Integrated Emergency Medicine & Critical Care

Course Objectives

This elective is designed to provide students with an intensive patient care experience in the emergency department as well as the intensive care unit. During this course students will:

• Experience EM medicine from the perspective of critical care management, to patient resuscitation to staffing critically ill patients with residents and faculty
• Experience the complexities and challenges faced in the ICU
• Develop the skills to evaluate an undifferentiated patient
• Interpret the results of common diagnostic procedures and tests

 Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course students will be able to:

• Recognize immediate life-threatening illnesses
• Develop a sense of professionalism while working closely with residents and faculty
• Obtain an accurate history and physical examination focused on key problems
• Present critically ill patients on rounds in an efficient and clear manner
• Educate patients and ensure comprehension of their outpatient treatment plan

Before attending your first day of orientation, it is strongly suggested that students view all lecture videos. The information provided in these videos is crucial to ones success in this course.

Grading Scale and Policies

Grades Components:

• Attendance
• Assessed performance during clinical shifts
• WBA Evaluations
• Aquifer cases
• NBME Shelf exam score
• Professionalism

The standard College of Medicine-Tucson form for Faculty Assessment of Student Performance in Patient Care Elective Courses will be used with the grades of Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail.

All aspects of this rotation, including didactic activities, ED shifts and critical care time, are mandatory and will impact the student’s final grade. If is student is unable to complete one of the activities a grade of Incomplete for the rotation will be issues until the student can make up that activity. The final grade will be calculated based on your performance on clinical shifts, in didactic sessions, on the end of rotation EM exam and in the critical care workbook.  

We anticipate that roughly 25% of students who complete the rotation will earn honors, 25% will earn a “high pass” and 50% will pass.

Completion of all 14 clinical shifts in this rotation is mandatory. There are a limited number of “open” shifts that will serve as back-up shifts if an emergency arises. If you are unexpectedly unable to work one of your shifts, please email the coordinator in order to schedule a make-up shift. If one is unable to work a shift, it is their responsibility to find another comparable shift to work within the rotation. Like shifts may be traded with your other students pending the coordinators' approval. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure the master schedule accurately reflects one's individual schedule.

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA/COLLEGE OF MEDICINE POLICIES:

Absence and Class Participation Policy 

The UA’s policy concerning Class Attendance and Participation is available at https://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/courses-credit/courses/class-attendan...

The UA policy regarding absences for any sincerely held religious belief, observance or practice will be accommodated where reasonable: http://policy.arizona.edu/human-resources/religious-accommodation-policy. 

Classroom Behavior/Attendance Policy 

To foster a positive learning environment, students and instructors have a shared responsibility. We want a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment where all of us feel comfortable with each other and where we can challenge ourselves to succeed. To that end, our focus is on the tasks at hand and not on extraneous activities (e.g., texting, chatting, reading a newspaper, making phone calls, web surfing, etc.). 

Students are asked to refrain from disruptive conversations with people sitting around them during lecture. Students observed engaging in disruptive activity will be asked to cease this behavior. Those who continue to disrupt the class will be asked to leave lecture or discussion and may be reported to the Dean of Students. 

College of Medicine – Tucson Attendance Policy: https://medicine.arizona.edu/form/attendance-policies-medical-students-c...

Threatening Behavior Policy 

The UA Threatening Behavior by Students Policy prohibits threats of physical harm to any member of the University community, including to oneself. See http://policy.arizona.edu/education-and-student-affairs/threatening-beha...

Accessibility and Accommodations 

At the University of Arizona, we strive to make learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience barriers based on disability or pregnancy, please contact the Disability Resource Center (520-621-3268, https://drc.arizona.edu/) to establish reasonable accommodations.  

Code of Academic Integrity 

Students are encouraged to share intellectual views and discuss freely the principles and applications of course materials. However, graded work/exercises must be the product of independent effort unless otherwise instructed. Students are expected to adhere to the UA Code of Academic Integrity as described in the UA General Catalog. See: http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/academic-integrity/students/academic-i...

The University Libraries have some excellent tips for avoiding plagiarism, available at http://new.library.arizona.edu/research/citing/plagiarism. 

UA Nondiscrimination and Anti-harassment Policy 

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free of discrimination; see https://policy.arizona.edu/human-resources/nondiscrimination-and-anti-ha...

Our classroom is a place where everyone is encouraged to express well-formed opinions and their reasons for those opinions.

We also want to create a tolerant and open environment where such opinions can be expressed without resorting to bullying or discrimination of others. 

Confidentiality of Student Records https://registrar.arizona.edu/privacy-ferpa/about-ferpa 

Professional Conduct Comment website: Professional Conduct Comment | College of Medicine - Tucson (arizona.edu)

The Professional Conduct Comment Form provides a mechanism for faculty, residents, fellows, medical students, and staff to report to the Professionalism Program either exemplary professional behavior OR lapses in professional behavior.  

Subject to Change Statement 

Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policy, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.