Program Structure

Clerkship Schedule

Your schedule will include a variety of day, evening and night shifts. You will be given 12 shifts during the four-week period. You may only make changes in your schedule with prior approval by your Site Director. The schedules will be provided the week prior to your start date. You are NOT allowed to stack shifts to take time off during the rotation. Due to the vast number of learners competing for shifts in each Emergency Department, we cannot always accommodate requests for days off. You must be available to complete shifts throughout your entire rotation. You must receive approval from the UME office for any absence during the rotation. Students are not permitted to be scheduled during (or after 2200 the night before) any of the mandatory small group teaching sessions. A non-approved missed shift will impact your final grade and may cause you to fail the rotation.

Mandatory events for each rotation include: Site-Specific Orientation, Monday AM Seminars, High Yield Clinical Sessions, Ultrasound Session, Simulation Session, and MCQ Exam.


Orientation

The first Monday will be a MANDATORY orientation to your rotation. If your first Monday is a statutory holiday, the orientation will be held on Tuesday at the discretion of your specific Site Director.


Recommended Readings

Please access the MED 558 Webpage with the link provided in your orientation manual and emails. This site contains the required pre-reading for your academic sessions as well as other suggested resources.

The following are also resources that students are encouraged to access for the rotations/electives and utilize in preparing for the end-of-rotation exam:

  • Rosens Emergency Medicine (Volume 1, Part 2 - Cardinal Presentations)
  • Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine
  • "First Exposure to Emergency Medicine Clerkship" by Lance Hoffman et al. (2004)
  • UpToDate EM
  • eMedicine

Mandatory Small Group Teaching Sessions

There are three seminar sessions that will be held throughout the rotation and all are mandatory. Please follow your specific rotation's schedule for the dates, locations, topics and instructors for these sessions. You will be required to complete an evaluation on MedSIS following each session. A portion of your final evaluation will be based on your attendance, punctuality and participation in these seminars. A non-approved absence will impact your final clerkship evaluation and may cause you to fail the rotation.

You are also encouraged to attend these other sessions:

  • EM Academic Half-Day - 9:00 am to noon every Tuesday, Classroom D (2F1.04 WMC), University of Alberta Hospital
  • EM Journal Club - 6:30 pm on the final Wednesday of each month, location TBA. The journal articles should be read prior to attending and dinner is provided. The schedule is posted on the department website and in the ED.

You may attend these rounds during a time you are scheduled for a shift, provided you attend the remainder of your shift before and after the rounds. Please bring a note signed by an attending emergency physician indicating you were present at the rounds.

If you are not scheduled to work a shift, you are also welcome to attend these other emergency rounds:

  • Pediatric EM Rounds - 9:30 -10:30 am Thursday morning. Once per month, a business meeting takes place instead of rounds, so please call (780) 407-3667 for schedule and location.

Please note you may not attend these rounds if you are scheduled to work a shift in the Emergency Department.


Pre-Hospital EMS Exposure

Although not a mandatory part of your rotation, you may wish to consider a ground ambulance observership during your rotation. Any questions regarding the ride-along program can be directed to edm.emsridealong@ahs.ca.


Evaluation

For every shift you work, your preceptor must complete a Daily Evaluation Form. These forms are now being completed online by using the assessment link provided to all rotation students. It is your responsibility to ensure that the forms are submitted by your preceptors at the end of each shift. These Daily Evaluation Forms will then be used by your Site Director when completing your final rotation assessment and are also used to confirm your shift attendance. If you do not complete these forms, you will not get credits for your rotation. Your final MD Assessment will be available for viewing on MedSIS after you have completed the required rotation and preceptor forms.


Rotation, Preceptor and Resident Evaluation Form

Rotation, preceptor and resident evaluation forms will be distributed to you through MedSIS; please ensure these forms are completed. At least six preceptor evaluation forms must be completed in order for you to view your MD Assessment following the rotation.


Final Clerkship Mark

Your final clerkship mark consists of the following components:

  • Rotation Evaluation: 60%
  • MCQ Exam: 40% (the exam consists of 50 multiple choice questions and is written on the last Friday)