Didactics/Academics

Core Lecture Series: The core curriculum is designed to repeat itself every 2 years, with critical topics being repeated every year. Topical themes are

ongoing on a monthly (EM-Trauma, Toxicology, Pediatric Critical Care, M & M, Case Conference, IM-EM), bimonthly (EM-Pediatrics, ECG, Literature Review) and quarterly (EM Administration/CQI, EMS/Base Station , Community Practice perspective and  Mock Oral Boards) basis. EM Residents are released from clinical responsibilities in order to attend core conferences with the exception of Trauma Surgery and Adult ICU during the R1 year, and the Adult and Pediatric ICU rotations during the R2 year. EM residents present approximately 25% of the core lectures each year with the remainder being presented by faculty. Core lectures are held on Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 0700 to 0900. Nontraditional teaching formats with emphasis on interactive features are encouraged.  Perrenial favorites include our quarterly 2 hour mock pediatric resuscitation and unique M&M conference that focuses on system issues and cognitive bias.  Each year, our residents rate their didactic sessions as being as good, or better, than those they experience at national EM meetings. 

Ultrasonography:  All residents must meet our credentialing process in order to graduate (adapted from ACEP's recommendations).  We start this process during the Orientation Block, have one week of focused US immersion during the EMR1 year, and regular practical and didactic sessions (including during year directed sessions - see below).  An option exists to do an US elective should additional experience be desires beyond the daily scanning in our routine ED clinical care.

Simulation:  With the opening of Fairbanks Hall http://facilityplanning.iusm.iu.edu/projects/Fairbanks/Fairbanks%20Hall.htm our Sim Curriculum enters a new phase of growth and development.  This 30,000 sq ft state of the art facility includes an ambulance module and multiple bed ED area.  Our integrated 3 year Sim Curriculum assures extensive experience and provides residents with teaching options as well. 

Year Directed Conferences:These are held 10-11 months of each academic year, and usually last 2 hours. Each Year level meets separately from other year groups. This allows an entire peer group to assemble for a topic of interest to their level of training, as well as afford an opportunity to socialize with one's peers. The Year Directed conferences may take place at off-campus locations.

R1 Year
The R1 Year-Directed Conferences focus on an in-depth discussion of the presentation, differential diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of a variety of medical complaints including asthma, chest pain and abdominal pain. Future trends are also discussed.  A full day immersion Base Station skills course capstones the year. 

R2 Year
The R2 Year-Directed Conferences are centered around X-ray interpretation, use of diagnostic testing, and emergency procedures. This includes procedure labs for head and neck pathology, intraosseous infusions, and advanced slit lamp use.  A session focusing on didactic teaching skills is held in the summer, and a two day clinical teaching skills course is held in the spring.

R3 Year
The R3 Year-Directed Conferences explore personal (how to prepare a CV, interview for and evaluate a job, prepare for life-long learning, dos and sdont's of arriving at the new job, etc.), administrative and reimbursement topics. These conferences are designed to prepare the EM resident for transition to his or her post-residency career. Personal finances, contract negotiation, career longevity and wellness, ethical dilemmas, and malpractice issues are covered.

Journal Club: Emergency Medicine Journal Club has been a tradition since 1987. It is continuously evolving and (hopefully) improving based on feedback from the Emergency Medicine residents and faculty. In former years, 6-7 articles were critiqued each Journal Club. Since 1995, we have adopted an evidence-based medicine approach. Here is a description of the EM Journal Club:

• JC is generally the 4th Thursday of every block (unless this interferes with a national EM meeting or a holiday) from 7-9 PM at the home of one of the faculty. The first half-hour is dinner and socializing.

• Packets are distributed electronically several days in advance; however our EBM Journal Club is set up so that maximum results can be gained with no prereading. Our EBM worksheets guide the group through the articles using the 2002 JAMA series User's Guide to the Medical Literature.

• The packet contains a clinical scenario which is read to the group. We then ask the group to formulate the question to be answered. We use this as a way to get the group to think about precisely formulating questions from different perspectives (the clinician's, the patient and family's, and the healthcare administrator/payer). An example question: "Do I need to order a helical CT scan when I strongly suspect clinically that a patient has renal colic?"

• Typically, 2 - 3 articles are selected. The attendees are split into groups. They are asked to appoint a leader, then spend 30 minutes analyzing the evidence. For many of the articles, they use critique sheets which are passed out. We try to balance the groups with faculty who have an understanding or training in EBM. Each group is ask to assign a number of 0-10 to the validity of the methods.

• After a half-hour, the groups reconvenes. Each article is briefly (< 3-5 minutes) summarized and the validity score stated. Then the whole group is asked to apply the evidence back to the original scenario. This invariably leads to an interesting discussion of the generalizability of the findings. personal experience, and preferences, rights, and values.

How has this been received? We believe it fair to state this format has been accepted with great enthusiasm. It teaches a skill set and life-long learning tools. And the discussion is more practical because the scenarios are based on real patient encounters or policy questions.

Also, several of our Emergency Medicine faculty have been involved in launching the new Annals of Emergency Medicine series called Evidence-Based Emergency Medicine. Many of the ideas for this series originated in this Emergency Medicine Journal Club.

Book Club: A major EM text is provided to EM resident each year.  Reading program is self directed.  ABEM style questions available from CORD for residents to test their knowledge if various areas of EM from procedures to pediatric focused questions.