Curriculum
The emergency medicine curriculum is an 18 month program (3000 hours) based on the Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine, and the SEMPA Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant Postgraduate Training Program Standards. The curriculum is designed to prepare the physician assistant for a variety of practice settings and a wide spectrum of patients. Clinical rotations are selected to expose the EMPA resident to a broad variety of patients, faculty, procedures, and clinical presentations. Furthermore, the successful graduate should be prepared to sit for the Emergency Medicine Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) exam offered through the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).
| CRMC Emergency Medicine | 10 months |
| Pediatric Emergency Medicine | 1 month |
| CRMC Trauma | 1 month |
| CRMC Critical Care | 6 weeks |
| Specialty Clinics** | 1 month |
| Burn | 2 weeks |
| ED Ultrasound | 2 weeks |
| Toxicology | 2 weeks |
| Anesthesia (am) | 2 weeks |
| EMS | 2 weeks |
| Orientation | 1 week |
| CME conference | 1 week |
| Vacation | 4 weeks |
**Specialty Clinics: Orthopedics, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, OMFS
Cognitive and procedural experiences will include (but not limited to):
- Airway management
- Ventilator management
- Fracture and dislocation management
- Slit lamp exam, tonometry
- Interosseous and central line placement
- EKG interpretation
- Preliminary Xray and CT interpretation
- Bedside ultrasonography
- Wound closure and abscess drainage
- Lumbar puncture
- Paracentesis
- Joint aspiration
- Approach to chest pain
- Approach to shortness of breath
- Approach to abdominal pain
- Pediatric fever
- Altered mental status
- Diabetes emergencies
- Stroke
- Trauma, burns
- First trimester vaginal bleeding
- Overdose and psychiatric emergencies
Didactic Education:
A number of educational opportunities will be included in the curriculum in addition to the clinical patient care experience. The EMPA resident will be expected to attend 4 hours of didactic education per week, planned by the EM faculty. A minimum attendance of 70% is required. Educational experiences include:
- Resuscitation courses such as BLS, ACLS, ATLS, PALS
- Weekly Emergency Medicine conference (8a-1p Thursday)
- Simulation lab at UCSF Fresno
- Monthly Emergency Medicine Journal Club
- SEMPA 360, SEMPA’s annual educational conference
- Scholarly project