Department of Emergency Medicine
Residency
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Curriculum
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Residents
Clinical Education
A well-rounded clinical experience is vital in the preparation of the emergency physician. Our curriculum was designed to provide an intense clinical experience both in and out of the emergency department to assure the acquisition of the skills needed to practice the specialty. The rotations outside of the ED include the intensive care unit (ICU), pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), coronary care unit (CCU), trauma and trauma intensive care, labor and delivery, and ophthalmology. These rotations, coupled with the emergency medicine rotations throughout the three year residency, provide the resident with the skills necessary to practice emergency medicine.
Emergency Medicine Experience
The basis of training for the resident is the emergency medicine experience and it includes both the ED as well as the prehospital care setting.
The emergency medicine experience is divided amongst five hospitals - Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Methodist Hospital, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, The A. I. DuPont Hospital for Children, and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The use of these five hospitals is specifically designed to expose the resident to a variety of patients and environments and includes university, pediatric, urban and community settings. Our residents experience a wide variety of clinical experiences and practice settings and prepares the graduate for practice in any environment.
During the PGY-I year, the resident spends four months in emergency medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and one month at A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children. In the PGY-II year, the resident spends eight months in emergency medicine with approximately 40 percent of this time at Jefferson, 30 percent at Methodist Hospital, and 30 percent at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. In the PGY-III year, the resident spends eight months in emergency medicine at Jefferson (70%) and at Methodist Hospital and one month at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Located in downtown Philadelphia, our state-of-the-science emergency department is a 28,000 square-foot facility which includes 60 acute emergency examination rooms, three trauma beds, a trauma operating room, a large resuscitation area, and an 8 bed observation/telemetry admit area. In addition, we have a dedicated radiology suite along with our own CT scanner. TJUH is a Level I Trauma Center as designated by the American College of Surgeons, and treats approximately 1500 major trauma cases each year. In addition, TJUH is a regional spinal cord injury center and treats approximately 1000 acute spinal cord injuries per year.
The department treats more than 60,000 adult and pediatric patients annually. Approximately twenty percent of all ED patients are admitted. Twenty-five percent of all TJUH admissions come from the ED and of those admitted to the hospital’s critical care units, 25 percent have been seen by the ED.
Methodist Campus
Located approximately 5 miles from Main Campus, the Methodist Campus of TJUH provides acute care services to the South Philadelphia community. It is the primary “community” hospital experience for the residency. The ED is a modern, 12,000 square-foot facility which includes 19 acute emergency examination rooms and a four bed fast track area. The department treats close to 41,000 patients per year, of which twelve percent are pediatric patients.
Patients requiring a higher level of service (including acute neurosurgical intervention, acute stroke, major trauma, cardiac catheterization, obstetrical services) are transferred to Main Campus by JeffSTAT (Jefferson’s Prehospital and Emergency Medical Services provider).
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital is located approximately 5 miles from TJUH in Camden, NJ and represents another community EM experience. The annual volume is 48,000 visits per year. One quarter of the patients seen in the ED are admitted to the hospital. What makes this site unique is the relatively high (20-25%) percentage of pediatric patients when compared to the typical ED. This experience allows the resident to see pediatric patients in a non-pediatric hospital setting.
A.I. Dupont Hospital
The A.I. DuPont Hospital is TJUH's children's hospital and is located approximately 45 minutes south of Philadelphia in Wilmington, Delaware. The emergency department sees approximately 42, 000 pediatric patient visits per year. The EM resident will spend one month in the ED in their first year, one month in the intensive care unit in their second year, and one month in anesthesiology in their third year.
The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia
This world famous pediatric hospital is located approximately 2 miles from TJUH. The department sees 80, 000 pediatric patient visits per year and is one of two pediatric hospitals in the city of Philadelphia. The EM resident spends one month in the ED during their third year and participates in the care of some of the most severely ill and injured pediatric patients in the city of Philadelphia.
Emergency Medical Services 
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is a medical command base hospital for the City of Philadelphia and provides medical direction for the Philadelphia Fire Rescue System (the main prehospital care provider for the city of Philadelphia). It is also the home the the JeffSTAT Paramedic Training School. Jefferson and Methodist are also major receiving hospitals for Philadelphia’s emergency medical service squads.
The Emergency Medical Services experience includes direct contact with prehospital personnel, on line telephone medical command, ground and air transport experiences, provision of health care at mass gatherings, and teaching in JeffSTAT’s paramedic school.
The PGY 2 resident has a two-week rotation. During this time, the resident rides along with prehospital care transport (Philadelphia Fire Rescue, JeffSTAT) and has the opportunity, if so desired, to ride JeffSTAT’s helicopter. They spend time in the Philadelphia Fire Rescue Communications Center learning about the operational aspects of prehospital care. Lastly, the resident participates in the formal teaching of paramedic students in JeffSTAT’s Paramedic Training School. At the end of the second year, residents complete a base station medical command course. By the beginning of the third year, the PGY 3 resident functions as medical commander for six advanced paramedic units and is responsible for answering the medical command phone in the ED.
During the second and third year, residents experience the provision of medical care at a variety of mass gatherings. the resident serves as the on-site physician at venues such as Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field, and the Wachovia Center where they cover events such as Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia Eagles games, and concerts. In addition, they provide on-site care for city events such as the Philadelphia Distance Run and the Philadelphia Marathon.
Theodore A. Christopher, MD, FACEP
Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine
Letter from
Bernard Lopez,
MD, MS, FACEP, FAAEM
Residency Program Director
Department of Emergency Medicine
1020 Sansom Street
Suite 239
Philadelphia, PA 19107
We participate in the National Residency Match Program and utilized the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).
Apply NowResident Publications
Thioredoxin nitration by peroxynitrite: contribution to cardiomyocyte apoptosis [abstract]. Ann Emerg Med 2007
Are glucosefingersticks using bedside glucometers on emergency department patientsreliable? [abstract] Ann Emerg Med 2008
Handbook of Clinical Forensic Emergency Medicine. Bartlett and Jones Publishers.
Critical Decisions in Emergency Medicine, March 2007.
