EMed Rotation Resources
Written by Elizabeth Yim, MD
Chances are, if you’re reading this post, you’re gearing up to start your EM rotation. By now, most likely, you have figured out if you like listening to podcasts, hitting the question banks, or something in between. Here are some of the resources that I used on my rotation or have heard great things about:
My Top-Tier Resources:
EMRA booklets: These are LIFESAVERS! If you sign up for an EMRA membership, they will send you these pocket-sized booklets that you can whip out and reference in real-time. One of my favorites was “Basics of Emergency Medicine, A Chief Complaint-Based Guide” which listed the must-not-miss diagnoses and most probably diagnoses for the most common chief complaints
EM Clerkship Podcast: For those with short attention spans, these 5-minute episodes are perfect for highlighting the need-to-know about the most common things you’ll see in an ED. There are even a few episodes dedicated to how to get a killer SLOE
CORDEMBlog has a page with helpful links to procedures that you will be able to do or watch in the ED. Being prepared to do a lac repair or put in a Foley saves your residents valuable time and allows you to gain procedural experience
MDCalc is a must-have app on your phone. Being able to quickly calculate HEART scores or refer to the Ottawa Ankle Rules are just some of the benefits of having this readily accessible
RoshReview is a tried and true question bank for EM that I found helpful
SAEM has high yield information about typical presentations, differential diagnoses, diagnostic studies, and management plans for common presentations. There are also quizlets available online if your shelf is written by SAEM
5 minute Sono has great videos that will help familiarize you with how to do an ultrasound. I would try to watch at least the Basics, Cardiac, and EFast videos
ACLS Algorithms is a good place to familiarize yourself with cardiac arrest algorithms so you have an idea of what’s going on during a code and because it’s often tested on EM shelf exams
EMRA’s “Patient Presentations in EM” is a great 3-minute video about how to present concisely to your residents and attendings
Life in the Fast Lane is a great library of EKGs. As a medical student, you will be expected to have an organized system of interpreting EKGs and should be able to identify STEMIs, AV Blocks, and other common patterns
Honorable Mentions:
EMBasic, EMCrit, CoreEM are some other podcasts that have been recommended to me that I found helpful
Case Files Emergency Medicine is another installment in this popular series. If you’re a fan of the others, chances are that you’ll find this book useful too
EM Secrets gives you rapid-fire, high yield information in a Q&A format
Of course, using all of these resources in a short 4-week rotation is not realistic. As in any rotation, find what works best for you and stick to those resources. Be open to learning on shift; I found that remembering patient presentations and the work-up we did helped me the most in approaching my subsequent patients and on my shelf. Best of luck!
