EM Student Electives

Students will work alongside the toxicology resident/fellow on call. When there is a consultation from the Emergency Department, the resident/fellow will notify the student, who will have the responsibility of writing the consult. Student will then discuss the case with the fellow, and make treatment recommendations. 

OBJECTIVES

1. To identify and treat the major toxidromes
2. The assessment and management of metabolic acidosis
3. To identify non-clinical patterns of toxicologic illness (e.g., ECG findings consistent with ingested intoxicants)
4. To learn the management of acetaminophen poisoning
5. To learn the management of aspirin toxicity
6. To learn the management of tricyclic antidepressant poisoning

Location: UMMHC - University Campus

For more information, please contact Jeffery Lai, MD

This is a 2-week elective offered during the spring.

REQUIREMENTS

1. Attend UMMMC hospital, ground ambulance orientation and safety seminars and briefings.
2. Attend weekly EM Resident Conference.
3. Attend all aspects of the EMS clinical rotation to include command shifts, ambulance shifts, Emergency Medical Dispatch shifts and medical director clinical shifts.
4. Complete an evaluation of the Medical Student Clinical Elective in Emergency Medical Services.

OBJECTIVES

1. Understand EMS in the Central Massachusetts area.
2. Obtain focused history and physical exams in the pre-hospital setting with undifferentiated illness or injury.
3. Recognize seriously ill patients and how to treat immediate life threats.
4. Interact with all levels and members of the pre-hospital health team.
5. Understand the process of medical oversight and quality assurance in pre-hospital medicine.

METHODS

1. Didactic sessions in Emergency Medicine, Disaster Medicine and Emergency Medical Services.
2. Supervised practice by attending paramedics of pre-hospital patient assessments and basic life support skills to include but not limited to CPR, bandaging, splinting and spinal immobilization.
3. Direct observation of paramedics providing advanced life support skills in the pre-hospital setting to include but not limited to IV / IO insertion, defibrillation  / cardioversion, ECG Interpretation, drug therapy and advanced airways.
4. Active participation in EMS and LifeFlight concurrent quality assurance practices and meetings.
5. Direct observation of EMS medical directors in field environment and attending to patients in the emergency room and their interactions with pre-hospital providers.
6. Active participation with UMass Chan Medical School 4^th year students in the EM Simulation Laboratory.
7. Participation in the planning and EMS response to at a crowd medicine event.

Location: UMMHC - University Campus

For more information, please contact Timothy Boardman, MD

The wilderness medicine elective is a combination of lectures, hands-on skills training, and simulation scenarios to help students gain an appreciation for low-resource medicine and treatment of common injuries and illnesses encountered in the wilderness setting.  Students will learn splinting, emergency patient transport, and life-saving wilderness procedures.

Class will involve self-study assignments, didactic sessions, and hands-on with outdoor sessions. Didactic sessions may be in-person or virtual. Active and hands-on outdoors sessions will include planning and executing patient assessments and treatments, patient evacuations, and survival skills with optional weather-dependent outdoor activity options including hiking, biking, climbing, and camping with interspersed simulations. Not all classrooms have four walls.

TOPICS

• Altitude ilness
• Avalanche
• Lightning
• Envenomations
• Toxic plants
• Frostbite
• Dive Emergencies
• Wilderness survival skills

DATE: This elective is usually held for 2 weeks in early April.

For more information, please contact Hillary Irons, MD