Graduated Responsibility
Graduated responsibility is a hallmark of our emergency medicine experience:
PGY-1 residents focus on building their knowledge of EM and applying this knowledge to manage ill and injured patients in the emergency department.
PGY-2 residents develop the ability to manage higher patient volumes and higher-acuity patients (including trauma activations) and begin to assume responsibility for one area of the emergency department.
PGY-3 residents continue to see patients throughout our ED while also functioning in a supervisory role as they manage half of the emergency department and also teach students rotating in emergency medicine.
Year One
PGY-1 residents begin with an orientation block that eases the transition to residency. The orientation block intermingles introductory ED shifts with intern-only didactics, procedure labs, and sim sessions, and also allows new residents time to bond as a class. The remainder of the year is a mix of emergency medicine rotations, key specialty rotations to develop skills and knowledge relevant to emergency medicine, and early exposure to specific career paths in EM through rotations in Ultrasound, EMS, and community EM.
UAMS
- EM Orientation (1 block)
- ED (4.5 blocks)
- Anesthesiology/Ultrasound (1 block)
- OB/L&D (1 block)
- Trauma Surgery (1 month)
Arkansas Children’s Hospital
- Pediatric anesthesia (0.5 block)
- Pediatric EM (1 block)
Baptist Health – Little Rock
- EMS (1 block)
- ED (1 block)
John L. McClellan Memorial Veteran’s Hospital
- MICU (1 block)
Year Two
The PGY-2 curriculum focuses more heavily on emergency medicine, as residents begin to assume more responsibility and manage the sickest patients (including trauma patients) in the emergency department. Critical care rotations build comfort with the management of complex high-acuity patients and provide additional opportunities for procedural proficiency. PGY-2 pediatric emergency medicine shifts are integrated into each emergency medicine block to expose residents to the full breadth of seasonal pediatric illnesses and injuries.
UAMS
- ED (9 blocks)
- SICU (1 block)
- Ultrasound (1 block*)
Arkansas Children’s Hospital
- Toxicology (1 block*)
- PICU (1 block)
- ED (2-4 shifts during each UAMS ED block)
John L. McClellan Veterans Hospital
- MICU (1 block)
* Toxicology and Ultrasound run concurrently
Year Three
The PGY-3 curriculum emphasizes emergency medicine experience so that senior residents can continue to deepen their knowledge base and hone their clinical efficiency to prepare for independent practice after residency. Integrated pediatric emergency medicine shifts continue during the emergency medicine blocks. A longitudinal toxicology curriculum features monthly group sessions facilitated by faculty from the Arkansas Poison Center. Administration and Teaching rotations serve as opportunities for residents to explore non-clinical aspects of emergency medicine. This year includes two elective rotations; residents can choose from existing elective options (including Orthopedics/Sports Medicine, Digital Health/Clinical Informatics, Healthcare Disparities/Social Determinants of Health, observation medicine, medical education, research, regional anesthesia pain management, and Medical Ethics/Palliative Care), or they may develop novel electives to pursue their own areas of interest.
UAMS
- ED (9 blocks)
- Elective (2 blocks)
- Administration (1 block)
- Teaching (1 block)
Arkansas Children’s Hospital
- ED (2-4 shifts during each UAMS ED month)