Posted anonymously via SDN Away Rotation Review Google Form
University of Kentucky
Type of Elective: EM Clerkship/Sub-Internship
SLOE Experience: Sent SLOE in timely manner
Required exam: SAEM exam
Interview offered during rotation: Yes
Would you recommend this rotation to others: Yes
Comments on rotation experience:
One of the best experiences of medical school, definitely wasn't expecting this! The more I reflect on this experience while I write this, the more tempted I am to rank UK #1 for residency - I was really happy my whole time there.
First of all, everyone is very nice and funny and relatable, and they want you involved. Felt like I was part of the team, not just a student. The residents are so easy to work with and fun to be around, joking and having a good time. Helped reduce fractures, did multiple paracenteses, got a chest tube. Other students got intubations.
The ED is enormous, pretty new, and very attractive - Looks like it belongs on TV. Laid out so that medically critical patients are right next to the semi-enclosed doc charting area, in 6(?) critical care beds, trauma patients are the next pod over, and everyone else is either in their own room with a door or a hallway bed. Big ED Obs unit directly next to the ED, can use for extra space as needed. Peds ED is huge (25 beds?) and directly next to the adult ED.
Lots of ultrasound. High volume place with a sick population - It was #4 in the country for acuity when I was there, recently heard through the med student grapevine it increased to #1, not sure how accurate that is. Lots of trauma, including weird farm crush injuries, but not SO much trauma that it gets in the way of the medically sick patients. You also get to do a shift or two at their county hospital (Good Sam) about a mile away, working 1-on-1 with the attendings. The one I worked with was one of my favorite people in all of medical school. (Good Sam might actually be community... I can't remember... but the patients I cared for seemed to be more on the uninsured side of the spectrum).
Lots of energetic faculty, seemed to be skewed a little younger, no concerns about "old school" attitudes. The faculty love talking about the program at UK and comparing it to places they did their residencies, and I got some legitimately helpful advising out of those conversations - while just shooting the **** and getting to know everyone. Several of them are also involved in FOAM - Dr. Sam Ghali's twitter (
Sam Ghali (@EM_RESUS) | Twitter) has gotten a shout out on here before in the "effed up shops" thread, pointing out the insane acuity he sees. Dr. Jacob Avila runs 5minsono.com. Dr. Matt Dawson is the co-creator of ultrasoundpodcast.com. Dr. Rob Rogers runs something called Medutopia, has a huge interest in developing medical educators, does a lot of podcasting (
rob rogers (@EM_Educator) | Twitter). One of their aPDs, Dr. Jonathan Bronner, is involved in ALiEMU education design leadership. Oh and their former PD (still around, just not PD) Dr. Doty is the president of CORD as well as being a generally great human being. I'm sure I'm missing some people, because I'm not a home student, but I was really impressed with this group! None of their FOAM stuff would matter to me if they weren't great to work with, but they all were.
Nuts and bolts stuff for the clerkship: Dr. Rebecca Bowers is the clerkship director, and is awesome, as is the course coordinator Di. I think I did 14 or 15 shifts. The only real assignment is a case presentation at the end - 15 minute PowerPoint where you work through a case and do some teaching. No required patient/procedure tracking or required notewriting!!! Paper evaluation sheets at the end of each shift either done by residents or attendings, all of whom were happy to give feedback. You have to take the SAEM test and score >~90 for honors, unless they change it for next year. Didactics are above-average engaging with some faculty lectures, some resident-led lectures, and small-group oral boards prep (you rotate through 3 cases and get key learning points at the end). The turn-around time for the SLOE was very fast, and while I haven't read it, I've been told by interviewers that it paints me in a good light. Lexington is a great mid-sized city with beautiful outdoors but also fun places to eat, drink, see live music, whatever.
Full disclosure of possible downsides: The parking garage is about 3/4ths of a mile away from the ED, all outside, and costs something like $30 for the month. They use the Sunrise EMR, not Epic, but it wasn't that bad (students can't put in orders so no experience there, but can help write notes and get feedback). Kentucky's malpractice environment is worse than a lot of places in the country.
All in all, strongly encourage you to do an Away there. This place is going to be a big name in EM before long.