Medical Student Clerkship

Emergency Medicine is a mandatory fourth-year rotation for all NJMS students, as well as an optional 2-week elective available to third-year students.

In addition, we offer a 4-week clinical rotation/sub-internship in Emergency Medicine for students that are interested in the specialty and interested in applying to our residency. Applications for the EM Clerkship for non-NJMS students are OPEN NOW for AY 2023-24 through the Rutgers NJMS Office of the Registrar and VSLO. We also offer visiting sub-internship program for underrepresented in medicine (URiM ViSION) as outlined below.

Description: The majority of our students and all of our guest rotators work exclusively in the University Hospital Emergency Department in Newark, a level 1 trauma center that sees about 90,000 patients per year, about 6000 of them trauma patients. Students work throughout our department, in the adult, pediatric, mid-track and trauma areas, directly supervised by our faculty and senior residents, garnering extensive clinical and procedural experience. 

Clerkship Goals:

• Mastery of clinical knowledge with basic sciences integration
• Excellence in clinical skills
• Excellence in professionalism and humanism
• Commitment to the health of the community and appreciation of social and cultural diversity
• Dedication to lifelong learning
• Development of effective education and communication skills

Clerkship Objectives:

• Identify and prioritize patients requiring urgent attention
• Document clearly and thoroughly
• Master early assessment and support of the critically ill patient
• Develop a differential diagnosis and initial management plan
• Adapt your presentation style to a wide variety of situations and listeners
• Master procedures such as phlebotomy, IV catheter placement, simple suturing, etc
• Communicate effectively and empathetically with patients and their families
• Manage your time and your patients efficiently
• Be an engaged and active participant in patient care
  

Clinical Responsibilities: Each medical student is expected to pick up patients and fully evaluate them, present them to the attendings or senior residents, and follow them throughout their ED course, essentially acting as an intern on each shift, with in-depth exposure to bedside ultrasound, IV placement, critical care management and trauma.

Didactics: Each rotation in our department has formal didactic sessions tailored to the level of students, from third-year elective students just being introduced to emergency medicine to visiting students on their second or third EM rotation.

Visiting Sub-Internship Program for Underrepresented in Medicine (URiM ViSION):

At Rutgers Health New Jersey Medical School and University Hospital in Newark, NJ, our goal is to develop individuals underrepresented in medicine (UiM), as well as to champion cultural competency, community service, and humanism in all aspects of medical education. Our mission is to develop individuals underrepresented in medicine and other health professions, as well as to champion cultural awareness, community service, and humanism in all aspects of medical education. 

Our residency program and department is not only supportive of these institutional efforts, but is intentional in diversifying our department. Our residency is comprised of approximately 55% women and 20% URiM, while our department has approximately 65% women faculty members and 15% URiM.

We specifically aim to foster the education and inclusion of physicians from groups represented in our patient base, which is over 50% African American, over 35% Hispanic, with many Spanish-speakers as well as 8% Portuguese-speakers.

To that end, we have implemented a program to specifically support the needs and growth of students from groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in medicine. The URiM ViSION program offers an opportunity for rising 4th year EM-bound medical students to participate in a 4-week  Emergency Medicine rotation at University Hospital in Newark, NJ. We are seeking students who have a passion for social justice and working with an underserved patient population During your time here, you will get to work with faculty with a diverse set of interests including toxicology, ultrasound, social EM, pediatrics, global health, and medical education. At the beginning of the rotation students are assigned a resident and faculty mentor that aligns with their career and personal interests Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to participate in didactics led by our faculty and residents. Additionally, we offer various social activities so students can fellowship with the NJMS EM family outside of work as well as learn more about the surrounding Newark community.   
  
At the conclusion of the program, we offer career advising, an interview for our residency program, and a standardized letter of evaluation (SLOE). There will also be opportunities to collaborate with social EM faculty on issues pertinent to our patient population and the Newark community. Participants are granted a $2000 stipend that can be used to cover housing and transportation throughout the rotation.  
  
For more information about the application process please click on the link below. Students must also apply separately to the rotation through VSLO.  
 
https://tinyurl.com/yc5wy2dh

(Applications for the 2023-24 academic year are now open)

The Undergradute Medical Education team:

Sarah Dunn, MD, MPA Clerkship Director	Charles Farmer, MD Asst. Clerkship Director	Tiffany Thompson, MA Clerkship Coordinator