A multidisciplinary clerkship in emergency medicine

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Multidisciplinary courses present unique challenges in medical education.
• Fourth-year medical students require comprehensive training in emergency care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an obligatory, multidisciplinary, fourth-year emergency medicine clerkship.
• To outline the course objectives for developing competent emergency care providers.

Main Methods:

• Required completion of Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification.
• Mandatory ambulance duty and community hospital emergency room rotations.
• Integration of traditional clinical experiences with practical emergency care scenarios.

Main Results:

• Students demonstrate knowledge of emergency care and proficiency in essential skills.
• Familiarity with appropriate emergency room utilization is achieved.
• Competence in managing both emergency and non-emergency cases is developed.

Conclusions:

• The clerkship successfully synthesizes prior medical knowledge within a multidisciplinary context.
• It provides a robust foundation for fourth-year medical students entering emergency medicine.
• The program effectively prepares students for diverse patient care challenges in emergency settings.