Curriculum

We are committed to providing a rigorous educational environment that is enjoyable and productive. You will leave here clinically excellent having exposure to a broad base of pathology coupled with the book knowledge to make you a successful emergency physician wherever you choose to practice.

Reimagined in 2015 from the ground up by our residents, our educational curriculum is one of the most innovative in the nation. It seamlessly incorporates succinct textbook readings with the "best-of-the-best" of FOAMed (Free Open Access Medical Education, i.e., Emergency Medicine podcasts, blogs, videos, and other ancillary resources) and must-read primary literature.

The textbook that guides our overall reading schedule is Adams' Emergency Medicine, a comprehensive EM textbook that is succinct and engaging. Each Thursday morning, the required chapters for the week are delivered by email to the resident body ("Adams' On Tap"), and the overall educational topic for the week is defined.

On Sunday morning, another email is sent out containing a curated selection of the best FOAMed and other ancillary resources related to the week's topic ("Jitney Bites"). These resources are short, engaging, clinically relevant, and designed to be ingested "on-the-go." This provides you with a fabulous introduction to the exciting world of FOAMed, and exposes you to leading-edge educational voices in the Emergency Medicine community such as EM Crit, EM:RAP, and others. The emails also contain resources such as EB Medicine reviews, procedural videos, and must-read primary literature. Weekly resources are selected by the current Resident Director of Enhanced Medical Education, a leadership position filled by a senior resident.

On Wednesday morning, it all comes together during our weekly conference. During "Adams' Hour," the chief residents lead engaging lectures, interactive small groups, and other fun educational activities such as "Jeopardy"-style game shows to further review the week's topic and drive the most important points home. During this period, no residents are working in the department. Beyond this formal didactic day, you will encounter morning reports, journal clubs, board review sessions, scholarly tracks, and most importantly, bedside teaching.

Another important element of our program is Slremeducation.org. You will have exclusive access to this educational resources website. Designed and created by a resident with the singular goal of making the educational process as easy and simple as it can possibly be, the site brings together an incredible collection of resources in once place, all mobile optimized for learning on the go: Resident-written rotation guides; weekly board-style question banks; one-click access to dozens of free EM textbooks; an RSS feed containing the most recent posts from the 20 most popular EM blogs. The site has everything you need to hit the ground running, and is constantly updated with new resources. (Want a temporary log-in and password to check out the site? Request one by sending an email to slremeducation@gmail.com.)

Other elements of our program include:

  • Adams' Hour: The first hour of each week led by the Chief Residents reviewing the assigned reading for the week.
  • PGY-2 Follow-Up Talk: Every resident is required to keep a follow-up log. PGY-2 residents choose one case from their log and present an in-depth review of the patient's ED and inpatient course.  After the interactive case discussion, residents will present teaching points and an up-to-date evidence-based review on the diagnosis that was presented.
  • PGY-3 QI/M&M: Each third year will be assigned a case to review as part of the departmental M&M process. This involves a thorough chart review, interviews with the providers involved in the patient's care, and a summary write-up for the QI Committee in conjunction with one of the faculty members on that committee. The case is presented at the monthly QI meeting and then subsequently in conference as part of the departmental M&M session.
  • PGY3 Senior Topic: This lecture is a highlight of the senior resident's year. Each resident chooses a topic to present in an hour-long talk.  The goal is to master the literature, understand management, and provide cutting-edge evidence for the audience. This is a beginning to identifying an area of expertise for future teaching experiences as well.
  • Pediatric Case Conference Series: Focusing on the pediatric EM core curriculum, each month we hold an hour session using case-based small groups to discuss a pediatric topic (e.g., cardiac emergencies, neurologic emergencies, toxic ingestions).
  • Ultrasound Lectures: Each month, our ultrasound core faculty members and fellows give a presentation on emergency ultrasound.  Formats of the sessions include jeopardy, traditional didactics, ultrasound Olympics, and hands-on sessions.
  • Program Director and Chief Rounds: This session focuses on visual diagnosis during which one of the members of the residency leadership presents as well as the chief residents.
  • Journal Watch: Each month, two faculty members present highlights of 10 recent and relevant articles from the literature.  A quick overview of the current literature keeps the residents up to date, different from the in-depth critical appraisal of Journal Club.
  • Ethics Curriculum: A quarterly session dealing with issues relevant to medical ethics and emergency medicine. Sessions are typically a combination of teaching points followed by small group breakout sessions.
  • Follow-up Conference: Residents come to conference prepared for an hour session during which we discuss interesting cases from their follow-up logs. The conference is case-based, interactive, and uses real patient images and data. This is separate from the PGY-2 follow-up lecture, which focuses more on one case with in-depth teaching.
  • Oral Boards: Quarterly, residents practice oral board scenarios. Multiple stations are set up with different faculty preceptors. We follow the format of the oral boards that residents will take upon graduation. After each case, faculty members provide teaching on both the methods involved with passing the case as well as the salient teaching points related to the case. On these days, residents also rotate through the SIM lab in addition to the weekly simulation sessions.
  • Departmental M&M: Each month, the chairman and other members of the CQI committee present cases identified through the departmental quality improvement processes and referrals. Cases are reviewed in depth, the outcome of the QI committee investigation are reviewed, and any changes to systems within the department as a result of the case are discussed.
  • EM/Critical Care Conference:  Quarterly, the EM and IM Chief Residents present a case for discussion containing elements of diagnosis and care interesting from both the emergency medicine and critical care disciplines.
  • Grand Rounds: A highlight of conference during which an outside speaker is brought in for two hours of didactics and discussion.  Speakers are nationally recognized, published emergency physicians.
  • Journal Club: Journal club is our more formal evidence-based medicine curriculum. Most sessions take place within our conference schedule, but several sessions throughout the year are held at one of the faculty members' homes. During this time, residents are pre-assigned articles to review by class and then break into small groups for discussion. Each month is linked with a key topic in evidence-based medicine. Additional conferences take place throughout the year that are all-day sessions. These include the all NYC-wide EM conferences as well as our own all day interactive seminars. Recent examples of these include: Airway Day, Pediatric Trauma Simulation Day, Disaster Day, Ultrasound Symposium, and our own Sim Competition. Each week, a group of three to five residents spend the first two hours of conference in the Sim Lab with our simulation faculty prior to joining the rest of conference. This allows for regular exposure to Simulation for the residents.