To augment the weekly conferences, residents are given the flexibility to complete one topic-based module per month.  Each module consists of up to 4 hours of online lectures and questions that are related to the assigned topic of the month.  Residents complete these assignments at their convenience.  All of the online resources are available at any computer with internet access and many of the lectures can be downloaded to personal devices such as iPods. The modules are constructed to augment the weekly conferences and may be used as credit towards conference attendance.

Residents are also given access through the residency to Rosh Review, a high quality question bank, and EMRA membership which includes access to the popular EMRAP series. 

Essential to the practice of emergency medicine is the acquisition of procedural skills. Procedural skills laboratories are held in the Jefferson Medical College’s Department of Anatomy cadaver lab. A dedicated procedural skills laboratory is done to teach and practice rare procedures. Procedures include lateral canthotomy, needle and open cricothyroidotomy, pericardiocentesis, needle and open chest tube thoracostomy, and venous cutdown. 

Currently, our EM residents have two weeks of formal ultrasound training during their first year of residency where they have at least eight, 8-hour scanning shifts and are paired with a credentialed EM attending or fellow. During the rotation, a number of ultrasound learning materials are made available on a department issued iPad for assigned readings. Each resident performs ultrasound scans on ED patients who require an ultrasound based upon their clinical presentation and received real-time instruction on the practical aspects of ultrasound performance. All scans are recorded and saved for later review. Each Monday of the rotation the resident participates in a formal three-hour didactic session along with review of ultrasounds done by the ultrasound faculty and fellow. All scans done in the EDs of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Methodist Hospital are reviewed by the EM ultrasound faculty. 

Residents spend 6 weeks on the EM Administration and Teaching (EMAT) block (2 weeks as a PGY2, 4 weeks as a PGY3).  During this time, the resident has a number of formal teaching responsibilities including presentations at conference, organization and participation in Journal Club, bedside teaching of junior learners and didactic lectures and simulation skill sessions to rotating medical students. EM procedural skills such as lumbar puncture, central line placement, arthrocentesis and suturing are covered by the resident during the skill sessions.   Additional EMAT duties during the rotation include participation in an ongoing continuous quality improvement (CQI) projects and attendance at departmental administrative meetings to better understand the business-side of emergency medicine.

A formal scholarly project is a residency requirement. Residents may accomplish in a number of different ways such as collaboration with a faculty member in clinical or laboratory research, epidemiologic surveys, written case reports, or book chapters. The Department of Emergency Medicine is home to two laboratories devoted to basic science research in neurologic and cardiac injury research and provides a unique opportunity to the resident interested in a laboratory experience.

With regards to elective time, there are 2 weeks in the second year and 4 weeks in the third year that can be used for a variety of activities. A resident may use that time to complete their scholarly project, receive clinical experiences to enhance their education, or travel for a medical experience. 

Selective tracks allow residents to develop a deeper understanding of a specific area of interest during their residency.  It is designed to provide formal education along with experiences tailored to the resident’s interests and give them a level of expertise for use in their future careers. Residents meet with one of the program directors to discuss specific areas of interest.  Once decided, the resident is assigned to the track’s faculty mentor for specific assignments. All tracks teach the resident skills in public speaking, scientific writing and presentation, education, and administration.