Emergency Department Shift Structure
Shifts in the emergency department are structured to maximize instruction and clinical
experience.
Highlights include:
- 9-hour shifts with a built in 1-hour overlap with oncoming residents. The overlap allows for a 'wrap up' period and eases the transition that must occur
at the end of shifts.
- Decreased shift responsibilities with increasing EM level. Shifts per 28 day cycle change with each year:
- EM-1: 21
- EM-2: 20
- EM-3: 19
- Triple attending coverage 24/7. Such coverage enhances both teaching and patient care.
- Philosophy of “Graded Responsibility.” During the progression from an EM-1 to an EM-3, residents will be expected to become
more independent and more efficient. Senior-level residents will also assume a greater
role in managing the overall department and assist in the instruction of both junior-level
residents and medical students.