Curriculum Overview

Our didactic curriculum involves five hours of protected time for resident conferences on Wednesday mornings from 7:00 a.m. - Noon.  Our conferences cover the Core Content in Emergency Medicine and include high-fidelity medical simulation, emergency ultrasound, cadaver lab, journal club and disaster training.

• Cadaver Lab
• Elective Rotations
• Emergency Ultrasound
• EMS
• Hazmat/Decontamination
• High-Fidelity Medical Simulation

PGY-1

The PGY-1 resident will primarily be responsible for evaluating stable patients with non-life threatening conditions.  The expectation of the PGY-1 resident is to obtain accurate and concise history and form a good differential diagnosis.  The PGY-1 resident is expected to see one patient per hour.  The PGY-1 resident will have no supervisory responsibilities and at all times will work under the direction of an attending physician.  PGY-1 residents will have no administrative responsibilities.

PGY-2

PGY-2 residents will continue to develop and hone their skills relative to the management of critically ill patients.  The PGY-2 residents are instructed that they are responsible for in-depth evaluation of the critically ill and injured patient.  In this endeavor thoroughness is stressed over speed.  It is expected that the PGY-2 resident will progress to being able to see 1.5 patients per hour.  The latter part of the PGY-2 year will be one where the development of independent functioning emerges.  In addition, the PGY-2 resident in the last half of the year will also be expected to begin to hone skills necessary for teaching and instructing medical students.  The PGY-2 resident will not have administrative responsibilities with the exception of instructing medical students.  The PGY-2 resident may assist in undergraduate education by presenting student lectures under the supervision of the staff.  Overall the PGY-2 year is one of progressive independence, responsibility, and the ability to care for the critically ill.

PGY-3

PGY-3 residents’ expectation is to function in a more independent fashion than the prior two years.  It is expected that the PGY-3 resident will be capable of managing the most critically ill patients who present to the emergency department.  The PGY-3 resident will also have administrative task of directing and coordinating resources within the emergency department.  The PGY-3 resident will be responsible for selecting cases for morbidity and mortality conference.  The PGY-3 resident will continue to have access to the faculty physician twenty-four hours a day.  Near the end of the PGY-3 year, it is expected that the PGY-3 resident will have developed superior communication skills as well as those skills that reflect an ability to integrate various system resources into his practice pattern, benefiting a wide range of emergency patients.