Embedding Medical Students in the Emergency Department: The Teachable Moments

Abstract

Emergency departments (EDs) are busy places with various processes and activities going on simultaneously. As a result of this, there is much interaction, communications and coordination at any point in time. EDs are also places where there are many good signs and symptoms for medical students to do their learning. They provide a very rich learning and teaching environment. Fourth year medical students doing their Emergency Medicine rotation, were embedded into small teams with residents and faculty for their experiential learning process, for the clinical part of the programme. This allowed them to have a lot of hands-on practice, a realistic picture of the acute presentations ED patients had, empowerment to perform procedures under appropriate supervision and a lot of informal interaction and communications with emergency physicians. The small teams provided the students with a low student-faculty ratio and lots of opportunities to learn and ask questions. This pilot programme has obtained very positive feedback from both students and faculty, and will thus be expanded and strengthened further in the new academic year. Embedding enables both students and faculty to seize the 'teachable moments' any opportunity they have, to make the best use and benefit from them.