Emergency Medicine FAQ

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Disclaimer: This FAQ is a work in progress. If you think that there is a subject I’ve missed, or a thread that should be mentioned, send me your suggestion by clicking here.

A lot of this FAQ's content is written not only by forum regulars, but also SAEM and ACEP.

General Information:
- What is EM all about?
- History of EM
- What types of procedures to EM physicians do? 1, 2 and 3
- Working conditions
- EM pay: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7
- Independent Contracting in EM
- EMTALA
- The Macy report: SAEM summary here
- Medicine Sucks
- EM burnout

Controversial topics in EM
- Trouble on the EM Horizon, parts 1, 2, 3
- International Emergency Medicine
- Is an EM physician a replacable entity?
- EM or FP + EM fellowship 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- Negatives of EM as a Speciality
- Too smart for EM?
- Wilderness EM
- Balanced billing

For Medical Students:
- Should I go into EM?
- Resources for students interested in EM by SAEM and ACEP <-Click on these links if nowhere else!
- Fantasies of EM vs. the Reality: Common Misconceptions of EM Hopefuls
- EM as a career choice
- EM Personalities
- 12 Reasons NOT to go into EM
- Don't call it ER

Planning MS4
- Planning your 4th year, Gus Garmel and SDN: 1, 2, 3
- Value of taking a year off to do research (in EM)

Away or Audition Rotations
- Clerkship catalog by SAEM
- When to do an away rotation 1, 2
- Book Recommendations for Student EM Rotators: 2010 CORD EM Clerkship Primer (Free!), PIMP Protector, EM books worth my time and others 1, 2, 3

What are my chances? -OR- How competitive am I?
- Competitiveness of EM 1, 2, 3,
- NRMP Charting Match Outcomes: 2006, 2007, 2009
- SDN Matchitis Surveys: 2008, 2009 and 2010

Residency application help
- CV format questions by SDN and the AAMC
- EM Residency catalogs by SAEM and FREIDA
- ERAS by SAEM and...ERAS
- All about SLORs: 1, 2, 3
- What’s with the Dean’s Letter?
- How complete does my App need to be for me to apply, and when should I send it in? by SAEM
- Tips for IMGs/FMGs are here

The Match
- How the Match Works for YOU! By the NRMP
- How do I narrow down a list of programs, by Desperado and others
- The Magic Number
- Likelihood of Matching to your #1

The Scramble (but it's going away in 2012)
- The best advice for the Scramble on SDN
- Did not match. Now what?

Generating your ROL -OR- Choosing a residency program
- Top EM programs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
- How we decided our ROL, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- There are no bad programs...
- Should I rank them higher so they rank me higher? and other ROL myths
- 3 vs 4 year EM residency formats via SAEM and SDN
- Value of a floor month
- Residency Reviews
NOTE: You can send your residency review to docB or RxnMan if you want them to post it anonymously
- Communication after the interview
- What to look for
- Hospitals where the ED dominates
- Not a lot of hand holding...

For Residents
- How to approach patients when you don't know the diagnosis.
- Inservice Exam Prep 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- My "So There" file
- Top 20 "Do Nots"
- How CMS funds your residency slot, parts 1, 2, 3
- Book Reccomendations for EM Residents: $300 and 2 books, EM Library, Colorado Compendium
- Board Preparation: Written Sources, Audiobooks, Sources for Oral Portion of Board Exam
- Suggestions for electives 1, 2
- The best scrubs
- U/S Elective rotations 1,
- Tox Elective rotations 1,
- Elective rotations in International EM 1,

Fellowships
- Why do a fellowship? 1, 2, 3, 4
- SAEM Fellowship Listing
- Toxicology 1, 2
- Updates on EM/CC board certification: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Research in EM
- Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
- Emergency Medicine Foundation
- General medical student research FAQ
- EM Research Opportunities for Undergraduates: Mount Sinai, University of Pennsylvania, UC Davis, UCSF-Fresno, Hennepin, UCSD, and Highland

EM Forum Humor
- Someone explain the joke to me, please?
- EM Forum Band Names
- Things I Learn From My Patients
- The Origin of Fatty McFatty Pants
- Ways To Tell You've Spent Too Much Time in the ED
- I Can't Believe I Wrote That
- All-Star Chief Complaints
- Top Press-Ganey Comments
- What can I do to improve my app?
- Personal statement help
- EM Haikus
- Demotivational posters
- EM hall of fame
- Pee pee on my scrubs