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Emergency Medicine Clerkship

Students on the emergency medicine rotation develop critical competencies in diagnosis, management and communication required to care for patients with urgent and emergent conditions in a complex and ever-changing medical system. Autonomy and responsibility are essential for the student to learn fundamental approaches to patients with undifferentiated urgent or emergent conditions.

Emergency medicine students function as the primary caregiver for their patients, working closely with supervising board-certified emergency medicine faculty and senior emergency medicine residents to develop and implement management plans.

Students are required to diagnose patients with a focused history and physical examination, taking into consideration not only the patient’s medical condition, but also the psychosocial aspects of the problem. Students implement solutions to these problems under direct supervision of expert clinical educators.

Preparation for these advancing levels of responsibility include intensive didactic and high-fidelity simulation training at the beginning of the clerkship as well as high-quality asynchronous online learning.

Learn More

Prospective and current medical students can learn more about the emergency medicine clerkship on the Department of Emergency Medicine MD Education page.

Emergency Medicine Rotation

Training Objectives

As primary caregivers in the emergency environment, students are expected to:

  • Place orders pending faculty co-signature
  • Call consultants as indicated
  • Arrange patient dispositions and transfers of care
  • Follow results of diagnostic testing
  • Document patient progress notes in the medical record