Simulation-Based Orientation for Emergency Medicine Residents Participating in EMS Ride-Alongs

Emergency medicine resident physicians are required to complete observational ride-alongs with emergency medical services (EMS) units as part of their curriculum as per the ACGME. We created this curriculum to expose emergency medicine residents to the equipment they will encounter in the prehospital setting, discuss basic EMS operations and the challenges of working in the prehospital environment, and review the limitations that restrict care provided by EMS professionals.

We created a series of five simulation cases for resident physicians participating in an EMS ride-along rotation. Each case was implemented with three to four residents at a time. A critical action checklist was used to assess participants during the scenarios. Following each simulation, a debriefing was conducted to discuss EMS operations and the impact on providers. At the conclusion of the session, participants completed a course evaluation survey.

Thirteen emergency medicine resident physicians took part in this curriculum from October 2020 through January 2021. Results indicated that the participants gained insight into the prehospital environment, felt more prepared to complete their ride-alongs, and were engaged and satisfied with the introduction to EMS program.

Simulation allowed emergency medicine residents to be exposed to the complex nature of prehospital care and prepared them for their ride-along sessions. The five cases provided significant breadth and depth of potential prehospital care issues, and the residents were able to discuss the medical, policy, and operational challenges presented as part of each case.