Emergency medicine (EM) is the only medical specialty that manages all patients in need of acute care at any time, regardless of their severity of illness/injury, their age, or their ability to pay, 24/7/365. Emergency medical care at Washington University is divided between the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, which is housed under the Department of Pediatrics. During Phase 1, all students rotate through the emergency departments (EDs) as a part of their Clinical Immersions course, either at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and our community EDs or in the St. Louis Children's Hospital ED. During Phase 2, all students experience pediatric EM during their rotation in the St. Louis Children's Hospital ED as a part of their pediatric clerkship, managed through the Department of Pediatrics. During Phase 3, students can select a month-long EM elective through the Department of Emergency Medicine to further explore the specialty, and they may also select an advanced clinical rotation in general EM, which primarily focuses on adult EM. They can also select shorter or more flexible electives in the many subspecialties of EM, including emergency medical services (i.e., prehospital medicine), medical toxicology, and ultrasound. Our Toxicology Division also coordinates a keystone integrated science course on addiction medicine.
Contact Info
| Website: | https://emergencymedicine.wustl.edu/ |
EMED 8010 Medical Toxicology (Clinical Elective)
This rotation offers practical experience in the evaluation and management of the acutely ill, poisoned, envenomated, or intoxicated patient. Students will gain familiarity and experience evaluating and treating patients who have intentionally and unintentionally overdosed on medications or illicit drugs, have substance use disorders, have been envenomated, or have been exposed to toxic substances. Students will also gain experience in prescribing antidotes and learning to properly decontaminate patients after an ingestion or exposure. There are no overnight or weekend shifts. While not required, students are welcome to participate during off hours to see new consults and enhance their experience and learning. A core content of lectures will be provided. The students will also be assigned small projects during their rotation. Students will be able to rotate in the outpatient toxicology and addiction medicine clinic if desired. Students desiring a letter of recommendation from a toxicology faculty member or those interested in pursuing a career in Emergency Medicine or Medical Toxicology should take this elective. Also, students considering specialties such as Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Neurology, Critical Care Medicine or Internal Medicine should consider this rotation as they will be responsible for evaluating toxicologic conditions as part of their inpatient or outpatient practice.
Credit 4 units.
Typical periods offered: Medicine Year
EMED 8015 Emergency Ultrasound (Clinical Elective)
This elective involves the use of Point Of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) and its integration into clinical care. Students who take this elective will get in person didactics on basic POCUS applications and go scanning with both EM residents and faculty in person. Skills learned and practiced during the elective include POCUS image acquisition, clinical interpretation of POCUS images, and help use POCUS to answer clinical questions for patients and the physicians who care for them. Students will end the elective learning about how POCUS continues to expand its impact into multiple fields of medicine and has wide impacts and implications on patient care and patient centered outcomes.
Credit 2 units.
Typical periods offered: Medicine Year
EMED 8021 Emergency Medicine (Clinical Elective)
This four week elective will encompass all aspects of Emergency Medicine, with clinical time spent in the main urban trauma center as well as in a community setting. In addition, to seeing a wide range of pathology at the two sites, students will be given the opportunity for a 1:1 teaching shift, toxicology shift, and nursing shift, as well as a shift with ancillary departments such as social work and respiratory therapy. Students will be expected to attend grand rounds and teaching lectures as well as team-based learning and simulation sessions. Students will work in the trauma/critical care area and general medicine areas of the ED, and are expected to see patients independently, present to the team, perform basic procedures with guidance, call consults, and sign out patients to the oncoming team.
Credit 4 units.
Typical periods offered: Medicine Year
EMED 8301 EMS: Emergency Medical Services (Clinical Elective)
The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) elective is hosted by the Division of EMS within the Department of Emergency Medicine. EMS is a growing subspeciality of medicine that focuses on the care of patients in the prehospital setting. EMS physicians provide direct and indirect medical direction, build systems of care, and treat patients in the prehospital setting. EMS cares for patients of all ages and all acute medical problems. This elective offers students an immersive EMS experience through observational ride along shifts with local EMS agencies, time with EMS physician medical directors, and self-directed learning assignments. EMS conference is held Friday mornings and includes didactics, workshops, and simulations with EMS faculty, EMS fellows, and emergency medicine residents. Many elective activities are off site and a vehicle is recommended.
Credit 2 units.
Typical periods offered: Medicine Year
EMED 9100 Emergency Medicine Advanced Clinical Rotation (ACR)
This rotation offers practical experience in the evaluation and management of acutely sick and injured patients. Students will function as subinterns, initially evaluating their assigned patients, and developing a plan for further diagnostic studies and therapy. They will report to a senior level resident or an attending physician.
The student can expect the opportunity to perform or assist with a wide variety of procedural skills such as suturing, splinting, peripheral and central venous access, ultrasound, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Shifts will be eight hours and students will rotate between day, evening, and night shifts (including weekend shifts) to gain maximum exposure to all types of emergencies. The majority of shifts will occur at Barnes-Jewish Hospital; however, additional shifts may be scheduled at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital and Missouri Baptist hospital, community teaching hospitals approximately 8 miles away.
Students will also be expected to attend weekly grand rounds and student lectures covering aspects of the core content of Emergency Medicine as well as attend a departmental journal club and student simulation sessions.
Students will gain an understanding of other disciplines closely associated with Emergency Medicine by doing rotations with either social work, nursing, or respiratory therapy. Students will also gain knowledge of the triage system during their time in the department.
Students desiring a Standard Letter of Evaluation (SLOE) should take the Emergency Medicine ACR. Students will be scheduled for required weekend and overnight shifts and changes will not be allowed to the schedule unless approved prior to the start of the rotation by the course coordinator.
Please be advised that there is a limit of days off while on this rotation during interview season; otherwise, students should arrange to take the elective
Credit 4 units.
Typical periods offered: Medicine Year