The Emergency Medicine curriculum at VCU is designed to
maximize residents’ proficiency and comfort in treating ill patients with a
wide variety of medical and surgical problems. The program relies heavily on educational experiences within the
Emergency Department and the various intensive care units as well as focused
training in the specialty areas of Emergency Medicine including Toxicology, Emergency Medical Services and Research. |
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FIRST YEAR
Residents are transitioned into 1st-year
responsibilities through an orientation month that combines clinical shifts with
a didactic curriculum of lectures, workshops as well as certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Advanced Trauma
Life Support (ATLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Basic and Advanced Disaster Life Support (BDLS/ADLS) Residents are also oriented to the local EMS systems – specifically the Richmond Ambulance Authority and the LifeEvac
helicopter transport system. They
also undergo training in ultrasonography, fluoroscopy and on the Human
Patient Simulator.
When in the Emergency Department first year residents work a total of seventeen 12 hour shifts. Vacations
are taken in three separate weeks in Emergency Medicine, EMS/Administration and Anesthesiology.
Introduction to Emergency Medicine
|
1
month |
Emergency Medicine
|
4
months |
Medical/Respiratory Intensive Care Unit
|
1
month |
Emergency Medical Services/Administration
|
1
month |
Internal Medicine
|
1
month |
Trauma Surgery
|
1
month |
Orthopedics
|
1
month |
Pediatrics
|
1
month |
Anesthesia
|
1
month |
Ob/Gyn
|
1
month |
SECOND YEAR
In the second year EM residents are expected
to manage the airways for trauma resuscitations and to care for the most
severely ill and injured patients presenting to the department. Residents work
sixteen 12 hour shifts. Vacations are taken as three separate weeks during Radiology, the Clinical Decision Unit(CDU), and EMS/Administration.
Residents are required to complete an academic
project during their residency and are given time to focus on this work in the
second year.
Emergency
Medicine
|
5 months |
Pediatric Emergency
Medicine
|
1 month |
Surgical/Trauma Intensive Care Unit (STICU)
|
1
month |
Toxicology
|
1
month |
Emergency Medical
Services
|
1
month |
Clinical Decision Unit (CDU)
|
1
month |
Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CSICU)
|
1
month |
Community Emergency Medicine (Bon Secours Memorial Regional Hospital)
|
1
month |
THIRD YEAR
The emphasis in the third year is
to advance resident autonomy and emphasize independence in the department. Senior residents take on responsibility for management of the department
as a whole, helping to direct patient flow, supervising the care of patients
under the direct care of more junior residents and assisting in teaching interns
and medical students in the department
EM-3's also explore specialty
care in greater depth in preparation for independent practice. The Head & Neck rotation includes time in the Ophthalmology, Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgery, and ENT clinics and allows for an increase in the
procedural skills that these specialists utilize. The EM/Trauma rotation allows the senior resident to enhance their skills
in leading the resuscitations of the most critically injured trauma patients.
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit rotation allows the resident to further their
medical and procedural proficiency with critically ill children. In addition, the Community Emergency Medicine month at our partner site, Bon
Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center located in nearby Mechanicsville,
VA (7mi) exposes the resident to the unique characteristics of community
practice.
Senior residents work fifteen shifts per month while in the Emergency Department –
composed of
12 hour shifts. Vacations are taken
as three separate weeks in an Emergency Medicine month, Head & Neck, and the
Elective month. The Elective month is your chance to be as creative as you want to explore an area of interest in medicine.
Emergency
Medicine
|
7 months |
Community Emergency Medicine
|
1 month |
Pediatric Emergency Medicine
|
1
month |
Head & Neck Specialties |
1
month |
Pediatric
Intensive Care Unit |
1
month |
EM/Trauma |
1
month |
Elective |
1
month |
* Clinical hours include didactic
hours of conference, reading club, journal club, etc. These total an additional 5-8 hours per week.
|