstrate basic airway skills
• Demonstrate competence in basic procedural skills including venipuncture, suturing, and IV placement
• Demonstrate competence in the use of point-of-care ultrasound in performing an eFAST exam
• Demonstrate the ability to generate appropriate differential diagnoses and develop diagnostic and therapeutic plans for patients presenting with the following complaints:
  • Abdominal Pain
  • Chest Pain Respiratory Distress Medical Code Trauma Code
  • Any eyes, ears, nose, or throat case
  • Musculoskeletal case
  • Neurological case
  • Pediatric case
  • Traumatic injury case (not a trauma code)

Practice-Based Learning

• Effectively use available information technology, including medical record retrieval systems, and other educational resources to optimize patient care and improve their knowledge base

Interpersonal and Communication Skills

• Effectively communicate with patients and family members
• Demonstrate a compassionate and nonjudgmental approach when caring for patients
• Presentation skills: Present cases in a complete, concise, and organized fashion
• Effectively communicate with consultants and admitting services

Professionalism

• Display a strong work ethic. Be conscientious, on time, and responsible. Maintain a professional appearance.
• Exhibit honesty and integrity in patient care.
• Practice ethical decisions.
• Demonstrate professional behavior. Exercise accountability.
• Be sensitive to cultural issues (age, sex, culture, disability, etc.).
• Work in a collegial manner with other members of the healthcare team.
• Maintain patient dignity and respect patient privacy and confidentiality.

System Based Practice

• Recognize when patients should be appropriately referred to the emergency department (ED)
• Recognize the importance of arranging appropriate follow-up plans for patients being discharged from the ED
• Recognize the role of EM in the community, including access to care and its impact on patient care
• Understand the indications, cost, risks, and evidence behind commonly performed ED diagnostic studies
• Recognize the role of the Emergency Department in the larger healthcare delivery system

Interprofessional Collaboration

• Work with nurses, pharmacists, and medical technicians as part of an Interprofessional care team
• Effectively communicate with other members of the healthcare team

Personal and Professional Development

• Improve one's own practice by soliciting and incorporating feedback
• Understand that there is a degree of uncertainty in Emergency Medicine