MD Electives

Clinical ultrasound has become a valuable tool for assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients in the emergency care setting. During this elective, participants learn the basics of point-of-care ultrasound. Topics covered include basic physics, knobology, eFAST, cardiac, first trimester OB, aorta, gallbladder, DVT and vascular access.

The elective in EMS is designed to provide students with an immersive experience in prehospital medicine, including perspectives from the paramedics, administration and physician medical directors. Students participate in ride-alongs with ambulance crews, Indianapolis Fire Department Supervisors, Indianapolis Emergency Medical Service Supervisors, Directors, and Medical Directors.

The emergency medicine elective is designed for students to rotate at either the Eskenazi or the Methodist Emergency Departments. Although preferences are considered, students are equitably distributed across both sites. Both facilities function as Level 1 trauma centers with large, diverse patient populations and serve as the clinical training sites for the IU School of Medicine Emergency Medicine Residency program. The objective of the emergency medicine clinical rotation is to provide students with meaningful exposure to the principles and practices of high-quality emergency care.

During this emergency medicine elective the medical student will spend most of his/her time in the Emergency Department caring for both medical and surgical emergencies. One or two Emergency Department staff physicians (all board-eligible or board-certified in Emergency Medicine) will be present to staff each patient encounter. A great variety of cases will be seen by the medical student, e.g.; lacerations, burns, fractures, multiple trauma, acute myocardial infarctions, as well as a broad spectrum of medical surgical and pediatric emergencies. Special emphasis will be directed toward those areas of medicine that are unique to emergency medicine: toxicology, pre-hospital care, environment emergencies, resuscitation, and disaster management.

The research elective is intended to promote research and evidence-based medicine education to medical students. The program provides on-line didactics, assigned readings and tests to insure that the students gain an understanding of basic clinical research principles, research ethics and evidence-based medicine.

In the pediatric emergency medicine course, medical students spend 16 shifts in the Riley Hospital for Children Emergency Department. Students are expected to evaluate patients in a logical, efficient manner utilizing a problem-oriented approach. For each patient, the student generates an appropriate differential diagnosis; recognize and rule-out potentially life- threatening problems; develop a plan for management, stabilization, and work-up.

The simulation in medical education elective is for students interested in an advanced understanding of high-fidelity simulation. Medical students and residents regularly utilize high-fidelity mannequins to simulate high-risk clinical scenarios in a safe, low-risk setting. The goal of this rotation is to learn more about what goes into medical simulation sessions: from the drawing board to educational delivery. Students will be involved with case creation, session programming and setup, as well as controlling high-fidelity mannequins.

During this emergency medicine elective students will be exposed to a variety of Emergency Department patients. The student may see appropriate patients under the direction of a board certified Emergency physician and may perform history and physicals, write orders, and perform other procedures such as suturing intubation, chest tubes, etc. as approved by the physician. The Emergency Department is a Level II trauma department with a patient load of around 57,000 patients/year. Pertinent written material will be provided to the student. Students are encouraged to attend all hospital noon conferences. The student may also follow the Emergency physician to all in-house cardiopulmonary arrests. Patient load is increased during the months of May through October.

The objective of this emergency medicine elective is to provide the student with meaningful exposure to the principles and practices of high quality emergency care. The clinical practice of emergency medicine includes patients of every age group with problems ranging from child abuse to cardiac arrest and from trauma to intoxication. The technique of rapid but thorough patient assessment will be taught with emphasis on the management of the acutely ill or injured patient.

The objective of this emergency medicine elective is to provide the student with meaningful exposure to the principles and practices of high quality emergency care. The clinical practice of emergency medicine includes patients of every age group with problems ranging from child abuse to cardiac arrest and from trauma to intoxication. The technique of rapid but thorough patient assessment will be taught with emphasis on the management of the acutely ill or injured patient. The student will have an opportunity to interact with the emergency care team at many levels including: attendance at medical education conferences, paramedic and EMT training and in-service, advanced cardiac and trauma life support programs, as well as ongoing emergency department educational presentation. The rotation will include clinical shifts at Lutheran Hospital Main Emergency Department and the Lutheran Hospital Pediatric Emergency Department. All preceptors will be EM trained and EM board certified physicians with a passion for medical education.

During this emergency and trauma center elective the student will work directly with a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician in the Emergency Department setting. Emphasis is on developing skills necessary for the rapid assessment and treatment of multiple patients having a variety of medical and surgical illnesses, both minor and life-threatening.

During this emergency medicine elective the student will do initial emergency care of patients in an active community emergency department. He/she will have full time supervision by our emergency department physicians and in addition will enjoy the participation of a full complement of specialists in our emergency department. We expect the student to work with enthusiasm and guarantee this to be a positive learning experience.

The clinical experience is unlimited in an emergency department with a service flow of more than 100 patients daily. During this general emergency care elective the student will have the opportunity to evaluate patients in all disciplines. He/she will take care of history, physical exams and observe many procedures. He/she will be able to order and interpret laboratory studies and x-rays. Experience will be gained in EKG, cardiac monitoring and life threatening emergencies. Lecture experience consists of attendance at regularly scheduled conferences of the hospital teaching program.

This emergency medicine elective is designed to provide on-site rotation with emergency trained physicians in a community-based hospital Emergency Department. A student can expect exposure to multiple patient volume, care of blunt and penetrating trauma, acute medical illness in adult and pediatric patients and industrial medicine. If the student is in the fourth year and has some experience, greater responsibility and freedom can occur. Housing is available if necessary. This course will provide interested students with exposure to Residency trained career Emergency Medicine physicians in a busy community practice.

During this emergency medicine elective students will be required to be present in the Emergency Department 40 hours per week. The clinical aspects of emergency medicine will be emphasized and supervision will be individualized for each student.

During this emergency medicine elective the student will learn fundamental approaches to caring for the undifferentiated urgent and emergent condition in the Emergency Department setting. The student will experience the clinical opportunity of history taking, patient examination, interpreting laboratory and diagnostic tests, and formulating a plan of care under the direction and guidance of a well-trained clinical faculty in suburban and rural settings embracing three Emergency Rooms within the hospital system. The elective offers a wide array of shifts from morning to afternoon, afternoon through evening hours, and nighttime shifts, each of which present a different array of clinical and patient encounters.