Emergency Medicine Fourth-Year Medical Student Rotation
About Our Rotation for Fourth-Year Medical Students
The Department of Emergency Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical center offers a 4-week clinical rotation for fourth-year medical students. One of our goals for students is to develop an understanding and appreciation for the breadth and depth of emergency medicine during their rotation. The evaluation and treatment of patients in the emergency department differs from that of patients who are on an inpatient service.
The work of the emergency physician is directed toward the initial assessment, stabilization, and management of patients with a wide range of presenting complaints and problems. You should use this elective experience to hone your skills in the following areas:
- Recognize patients with acute illness
- Initiate emergent therapy to stabilize an unstable or deteriorating condition
- Create a differential diagnosis based on the patient's history and your physical examination findings
- Learn how to rule out potentially life-threatening illness
- Develop an assessment of the likely causes of the present complaint
- Help initiate a plan of treatment, whether it be through inpatient admission or outpatient care with primary physician follow-up
We encourage you to follow-up on your patients either on the inpatient floors or through their primary care physician in order to enhance your overall understanding of their illness, and to allow you to “close the loop” in your initial evaluation and treatment thoughts. You will find that patients are pleased to know that you are still interested in, and concerned about their care.
Because the evaluation of patients in the Emergency Department (ED) many times is based on a brief problem-oriented history and physical, the scope of your evaluation will be dictated in large part by the nature and level of acuity of the patient's presenting problems.
The ED provides a unique setting in which to learn and develop technical and procedural skills. The procedures which you may be able to observe or participate in will vary, but will include wound care and suturing, fracture and dislocation care, abscess incision and drainage, arthrocentesis, slit lamp examination, lumbar puncture, gastric intubation, femoral venipuncture and catheterization, and arterial puncture.
Each student's exposure to these routine practices will vary, but every reasonable effort will be made to include you in the ongoing procedures while you are on a clinical shift. You will be functioning as sub-intern and will have primary patient care responsibility. There is also an extensive didactic schedule including skill and simulation sessions.
More About the Rotation
Students will be expected to work a combination of day, evening, night, and weekend shifts. You will be working side by side with residents and faculty from the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency at BIDMC. Your emergency medicine rotation will consist of the following:
- Clinical ED shifts at BIDMC on a rotating schedule
- Most shifts are 8 hours in length
- Clinical ED shifts at BID Needham
- An optional ride-along with EMS is available
- During baseballs season, the ability to work in the first aid station at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox
An extensive didactic schedule is available to students on rotation in emergency medicine at BIDMC:
- Weekly didactic sessions with the BIDMC/HAEMR residency which include Morbidity & Mortality conference and other core emergency medicine topics
- Resuscitation and procedural training sessions using the state of the art Carl J. Shapiro Simulation and Skills Center
- The HMS Division of Emergency Medicine student lectures series by faculty from throughout Harvard
Under the guidance of an attending physician, medical students are trained in core curriculum using full body simulation. This curriculum provides training in medical scenarios commonly seen in the emergency room. These scenarios are designed to not only challenge the students’ knowledge, but their ability to work as a team under highly stressful circumstances. Each scenario is followed by a formal debrief session, allowing the instructor to give valuable feedback to the team as well as each individual student.
Each student also gets one-on-one training in procedures commonly performed in the emergency room setting. Lifelike partial task trainers allow them to perform procedures including tracheal intubation as well as insertion of central venous lines, chest tubes, and spinal catheters.
We would be happy to have you rotate with us. Our elective rotation in Emergency Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) is affiliated with Harvard Medical School (HMS). The rotation is offered every month.
Harvard Medical School uses the AAMC’s Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) system for visiting student rotations. Please apply through VSLO no later than 90 days prior to your desired clerkship start date. Please note, there are multiple emergency medicine electives listed through HMS. The BIDMC Emergency Medicine rotation is elective number ME535M.5. Visit the VSLO website.
Please send us an email to let us know you are interested in rotating with us and will be applying. We request that you send us a copy of your application to the address below, so we can help facilitate the process.
Second, if there is an issue about the dates of rotations not lining up with your school's calendar, please contact us.
Third, a note about immunizations, HMS and BIDMC require proof of immunity. Documentation of vaccination is not sufficient, they require positive antibody titers. Please read the instructions carefully.
The HMS Registrar will notify you of acceptance 90 days before the start of the rotation. For any additional questions regarding the application process, you may contact the HMS Registrar’s office by calling 617-432-1515 or by emailing us.
For more information, please contact:
Hilda Munoz-Smith
Medical Student Clerkship Coordinator
Email Hilda
Nicole Dubosh, MD
Clerkship Director and Director of Undergraduate Medical Education
Email Dr. Dubosh
Jason Lewis, MD
Associate Clerkship Director
Email Dr. Lewis
Advancing Care, Research & Education
Department of Emergency Medicine
The Department of Emergency Medicine provides care for patients and participates in education and research programs.
Emergency Medicine Research
Our International Emergency Medicine Program promotes academic programs and clinical excellence worldwide through research.
Emergency Care
BIDMC offers comprehensive 24/7 emergency care, and is equipped to handle severe injuries and complex conditions.
