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Didactic Curriculum

Weekly Conference

 We combine procedures, simulation, board preparation, and interactive learning throughout our didactic sessions. Every Wednesday we have 4.5 hours of protected time for conference for all residents. This time is spent incorporating a mix of procedure days, simulation, and the Foundations of Emergency Medicine series. We also include special conference days where we use our fellowships to give us hands on learning for topics including Toxicology, Ultrasound, Hyperbarics, Pediatric Care and Integrative medicine. Grand rounds is incorporated biannually and we try to take resident feedback into consideration when planning guest lectures and lecture series. Using resident feedback we have incorporated a malpractice series, financial planning series, and EM documentation series into our lecture curriculum. We have also recognized the importance of and incorporated wellness and diversity equity and inclusion topics for our residents and faculty.

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SAMPLE MONTHLY DIDACTIC SCHEDULE

A DAY

  • Pre Quiz: interactive kahoot competition to test the prereading materials for the Foundations material run by Assistant Program Director 

  • Foundations small groups breakout sessions with summary of learning points. 
    https://foundationsem.com/ (Visit this website for more information on this case based, board preparation learning model) 

  • Lunch provided 

  • Faculty lecture (various topics including community medicine, DEI, wellness, finance, etc) 

  • EKG Deep Dive with Program Director Dr Andonian 

  • Case series and Image of the month lectures (faculty or resident run lectures) 

B DAY

  • Pre Quiz: interactive kahoot competition to test the prereading materials for the Foundations material run by Assistant Program Director 

  • Foundations small groups breakout sessions with summary of learning points. 
    https://foundationsem.com/ (Visit this website for more information on this case based, board preparation learning model) 

  • Lunch provided 

  • PROCEDURE DAY: 

  • Ultrasound station run by fellowship trained US faculty members and fellows 

  • Simulation station in small groups to practice on topic of the day 

  • Procedure station focusing on advanced procedural skills in the EMSTAT lab 

C DAY

  • Patient Safety and Quality (PSQ) Lecture: A monthly one-hour morbidity and mortality conference is held to discuss cases submitted by faculty, residents or nurses, or that are obtained via our hospital reporting system. A PGY-3 resident leads the session with EM faculty members present to guide discussions and offer recommendations to remedy deficits that are identified.   

  • Journal club: Journal article paired with PSQ case to advance learning on a controversial or clinically important topic in emergency medicine. It is overseen by a committee comprised of one permanent member from each of the PGY-3 and PGY-2 classes as well as a faculty advisor. Each academic block, a PGY-2 resident is charged with choosing the articles to be discussed that month and facilitating the conversation the day of journal club. 

  • TLLT lecture: lecture done by 1st year resident while on the Teaching to Learn-Learning to Teach rotation including an interesting topic of their choice and a controversial topic in medicine 

D DAY

Specialty conference days 

  • Upstate also hosts multiple conferences specific to the Upstate region, including an annual Toxicology Conference, Pediatric Emergency Medicine Conference, and Contemporary Issues in Emergency Medicine Conference. Attended by residents, faculty, nurses, prehospital providers, pharmacists and students, these conferences are filled with lectures from our own faculty and provides our residents even more education and training to take into their clinical practice.

  • We also have a yearly Wilderness Medicine Conference and an Ultrasound Extravaganza every year.

  • Anatomy Cadaver Lab is held twice a year for senior residents.

  • We host Grand rounds with guest speakers covering various topics including diversity, medical malpractice and others.

  • We also have dedicated oral board prep days

Multidisciplinary Lectures and Conferences 
  • Trauma drills and trauma conferences involve EM faculty, residents, and nurses, trauma surgery faculty and residents, as well as pre-hospital providers. Trauma drills are conducted as simulations in the trauma bays in the emergency department, with cases developed by emergency medicine residents. The drills include EMS providers who bring the trauma patient from the field, trauma surgery residents and attendings who are part of the trauma surgery team, respiratory therapists, emergency medicine nurses, and emergency medicine residents and attendings. The strong mutually supportive relationship between Upstate's Trauma Surgery Service and the Department of Emergency Medicine is strengthened by this conference.  
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  • We also invite our consult services to teach us about common emergency medicine presentations and subsequent management. Residents from these specialties also run procedure stations to help us hone our skills in certain specialized procedures and examinations, including epistaxis management, how to use the slit lamp, and how to perform the HINTS exam.  
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  • Twice per month, emergency medicine residents and faculty participate in a noon case conference with our internal medicine colleagues, with discussion of interesting cases occurring over lunch. 
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