Take initiative and jump on in! Pick up new patients when they appear on the board or when EMS brings a patient back into your pod. Even if a patient is seen by a resident as well and it is not your primary patient, this is still a great learning opportunity and a chance to present and go over your plans/differentials.
Offer to take histories, call nursing homes or family members for collateral information. This is extremely helpful to the team.
Reassess your patients after an intervention and, unless there is something critical happening in the pod, let them know (for example, "the patient is feeling better after Tylenol.")
There are a lot of learning opportunities in the department. Stay alert for cool procedures or resuscitations.
Keep your presentations concise and organized. We want to hear the pertinent positives and negatives to rule in or rule out life threats. The key to an organized presentation is to go over your review of systems. A good history and physical will lead to a solid differential, which will lead to a solid plan.
Prioritize your tasks, especially in busy settings.
Review common conditions: chest pain, stroke, trauma, and respiratory distress.
Know differential diagnoses and stay systematic in your approach.
SAEM MS4 curriculum is a fantastic resource that goes over general approaches to chief complaints, common complaints, and life threats.
Stay flexible – ER shifts are unpredictable.
Be ready to switch between patients quickly, prioritizing life-threatening cases.
Embrace the variety and unpredictability of emergency medicine.