Medical Student Education
MCY Emergency Medicine Clerkship
Our faculty members are engaged with medical student learning from the first year of medical school at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Multiple members of our department are involved with the Foundations of Clinical Medicine Course throughout the preclinical years. Additionally, we sponsor the Emergency Medicine Interest Group for students leading procedure and skills labs, career advisory sessions and EM-specific didactics for students.
This required two-week clerkship takes place in the Emergency Departments (ED) of NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Allen Hospital. During their clinical shifts, perform a complaint-directed history and physical exam of undifferentiated patients.
The clerkship includes several didactic sessions led by core faculty in emergency medicine, featuring interactive case-based learning, EKG workshops, simulations, hands-on procedural training, and point-of-care ultrasound instruction. These sessions complement the students' clinical experience by providing practical tools to approach real-world scenarios in the ED.
The primary goal of the clerkship is to provide students with a foundational understanding of the critical role the ED plays in the healthcare system. Students learn to integrate their didactic knowledge with clinical practice, working directly with attending physicians and senior residents in diverse clinical areas of the ED.
By the end of the course, students are have learned how to recognize the “sick” patient and begin their initial stabilization and workup, conduct a focused history and physical exam for acutely ill and undifferentiated patients, and formulate a case-specific differential diagnosis. They also gain competence in interpreting commonly ordered diagnostic studies, developing appropriate disposition plans, and effectively communicating within an interdisciplinary healthcare team.
Emergency Medicine Sub-Internship
Our sub-internship is a one-month rotation for fourth-year students with two weeks on the Columbia campus and two weeks on the Weill Cornell campus. This rotation is open to Columbia and visiting students.
We currently offer electives in emergency ultrasound and wilderness medicine for fourth-year students.