The Emergency Medicine Residency Program provides a comprehensive core curriculum in emergency medicine. The curriculum is structured to meet the program’s goal of training highly competent and skilled emergency medicine physicians.

First Year

The first year of training concentrates on developing skills in individual patient evaluation. Focusing on the basic principles of decision making in emergency medicine and acquiring the central knowledge base are the primary educational objectives. The first-year residents are not primarily responsible for the care of critically ill patients. They are expected to see a reasonable number of patients and begin to develop efficiency as they acquire familiarity with common presentations. They are expected to learn appropriate medical record keeping and documentation, basic procedural skills of wound repair, incision and drainage, burn management and splint application.

Second Year

The second-year resident concentrates on refining and expanding patient care skills. The focus is on developing an efficient approach to patient care and learning the skills needed to manage several patients simultaneously. Expectations are that a larger volume of patients will broaden the base of experience. Participation in major resuscitations is expected. Advanced procedural skills include intubation, central venous access, venous cutdown, tube thoracostomy and pericardiocentesis. Also, introduction to direction of prehospital EMS through the Base Station Command Training Course will develop medical direction communication skills. Community emergency medicine is introduced this year.

Third Year

The EM-3 resident broadens exposure and develops efficiency in critical care management. Primary responsibility is caring for the most critically ill patients in the department as well as directing major resuscitations. The resident will demonstrate mastery in clinical procedures including airway management. The EM-3 functions as an integral member of the trauma resuscitation team, often performing life-saving procedures. Further responsibilities include providing on-line medical command to paramedics. The residents' exposure to community emergency medicine is enhanced. EM-3 residents assume more academic responsibilities, providing lectures and sharing experience and knowledge with junior residents in the department and during conference.

Fourth Year

The EM-4 resident concentrates on developing the skills needed to manage an emergency department. Responsibilities include sharing skills and knowledge with the junior residents, overseeing the operation of the department and ensuring all patients receive appropriate care and disposition in an efficient manner. The resident directs major trauma resuscitations and supervises major medical resuscitations. Skills are developed in problem solving, patient disposition and efficient delivery of emergency medical care and teaching. The EM-4 residents are offered greater opportunity to provide lectures, presentations and conferences to the faculty and junior residents as part of their regular academic activities.