Becoming a specialist in emergency medicine

One of the strengths of American medicine is the specialty training program. It is the purpose of this report to highlight some of the most important considerations in specialty training programs, which include the following: 1) resident selection process, 2) patient history taking, 3) residency training, 4) morbidity and mortality conference, and 5) mentoring residents. Residents are chosen for intelligence, past successful performance, and for personal compatibility. It is hoped that one has been able to gauge successfully their motivation, as well as the willingness to work hard. History taking, which is so important a part of data acquisition, is much more than asking the series of questions we were all taught in medical school. The experienced physician must have judgment and experience as to what are the right questions to ask, but must also have experience in the interpretation of patients' answers. Residency is, then, in part, learning how to ask the right questions, as well as how to interpret the right answers. We think that one of the most important ways to become an experienced Emergency Physician is to have a large number of bad experiences that are recognized and corrected, in an environment that encourages honesty as well as adequate supervision. Morbidity and mortality conferences must be an integral part of training Emergency Medicine residents.