recommendations for a psych intern for ER months

[felicity]

Hey y'all,

I'm about to start a psych residency. As you may know, we also rotate through the ER. I also probably will end up doing consult psych in a hospital, so an understanding of the ER is essential for me. I didn't get to do an ER rotation in med school (everyone wanted to do it! I got ICU instead for critical care), so I feel a little green. Any books you can recommend that:

1. would help me prepare (so I can read now, while I have all this time)
2. I should have in my pockets

There are so many to choose from, I'm not sure which are considered the most solid. Thanks, Felicity.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[southerndoc]

I think a great book would be Cline's review of Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine text. I think it's called Essentials of Emergency Medicine.

Here are some tips for a great ER rotation:

1. Don't sign up for all the psych patients. You'll see plenty of these during your residency.

2. Most institutions require you to learn procedural skills during an EM rotation. Therefore, you will be expected to learn to suture, LP, etc. Don't shy away from these. They can be rewarding.

3. Don't spend 30 minutes taking a history and physical. Emergency medicine is fast paced, so you should not spend more than 15 minutes on an H&P, even for a newbie. As time progresses, you should be able to do a complete H&P in 5-10 minutes. I became efficient when I started obtaining my review of systems while doing a physical exam. While you're examining the ears, you can still talk to the patient and ask about social history, etc. The only time you can't ask questions is when a stethoscope is in your ears.

 

[felicity]

Hey, thanks so much for your advice! I am totally looking forward to procedures, I think my only hesitation will be my complete lack of skills in that area. Hopefully attendings will assume I am ignorant and not mind teaching.

Regards,
felicity

I think a great book would be Cline's review of Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine text. I think it's called Essentials of Emergency Medicine.

Here are some tips for a great ER rotation:

1. Don't sign up for all the psych patients. You'll see plenty of these during your residency.

2. Most institutions require you to learn procedural skills during an EM rotation. Therefore, you will be expected to learn to suture, LP, etc. Don't shy away from these. They can be rewarding.

3. Don't spend 30 minutes taking a history and physical. Emergency medicine is fast paced, so you should not spend more than 15 minutes on an H&P, even for a newbie. As time progresses, you should be able to do a complete H&P in 5-10 minutes. I became efficient when I started obtaining my review of systems while doing a physical exam. While you're examining the ears, you can still talk to the patient and ask about social history, etc. The only time you can't ask questions is when a stethoscope is in your ears.