Provide an opportunity for the medical student to witness the initial presentation of critically ill patients into the healthcare delivery system at a Level 1 Trauma Center.
Provide a knowledge base for identifying those patients with serious diseases that require immediate medical or surgical intervention.
Learn the diagnostic approaches to specific patient complaints as well as the management of specific emergencies.
Description:
The purpose of the elective is to introduce the medical student to the skills and concepts of the specialty of emergency medicine.
The student will learn the emergency medicine physician's approach to the care of patients with a variety of urgent problems.
The elective will emphasize the diagnostic capabilities of the student who will evaluate, diagnose, and treat the emergency patient under the direct supervision of the attending emergency physician.
The medical student will obtain the clinical knowledge and learn the skills and procedures necessary to initiate treatment of patients with life or limb threatening disease.
The medical student will become familiar with the interactions between the emergency department and medical and surgical specialties in the management of emergent patients.
The medical student will become familiar with emergency medical services in the delivery of pre-hospital care.
The evaluation of emergent patients by the student physician during this rotation will encompass all medical specialties, with emphasis upon managing the most seriously ill patient first and managing several patients simultaneously.
The elective will provide a sense of confidence, professional maturity, and enhance the progressive development of the student into a capable physician.
