To follow-up with Dr. Connolly’s perspective about the Top 10 tips for medical students to rock the EM clerkship rotation, I thought I would post some additional tips. Here are some more pearls:

11. Take ownership of your patients. 

This means that you should take it upon yourself to make sure that your patient’s care is stellar, addresses key clinical and social issues, and is timely. Constantly check for your patient’s results. Don’t be the last to hear of your patient’s lab or imaging results. Figure out why there are unexpected delays. Address any psychosocial issues which may hamper your patient’s clinical improvement in the ED. (more…)

It’s that time of year again. When medical students interested in EM are stressing over doing well on their EM rotation.

Here’s a very insightful guest post from Dr. James Connolly, who is a new PGY-1 resident at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia. I’ll write my personal top-10 list next week, from the perspective of a faculty member.

Many MS4 interested in emergency medicine will be starting their EM Sub-I’s in the next few weeks and are naturally wondering what to expect, and how they can be successful, both in terms of getting a strong letter of recommendation, and all while still having a fun and enjoyable rotation. With that in mind, I’d like to present a unique “Top Ten” list, written with the aim of helping the student succeed on his or her upcoming rotation. The list is my own, based on my experiences during three EM rotations last year as a medical student.  I’ve also asked a few of my fellow interns for their input on the list, so the list really reflects thoughts of a handful of people who recently successfully matched into emergency medicine.