good courses to take in 4th yr

[chocolateshake]

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What courses would you guys recommend to take in 4th yr, to help with the transition to EM?

 

[Arginine]

Anesthesiology, for learning to manage airways
ICU, for learning how to take care of critically ill patients
Cardiology, for all the heart problems you'll see
Sports medicine, because lots of patients come in with musculoskeletal injuries
Trauma surgery, if your hospital is one where surgery takes over traumas

 

[chocolateshake]

Sounds good! I have already done Anesthesiology in 3rd year and will probably do Trauma Surgery as well (if I am lucky enough to get my first choice) in spring semester of 3rd year. Also I will try to do Peds-ICU as my Peds inpatient month in 3rd year.

How about Diagnostic Radiology?

 

[Arginine]

Radiology is a great choice also, because you will be reading lots of films in the ED.

 

[Dr.Evil1]

Anesthesiology, for learning to manage airways
ICU, for learning how to take care of critically ill patients
Cardiology, for all the heart problems you'll see
Sports medicine, because lots of patients come in with musculoskeletal injuries
Trauma surgery, if your hospital is one where surgery takes over traumas

Agree on all of the above.

As far as PICU being the same as MICU I would use some caution. There are vast differences in the way pediatric and adult patients are ventilated. You should learn both but MICU will prepare you much better for the patients you will see on a regular basis in a typical ED. You will also get more procedural opportunities in the MICU since peds procedures are typically much more difficult and often taken away by fellows and attendings.

Also remember to schedule yourself something light for Dec or consider taking it off. December seems to be the best one to take off (IMHO) since you can do a good number of interviews at that time and also be able to be off for the holidays and able to see all those people you have been away from for the last 3.5 years

 

[crewmaster1]

Take as little as possible, enjoy your 4th year, and don't schedule any hard rotations after you start interviewing because you will be out of energy.

If you want cool international stuff, trauma.org has some rotations. I'm headed to Johannesburg, South Africa in a couple of months, I will let everyone know what that rotation is like once I get going.

 

[EctopicFetus]

Take as little as possible, enjoy your 4th year, and don't schedule any hard rotations after you start interviewing because you will be out of energy.

If you want cool international stuff, trauma.org has some rotations. I'm headed to Johannesburg, South Africa in a couple of months, I will let everyone know what that rotation is like once I get going.

Agreed. Relax and enjoy. No one is going to expect you to run a code your first day. relax... have some fun enjoy the freedom.

 

[Sweet Tea]

Take an EM sub-I/ AI/whatever you want to call it. That'll help. If you can do one at your home program and do one away, all the better.

Other than that, I took a Trauma AI/SICU rotations which was incredibly grueling but a great rotation...it was all critical care in the SICU/TICU and at the end of the rotation I got to do primary and secondary surveys on a couple traumas (yellows, not reds, but it was still a good experience). So that covered critical care and some trauma surgery for me, and since our ED works so closely with the trauma team it bought me some more ED time, too. I also did an outpatient cardiology rotation which a) taught me a lot and b) had great hours and left me plenty of time to work on my application. But like others have said, don't schedule anything hard during interview season because you will miss half of the rotation for interviews and thus will be exhausted and confused on the rotation. I wouldn't schedule anything hard for after interviews, either, because the apathy level will be much too high.

I love fourth year. I know it's going to be rough next year so I'm enjoying my vacation as much as I possibly can. 😎

 

[GeneralVeers]

Almost any rotation will be helpful if you learn from it, as EM encompasses almost all of medicine. I found Cardiology and Trauma to be the most useful.

Just make sure you schedule and "hard" rotations for early in the year. You want to have a light schedule in November-January for interviewing, and again in April, May, June when you're trying to arrange moving (plus there are usually really cool parties to go to end of year).

 

[JackBauERfan]

Emergency Medicine Ultrasound at U. of Cal-Irvine with Dr. Fox
in the summer/beach journal clubs/all the ER you want!

'nuff said.

 

[JackBauERfan]

Agreed. Relax and enjoy. No one is going to expect you to run a code your first day. relax... have some fun enjoy the freedom.

Now, on the second day though, you better be able to run the code AND get the starbucks coffee for all in the ED.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

If you want cool international stuff, trauma.org has some rotations. I'm headed to Johannesburg, South Africa in a couple of months, I will let everyone know what that rotation is like once I get going.

I would so much rather take the rotation in Hannover, Germany personally.....but I'd love to hear how your rotation in SA goes.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Now, on the second day though, you better be able to run the code AND get the starbucks coffee for all in the ED.

Hell, running the code is easier than remember who wanted what coffee.....