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THE DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE
The mission of the Department of Emergency Medicine is to provide the
highest quality adult and pediatric emergency patient care, education
and research. The Department of Emergency Medicine provides treatment
for approximately 85,000 patients per year, 20% of whom are children.
17% of patients require hospital admission. This accounts for nearly
45% of the total number of hospital admissions annually. Patients
of all ages, with complaints ranging from primary to tertiary care,
seek treatment in the Emergency Department (ED). MCVH serves as
the major referral center for Central Virginia for patients with
all types of injuries or illnesses, including traumatic and burn
injuries, toxicologic or Hazmat exposures, and provides critical
care services for patients of any age. MCVH is the only Level 1
Trauma Center in the region. The ED has been nationally recognized
for its innovative management of patients with chest pain using
a comprehensive high technology critical pathway approach that relies
heavily on cardiac nuclear imaging. The Department provides medical
direction to the Richmond Ambulance Authority, an all ALS EMS system
widely acknowledged as being among the best in the country. The faculty
of the Department's Division of Medical Toxicology provide
inpatient and outpatient consultations and direct the Virginia Poison
center, one of 52 centers accredited by the AAPCC. The Virginia Poison Center
responds to approximately 30,000 calls annually.
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THE EMERGENCY MEDICINE RESIDENCY
Consistent with the mission of the Department, the goals of the Residency Program are:
- To develop clinicians able to provide the highest quality care in any emergency.
- To develop educators able to teach colleagues, students, patients and families; and
- To develop researchers able to expand the horizon of medical knowledge.
We believe that our program will provide Emergency Medicine Residents
with an unsurpassed educational experience. The resources available
to our residents support this belief. These resources include a
diverse patient population, a highly developed city prehospital
system under the medical direction of the Department, the Virginia
Poison Center, established excellence in patient care, research,
and education, an enthusiastic and committed faculty, and the unwavering
support of the University and Hospital. Consequently, we believe
that our graduates will be the future leaders in all areas of Emergency
Medicine.
Departmental and interdepartmental research is currently being conducted in the
areas of cardiac and trauma resuscitation, shock, emergency cardiac
care, the utility of automated external defibrillators for public
access defibrillation, asthma, seizure management, toxicology and
prehospital care.
The program consists of thirty-six months of training beginning at the
PGY 1 level. Eight residents per year will be accepted. The
program participates in the
National Resident Matching Program and
Electronic Residency Application Service.
Fellowships in medical toxicology, pediatric emergency medicine and emergency
medical service are being developed.
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The Emergency Medicine Residency Program at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals (MCVH)
of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) began in July, 2000. The Department of Emergency
Medicine, MCVH, and the VCU School of Medicine have developed an Emergency Medicine Residency
Program that we expect will soon be considered to be among the nation's elite. Our confidence
is based on our abundant resources, including a high volume, heterogeneous patient population,
the quality of the faculty members and their commitment to teaching and research, and
established excellence in patient care, education and research.