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The Emergency Medicine Residency program has didactic and clinical curriculum that trains residents in the breadth and depth of emergency pathology.

Curriculum

The Emergency Medicine Residency program has designed didactic and clinical curriculum that trains residents in the breadth and depth of emergency pathology. A weekly educational conference is designed to supplement clinical experiences with formal lectures, small groups, grand rounds and experiential/simulation labs.

Our residency program offers a robust critical care, trauma and pediatrics experience that includes a total of six months in medical, surgical/trauma, pediatric and neonatal ICUs. Residents manage all trauma airways presenting to the emergency departments (EDs) and take dedicated rotations both in the surgical/trauma ICU and as a member of the trauma/emergency general surgery (EGS) nights team. Pediatric patients present to all three teaching EDs, but the bulk of residents’ pediatric experience is at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health. PGY-1 residents rotate through a dedicated pediatric emergency medicine (EM) month in the Riley ED.

PGY-2 and 3 residents have a longitudinal pediatric experience through integrated pediatric EM shifts during every core EM block. This helps expose residents to the seasonality of pediatric illness. Additionally, senior residents rotate on the PICU team for four weeks in their second year and two weeks in their third year. They also rotate for two weeks on the delivery team in a community NICU practicing NRP and neonatal resuscitation.

The 36-Month Curriculum

  • R1, R2 and R3 vacation is 28 days/4 weeks.
  • Vacation eligible months are in italics

The first year places heavy emphasis on the most critically ill patients. Multiple intensive care months one-on-one with faculty for procedures and resuscitations ensures all first-year residents are competent and confident when advancing to upper-level resident status. Intern year is an incredibly exciting and challenging time, and we will push you out of your comfort zone while shaping you to be one of the best emergency physicians in the country. Along the way, you’ll have the support of your 72 co-residents, 150+ staff members and incredible PD team.

 Year 1

 Rotation  Blocks 
 ED Orientation
 Methodist ED
 Eskenazi ED
 Riley ED
 Methodist Surgical/Trauma ICU
 Methodist Adult Medical ICU
 Toxicology
 Orthopedics 
 Anesthesia/Ultrasound 0.5+0.5=1 
 Eskenazi OB/GYN (vacation required) 

The second year entails the transition from intern to upper-level resident. Both 2nd and 3rd year residents are considered upper-levels, and department scheduling and workload is identical. You’ll be working more high-acuity shifts this year, and you’ll find yourself applying the critical care medicine you learned during intern year.

 Year 2

 Rotation Blocks 
 Methodist & Eskenazi ED 

(one block will be designated as vacation week eligible) 

 Riley ED 2-3 shifts per ED block  
 Riley PICU
 Methodist ICU Nights
 Emergency Surgery and Trauma Night Float
 IU West Community EM/Triple Threat
 Elective 


The third year focuses more on time in the emergency department. You’ve become proficient in procedures and efficiency, and you’ll spend the third year working on managing the entire emergency department, departmental flow, and honing in on specific areas of interest.

 Year 3

Rotation Blocks 
 Methodist & Eskenazi ED (one ED block vacation eligible)  9  
 Riley ED  2-3 shifts per ED block  
 Riley NICU/PICU
 Pediatric Anesthesia/Advanced POCUS
 Elective 

 

Didactic Learning

Didactic learning takes many forms at IU School of Medicine including weekly residency educational conference, a monthly Year-Directed Series, and yearly retreats for each class. Outside specialists as well as emergency physicians are also invited to lecture on selected topics for grand rounds. The longitudinal didactic curriculum covers the complete ABEM model of clinical practice every two years.

 

Weekly Educational Conference

The foundation of the didactics at IU School of Medicine is our weekly educational conference on Thursday morning. These are held in our EM Residency Learning Center at IU Health Methodist Hospital, and residents are protected from clinical duties in the EDs to attend. Educational sessions take many forms, including traditional lecture format, interactive sessions, small group sessions, and hands-on procedural and simulation training. Some examples of our regular educational programming are below:

  • Oral Boards
  • EKG Small Groups
  • Radiology Small Groups
  • Faculty-led Lectures
  • Resident-led Lectures
  • Peds Mock Code
  • Simulation Lab
  • Case Conference
  • M and M
  • Community Cases
  • Cereal Updates (a resident-only session to discuss operational and educational issues)
  • PD Town Hall
  • Chair’s Update
  • Vulnerable Patient Series

Year-Directed Series

In addition to weekly conferences, we also offer an integrated monthly, “Year-Directed Series.” This is a series of class-specific lectures that teach residents topics appropriate to their level of training. These usually last for two hours and allow the entire R1, 2, or 3 cohort to assemble to learn about a topic of interest specifically relevant to the cohort’s stage in training. It’s also a time for residents to socialize with each other. For example:

  • PGY – 1: Efficiency in the ED, Finding a Mentor, Physician Wellness
  • PGY – 2: Developing and Presenting Didactics, Teaching Retreat
  • PGY – 3: Understanding Employment Contracts, Medicolegal Topics





Journal Club

Journal Club is held monthly and hosted by a faculty in their home. The session starts with a mini EBM lesion regarding approach to critical appraisal of current literature. Multiple journal articles are chosen surrounding a single topic and are discussed with residents, faculty and local experts in small groups. These groups then come together to draw conclusions and possible changes to current practice the articles may provoke. The department subspecialty divisions also host their own specific Journal Clubs, and residents are invited to attend (Pediatric EM, Toxicology, EMS).

 

Visiting Professor Grand Rounds

The department hosts a visiting professor quarterly on campus to offer Grand Rounds.