Approximately 1/3 of all community ED presentations are pediatric patients. This component of Emergency Medicine training is seldom sought after by EM residents, but nearly every poll of recent EM residency graduates identifies pediatrics as an area new attending physicians wish they had more exposure to during training. Memphis is very lucky to have both Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital as part of the Methodist hospital system and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Residents will receive training at Le Bonheur, where there is also an active Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship that jointly rotates in the adult setting alongside our residents.  Residents who are interested in pediatric research have both St. Jude and Le Bonheur to work with on projects ranging from simple surveys to advanced cancer research. This is an unparalleled training experience that will pay off for the rest of your career.

Orthopedic complaints make up a large percentage of chief complaints at any community ED, yet they are seldom given much training time during residency programs. The Department is associated with Campbell’s Clinic at Methodist University and Regional One Health, which is one of the top training programs in the country for orthopedic surgery. Residents in the program will benefit from hands-on instruction by senior orthopedic residents and attending physicians, as well as hands-on programs like the Splint Application Seminar and didactic teaching from the best in the world. You will leave the program knowing you have state-of-the art information and techniques for a high-volume and potentially high-risk component of Emergency Medicine.

Trauma training takes place at the Elvis Presley Trauma Center at Regional One Health, one of the most active trauma services in the United States, with a heavy daily case load of both “penetrating” and “blunt” trauma. Residents run the trauma ED. From intern year through graduation, residents will spend multiple months each year running traumas alongside an attending. Cases include everything from minor sprains and lacerations up to major (level 1) traumas in which the entire Trauma Surgery team is activated. This environment pushes residents to learn time management as they will be the sole resident responsible for the 18-bed ER. In addition, PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents alternate with anesthesia with regards to airway management. All in all, these are challenging and busy months, and they will prepare them for any trauma patients they will see in the future.

ICU rotations at Methodist, Baptist, Regional One, and Le Bonheur offer residents exposure to highly complex and critically ill patients. Critical care exposure includes pediatric research facilities, multiple active transplant services, regional stroke, neurological services, cardiac services, ECMO, and the regional trauma service. Residents can expect to become comfortable managing the sickest patients on a routine basis. 

Critical care exposure includes highly advanced medical management with substantial opportunities to hone procedural skills. Residents admit and follow these critically ill patients to the ICU for continued care, which, in turn, improves their initial emergent management of critical patients.

Residents rotate at Regional One Health with the academic high-risk OB team. We also have an OB standard and difficult/complicated delivery simulation laboratory that allows for simulated routine and breach presentations and allows for simulation of the emergent management of maternal complications.

EMS is an integral part of any Emergency Medicine Residency, and EMS ride-along time is part of the training. Residents also receive disaster training in the form of basic disaster response and protocols, Community Emergency Response Team training, and basic training on dealing with nuclear, chemical, and biological hazards. Advanced training is available as part of trainee’s electives and can include time at US National training centers for urban disasters, biological agents, chemical agents, and nuclear accidents and incidents.

This is an exciting and high yield month. Initial basic intubation and airway management are taught in the very first month of the residency. During your anesthesia month, you will be expected to log planned intubations each morning and then cover some advanced airway techniques with anesthesia staff. Later, a wide assortment of additional advanced airway rescue techniques will be taught in simulation and implemented as called for in the ED. The surgical airways will also be covered. In the afternoon, after intubating the early afternoon planned surgical candidates, you will report to the ED and ultrasound patients that have suitable complaints and who will be getting confirmatory chest x-rays, abdominal and pelvic ultrasounds, and CT scans. Residents will partake in routine quality assurance reviews. As always, the simulation lab will precede your clinical experience so that you can make the most of the patient interactions you have.