Medical Student Overview

The Medical College of Wisconsin Department of Emergency Medicine is committed to medical education throughout the medical school curriculum.

Pathways

Emergency Medicine faculty play an active role in all College pathways.

Preclinical Years

Faculty in the Department of Emergency Medicine take an active role in medical education at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Faculty participate in many interdisciplinary courses in the medical school including Physiology, Medical Information Management, Intersession, and Transition to Clerkship. We provide career counseling, both formal and informal, to students regardless of their ultimate career choice. Our Department, in conjunction with the Injury Research Center, supports medical students interested in research projects. Our faculty also serve on committees within the Medical College (Curriculum and Evaluation, Clerkship Director's) in order to improve the quality of our medical education.

M3 Year

Resuscitation and Perioperative Medicine

All Medical College students have the opportunity to learn medical resuscitation from Emergency Medicine faculty during the required, interdisciplinary CPR course. We are proud of the refined curriculum we offer. In four intensive days, students will learn all of the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) algorithms, as well as review EKG interpretation, the diagnosis and management of myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, toxicological ingestions, and other time sensitive life-threatening emergencies. Students will have time to practice what they learn in the human simulator lab and in a face-to-face mock code scenario with one of our residents.

M3 Elective

Third year medical students are offered a graded elective in Emergency Medicine. The purpose of this rotation will be two-fold: 1) to allow the undecided student the chance to determine whether Emergency Medicine is a viable career option for them prior to their senior year, and 2) to teach the junior medical student the basic principles of acute care medicine and how to evaluate the undifferentiated patient's chief complaint. The concepts and skills taught will be applicable to future training, regardless of specialty choice. The learning venues will include clinical shifts in the Emergency Department, simulation exercises reinforcing key concepts of resuscitation, an airway and suturing lab, and self study and reading assignments. Completion of a rotation in medicine and/or surgery is required to participate in this elective.

M4 Year

The M4 Emergency Medicine clinical elective is available to Medical College students and students visiting from other institutions during the months of July through April. The elective is a monthly course and runs from the first through the last day of the month. Students with alternate scheduling needs should contact the Course Coordinator, Jennifer Myszkowski (414-805-6454) to see if accommodations can be made.

Course Goals

• To learn and understand the initial stabilization of critically injured trauma patients and patients in cardiac arrest.
• To know the characteristics of certain life threatening injuries and illnesses and to understand the methods for diagnosing and treating them.
• To learn the principles of diagnosis and management of a wide variety of disease processes.
• To understand the elements of effective pre-hospital care and a total emergency medicine care system.

Learning Activities

• Emergency Medicine Grand Rounds Weekly Conference are held Thursdays from 7:30am-11:30am
• Seven hours of lecture
• One paramedic ride-a-long
• Textbook reading assignments Additional activities are available during selected months, including: Procedure labs (Airway, Suture and Splinting) Human Simulator Experience

Grading

• Performance during patient care: 66.7% of grade
• Final Examination: 33.3% of grade

Scheduling

• 15 shifts spread between day, evening, and overnight shifts. Approximately five of each.
• Approximately half of shifts may occur on the weekends.
• Paramedic ride-a-long scheduled by student on non-shift time.
• Five hours of lecture (students excused from shift for activity).
• Attendance requested at Grand Rounds on Thursday morning.
• Vacation requests can be made prior to the start of the month with Course Coordinator, but are not guaranteed. Students are allowed to switch shifts, pending Course Coordinator approval and based on RRC guidelines.