Logistics

  • There are dedicated Resident lockers in the locker room by the administrative offices. These are shared lockers so please refrain from leaving anything valuable. Also it is a co-ed locker room with dedicated male and female bathrooms so please use these for changing. There will be no storage of personal items elsewhere in the department so please make use the lockers. The locker numbers and combinations are listed on the master shift schedule.
  • No food is allowed in the clinical areas of the department and beverages must be in a fully spillproof container – this will be strictly enforced.

Shift Swaps
You may swap a shift with another resident, though this is generally discouraged. The schedule is made to maximize the ED coverage based on experience and PGY level. If you do have to switch please try to do this first with residents of the same PGY level. All switches must be approved by emailing katarzyna_gore@rush.edu and julie_mendez@rush.edu. When rotating in the ED you must follow the Emergency Medicine ACGME requirements for duty hours which are likely different from your other rotations:

  • You must have an equivalent number of hours off as the shift you just completed (9hr shift = 9hrs off, 12hr shift = 12hrs off)
  • You cannot work more than 12 hours in any 24 hour period
  • You must have 1 day off in 7
  • You cannot work more than 60 clinical or 72 total duty hours per week
  • No more than 5 daytime shifts or 4 overnight shifts in a row

Absences
If you need to miss a shift, please contact katarzyna_gore@rush.edu and julie_mendez@rush.edu to arrange coverage for your absence. You will be required to make up this shift later in the schedule or in the next block. Unexcused missed shifts will not be tolerated and will penalized with a requirement of 2 shifts for everyone one missed. This will also be noted on your final evaluation as unprofessional behavior.  Similarly, if you are late more than 20 minutes you will be sent home and scheduled to make up the shift at a later date.

Lectures
In general the ED Residency lectures are on every other Thursday morning in the ED West Conference Room.  You can view the lecture schedule from the Conference tab. We encourage you to attend as many of these conferences as you are able.

Evaluations
Your evaluation comes from end-of-shift evaluations which you must complete with your attending at the end of each assigned shift. We also encourage you to complete resident-initiated evaluations of your attendings and overall rotation evaluations on MedHub. Your feedback is taken very seriously and we strive to improve the rotation every year so please let us know if you have any suggestions.

On-shift Logistics:

  • Residents are expected to be present on time for their scheduled shifts to take over care of those patients whose work-up and management is in progress; as well as start the evaluation and treatment of new individuals who present to the department during their shifts.
  • Residents are expected to write-up complete and accurate history & physical exams, review old patient records when available, to confirm medication profiles with patients and families, and to assist primary care providers in the care of their patients.
  • Residents are expected to share the burden of patient load in a fair manner with their cohorts and inform the attending physician on duty of any difficulties that might be arising.
  • Residents are expected to interact with physicians of different services in a collegial manner and make them selves available to assist in providing the best care for patients and their families.
  • Residents will be expected to develop more detailed differential diagnoses and streamlined work-up and treatment plans as they advance from PGY1 to PGY3 in their respective residency programs.
  • Residents will be responsible for calling for consults, giving report and (if necessary) contacting primary care physicians of the patients they are caring for in the department.

Rotation Objectives
In turn, our responsibility to you is to provide you with an education regarding Emergency Medicine. It is our goal that by the end of the rotation, you should be able to:

  • Develop improved and focused clinical evaluations, differential diagnoses and diagnostic plans.
  • Demonstrate basic proficiency in procedural skills such as wound care, suturing, and splinting and resuscitations.
  • Demonstrate respectful and compassionate use of medical skills for all individuals.
  • Demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to patients’ culture, age, gender, sexual orientation, and/or disabilities.
  • Communicate clearly and respectfully with patients and their families.
  • Create a positive relationship with the patient and family to assure optimal medical care, assuring the emotional and cultural needs and expectations of all patients.
  • Work effectively and professionally  with others within the department (nursing and ancillary staff) and those on other services to promote optimal patient care.
  • Communicate effectively with primary care providers concerning their patients’ clinical presentations, assessments, conditions, and disposition planning.

We look forward to working with you and hope your rotation in the department is a valuable educational experience.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns that arise during the course of your rotation.