Proposed Curriculum for an “Observational” International Emergency Medicine Fellowship Program

Abstract

Abstract. This article presents information on considerations involved in setting up and conducting fellowship training programs in emergency medicine (EM) for physicians from other countries. General goals for these programs are to assist in providing physicians from other countries with the knowledge and skills needed to further develop EM in their home countries. The authors report their opinions, based on their cumulative extensive experiences, on the necessary and optional structural elements to consider for international EM fellowship programs. Because of U.S. medical licensing restrictions, much of the proposed programs' content would be ''observational'' rather than involving direct ''hands-on'' clinical EM training. Due to the very recent initiation of these programs in the United States, there has not yet been reported any scientific evaluation of their structure or efficacy. International EM fellowship programs involving mainly observational EM experience can serve as one method to assist in EM development in other countries. Future studies should assess the impact and efficacy of these programs.

Is the current South African emergency medicine curriculum fit for purpose? An emergency medicine practice analysis

“…An international workgroup has been set up by the International Federation of Emergency Medicine to draft a curriculum for the EM medical school curriculum 24 25. This is a starting point to developing set standards and programmes worldwide.…”

History of the development of international emergency medicine

“…Members of the SAEM International Interest Group published a series of articles that provided the academic underpinning and literature basis for organized international EM development efforts [4]. These articles included recommended curricula for international observational EM fellowships and international fellowship programs for United States EM residency graduates [7,15]. In addition, a listing all of the references published up to that time on international EM was compiled.…”

Core Curricular Elements for Fellowship Training in International Emergency Medicine

“…Because of this funding model, eligibility is restricted to graduates of U.S. or Canadian EM residency programs or individuals who are otherwise board‐eligible or board‐certified in EM. In addition to the IEM fellowship programs described above, there are a growing number of training programs for medical graduates from outside the United States and Canada who wish to gain expertise and exposure to the North American system of EM 35 . These positions are typically funded by the government of the participant’s home country, another sponsoring agency or institution, or separate grant funding.…”