Emergency medicine resident rotation in pediatric emergency medicine: what kind of experience are we providing?
OBJECTIVE
To characterize emergency medicine (EM) residents' clinical experience during a pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) rotation.


METHODS
Prospective observational study of EM resident-patient encounters in a children's hospital emergency department (ED).


RESULTS
Fifty-six residents participated in the study. The mean (+/-SD) patient age was 6.3 (+/-5.6) years. Ambulatory infectious disease, respiratory illness, and wound management represented almost 50% of final diagnoses. Six and a half procedures/resident were performed per rotation, mainly nonemergent procedures, whereas resuscitations and child abuse evaluations were rare. A minority of patients required data interpretation: 34.4% had laboratory testing, 24.6% had radiographic studies, and 2.3% had electrocardiograms.


CONCLUSIONS
Analysis of patient encounters during a PEM rotation showed deficiencies in critical care procedures, resuscitations, child abuse evaluations, and neonatal evaluations. Quantitative data of skills utilized during rotations can be used by residency programs to identify and correct deficiencies in their residents' PEM education.
Chen
Esther H
EH
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Shofer
Frances S
FS
Baren
Jill M
JM
D002648:Child; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011446:Prospective Studies