Our clinic curriculum is organized into 4-week rotations, totaling thirteen 4-week blocks each year. Clinical shifts are 10 hours long for all three years. In Emergency Medicine rotations, the number of shifts varies based on the year of the resident (20 for PGY-1, 19 for PGY-2, and 17 for PGY-3). We offer dedicated Pediatric Emergency Medicine blocks in each year, and two shifts in each dedicated ED block are scheduled in the the pediatric ED for continuity of pediatric experience.
Our curriculum focuses on building a strong foundation in Emergency Medicine during the PGY-1 year. Residents begin with an introductory month in Emergency Medicine, where they attend fewer clinical shifts and participate in more small group conferences, labs, and simulations. Additionally, during the introductory month each PGY-1 is partnered with another PGY-1 for added time to focus on learning. This month helps residents develop their skills in emergency medicine and become familiar with the department. For the remainder of the PGY-1 year, residents work with a junior or senior resident in the department to build their knowledge base and develop their abilities in managing individual cases.
In the PGY-2 year, residents take on more responsibilities, such as running medical resuscitations, airway management in “trauma alert” resuscitations, teaching, and critical care rotations in the surgical ICU and pediatric ICU. PGY-2 residents also serve as consultants on the toxicology rotation, evaluating and recommending management for patients with toxic exposures in the ED and throughout the hospital. They also begin to respond to EMS online medical direction and have the opportunity to pursue an elective that aligns with their interests.
The PGY-3 year places emphasis on managing multiple patients and developing skills for independent practice. While there are fewer clinical shifts in the ED, residents are expected to take on more responsibilities, including managing patients independently and teaching more junior residents and medical students. PGY-3 residents also have an elective to pursue an independent interest, perform research, or prepare for fellowship. Moonlighting is also possible in PGY-3 year.
To support our curriculum, we have developed a reading plan that spans all three years of residency. The plan is tailored to coincide with each resident’s individual clinical schedule, covering major textbooks twice over a three-year span. Assigned review questions allow residents to self-assess their assimilation of the material and prepare for exams. Our protected didactic conferences take place on Wednesday mornings and cover a wide range of topics, including lectures on core topics, case conferences, EKG interpretation, radiology, simulations, skills labs, and journal clubs. We prioritize small group exercises to move away from traditional Powerpoint presentations. Our junior and senior Emergency Medicine residents develop several of our recurring conferences with guidance from faculty members, such as Toxicology case conference, Grand Rounds, and Toxicology Grand Rounds.
During the three-year residency program, the Emergency Medicine curriculum is structured as follows:
PGY-1:
- Orientation Block
- Emergency Department (ED) rotation x 5
- ED/Hospitalist rotation
- Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) rotation x 2
- Trauma rotation
- Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) rotation
- Anesthesia/Ultrasound rotation
- Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) rotation
PGY-2:
- ED rotation x 8
- Pediatric ED rotation
- Trauma/Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) rotation
- Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) rotation
- Toxicology rotation
- Elective rotation
PGY-3:
- ED rotation x 8
- Pediatric ED rotation
- Trauma rotation
- Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) rotation
- Teaching rotation
- Elective rotation
Pirate City Emergency Medicine Residency 