Resident Education
Clinical Curriculum
The primary educational goal of the program is to promote clinical and academic excellence in Emergency Medicine. In the busy clinical environment, residents care for a diverse patient population with high acuity and wide-ranging pathology. Our curriculum is designed to develop excellent clinicians and satisfied, productive residents.
We value resident wellness in addition to education. We have a carefully designed clinical curriculum, a schedule of overlapping nine-hour ED shifts, and an abundance of faculty coverage to foster bedside teaching. Residents work between 20 and 22 shifts per month, depending on their year of training. The intern year begins with a full month of orientation activities, including cadaver labs, procedural skills training, simulation sessions, EMS ride-alongs, and an introduction to emergency ultrasound.
Block Rotation Schedule 2007-2008
| PGY-1 | PGY-2 | PGY-3 | PGY4 |
| Orientation/EMS | |||
| EM | EM | EM | EM |
| EM | EM | EM | EM |
| EM | EM | EM | EM |
| Pediatric ED | EM | EM | EM |
| Pediatric Wards | EM | EM | EM |
| Medicine Wards | CCU | EM | EM |
| Orthopedics | Miriam EM | EM | EM |
| Fast Track (EM) | Trauma | Miriam EM | EM |
| OB/GYN | Trauma | MICU | ED/Elective |
| MICU | Plastics | Trauma | Elective |
| TICU | PICU | EMS/Elective | Elective |
| Anesthesia/US | Tox/Elective | Elective | Elective |
Learning Objectives
PGY-1
- Learn the basic principles of Emergency Medicine and the management of common acute illnesses
- Learn to begin basic work-ups independently, develop an approach to the undifferentiated patient, and prepare an accurate Emergency Department record
- Develop basic procedural skills
- Learn basic principles of managing critically ill patients
- Develop basic principles of literature review and application to clinical practice
- Learn the basic principles of EMS base station operation
PGY-2
- Focus on broadening the knowledge base and enhancing clinical skills
- Learn to diagnose, stabilize, and treat the majority of acute medical conditions
- Learn to manage multiple patients simultaneously and prioritize competing demands
- Develop advanced procedural skills
- Further develop skills managing critically ill and trauma patients
- Strengthen skills in literature review and develop knowledge of basic research principles
PGY-3
- Demonstrate broad and deep knowledge of the core content of Emergency Medicine
- Demonstrate competence handling critically ill patients and proficiency in the evaluation and management of undifferentiated patients
- Demonstrate organizational and prioritization skills managing multiple critically ill patients simultaneously
- Demonstrate a high level of skill performing critical procedures
- Demonstrate leadership skills directing all resuscitations
- Develop basic teaching skills
- Expand knowledge of the medical literature and principles of research
PGY-4
- Demonstrate ability to function with a high degree of autonomy in the clinical environment
- Demonstrate skill supervising junior residents and students in all aspects of clinical care
- Demonstrate ability to direct flow in the ED and perform common administrative duties
- Refine teaching skills and conduct morning report case conferences
- Further develop leadership skills and declare an area of academic, clinical, or administrative interest
Clinical Highlights
- Superior critical care and pediatric training
- The only Level I Trauma Center in southeast New England (including southeast MA, Eastern CT, and all of RI)
- The volume of an urban hospital but the support staff and supervision of an academic center
- Excellent collaborative relationships with other services
Four-Year Program Highlights
- Broader and richer clinical experiences
- Special educational opportunities such as wilderness medicine, international EM, and medical education courses
- More elective time and opportunities for research
- Enhanced exposure to Academic Emergency Medicine
- Opportunities to establish a career focus