Emergency Medicine Residency Training

Written By: Rachael Kaine

Beginning Your Emergency Medicine Residency

This type of program differs slightly in organization depending on the institution that you’re going through, but the basic idea behind it remains the same: to provide medical students with the experience and education that they need in order to be successful within emergency rooms and medical facilities across the nation. Many organizations limit the number of residents that they accept each year to very small numbers, meaning that the selection process is very thorough, and you must work hard in order to appeal to potential schools. A Georgetown emergency medicine residency is a three year program that combines on the job experience with learning in a classroom or lecture setting. The varied opportunities give residents a chance to stay busy, stay focused, and stay educated about the things that they will need to learn in order to practice medicine on their own after graduation.

The first step of an emergency medicine residency is choosing your desired program, and this should be done with some careful consideration. Not only will you be spending multiple years learning about patients and medicine, but you’ll be living in the city you’re working in, meaning that location is important, too. In addition to choosing a program in a desirable area, you’ll want to carefully look into past experiences with the program and find out if participants were happy, fulfilled and highly recommend the program for students like you.

Emergency Medicine Residency Explained

There are many different things involved in completing an emergency medicine residency, and your rotation may not be the same as all of the other residents, especially when it comes to the electives that you choose. You’ll use the information learned each year to benefit your studies each following year as with any educational program, but you’ll also be instructed (and expected) to expect the unexpected, especially with emergency medicine. While carefully structured, these programs offer an opportunity for students to study different areas including international health, ultrasound technology, health policies and wilderness health and medical treatment. This is a chance to study and work on things that are of interest to individuals, and give them a chance to diversify their skills without breaking from the program.

Throughout the residency, you’ll have the chance to make professional and personal connections, learn a great deal about emergency medicine, and become confident in your skills as someone practicing medicine alone after graduation. These opportunities are something to work hard toward, and though they can be extremely tedious and seem like they will never end, they are all worth it after they have been completed.