Curriculum

Simulated patient care is essential in fellowship training to improve our skills in the high acuity clinical presentations and procedures that are infrequently encountered even in our busy tertiary care level one trauma children’s hospital. Each month we dedicate one weekly conference to spend in our Simulation Lab, which has been accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare in the areas of Teaching/Education and Systems Integration. We utilize high-fidelity patient simulators in neonatal, pediatric, adolescent, adult and obstetric techniques to simulate clinical cases in which our fellows act as both teachers and learners with participation from our attending faculty. We are able to fine tune our procedural skills using synthetic tissue models, we integrate use of ultrasound simulation technology, and receive feedback through audio/video recordings. We participate in larger workshops with the EM residency on difficult airway management and vascular access utilizing state of the art equipment and cadavers brought in by outside representatives. Our fellows enjoy organizing and leading workshops of PEM procedures and clinical scenarios for EM and pediatric residents. They practice the art of navigating difficult conversations and breaking bad news through an innovative program of improvisational role play sessions with professional actors that provides personal feedback from experts in the field including actual patients and parents. They also have regular opportunities to participate in system-wide trauma simulations that occur in the department and include ED nursing staff, trauma surgeons as well as PICU physicians and staff.

During PEM fellowship you will have dedicated Ultrasound Training as part of the curriculum. We coordinate a PEM POCUS curriculum that entails both interactive didactic sessions and bedside applications of ultrasonography. Our close relationship with our EM Ultrasound Fellowship Program is also a tremendous asset to our program. PEM and Ultrasound fellows often work together in scanning patients at bedside and are engaged in joint research projects.

Our program is deeply integrated with the EMS faculty that provides medical direction for our county ground and air EMS services. Our fellows work alongside the EMS faculty and fellows at the clinical and academic levels. Fellows will participate in on scene medical care and direction, first-responders education, and countywide EMS activities.

Our EM faculty has toxicology boarded specialists who are involved in the didactic and clinical training of our fellows. Our curriculum provides an ongoing toxicology review through didactic presentations, case reviews, and simulation scenarios.

Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellows participate in a quarterly held Journal Club that helps build critical evaluation skills and knowledge of the most important clinical literature. As a fellow, in consultation with a faculty member, you will choose a preferred article, prepare a presentation in an organized evidence-based medicine format, and lead a discussion. These days promote great conversations between both PEM faculty and fellows in an educational but always fun offsite environment.

This course is comprised with fellows and faculty from pediatric subspecialty and emergency medicine fellowship training programs. The course focuses on providing a structured presentation of academic and scholarly skills. Topics which we cover in this course include developing a research question, research designs, statistical analysis, project development, scholarly presentation and dissemination.

Each summer, Dr. Brandon Carr leads a team of physicians, nurses, and medical students on an international medical mission trip. We partner with local teams and set up medical clinics in remote and underserved areas of the world. Teams have travelled to Africa, South America, Asia, and the Caribbean. Pediatric emergency medicine fellows work primarily as medical providers and teachers to medical students. There are opportunities to perform ultrasounds as well as minor procedures. These experiences allow you to gain a closer look at the medical needs in other parts of the world and to help communities with significant needs. These projects also provide much personal growth and development for those who participate. We hope you will come on a trip during your fellowship!