Medical Student Training
The Department of Emergency Medicine offers a 4-week clerkship that is open to all fourth-year medical students and to those third-year medical students who have completed the pediatric, surgery, and medicine clerkships. This clerkship is comprised of clinical shifts, a day in simulation lab, an ultrasound workshop, and case conferences. Our faculty is dedicated to teaching Emergency Medicine and as a result, the Emergency Medicine clerkship has been the top rated clerkship as rated by the AAMC exit interview for 7 years running. Students can take the clerkship at UIHC, St. Luke’s Hospital, Broadlawns Medical Center, Burlington, Waterloo, or Sioux City.
In addition to the traditional Emergency Medicine clerkship, our department offers an Advance Life Support class only in Block 1. Students gain exposure to the rigors of Emergency Medicine as well as certification in BLS, ACLS, and PALS. The Advanced Life Support class is typically taken by fourth-year medical students with a strong interest in applying to an Emergency Medicine residency.
The department also offers a wilderness medicine course each spring. The highlight of this 4-week elective is a backpacking trip to Colorado and a canoe trip in the Ozarks.
In addition to clinical offerings, several faculty members serve as mentors for medical student research projects, research distinction track students, and service distinction track students. Many departmental faculty members serve as facilitators for small groups in the preclinical curriculum for medical students.