Medical Students

UCSF Fresno Emergency Medicine Scholarship for Visiting Students 2023

Sub-internship in Emergency Medicine—EM 140.30

Plans for 2023 Visiting Student Rotations

Rotations between the months of May and October will be open to students from any US medical school planning to pursue a career in Emergency Medicine. We do offer to write eSLOEs for all our students to submit as part of their ERAS applications for residency. 

Rotation blocks open to visiting students from any US medical school include the following dates: 

• May 30 – June 24
• July 24 – Aug 19
• July 31 – Aug 26
• Aug 28 – Sept 23
• Sept 4 – Sept 30
• Sept 25 – Oct 21

This 4-week course provides an exciting opportunity to do a sub-internship at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, California’s busiest Level One Trauma & Burn Center. Sub-interns act as the primary care provider for ill and injured patients presenting to the Emergency Department with a wide variety of complaints.

Course Objectives and Overview:

• Plan and organize management and disposition of undifferentiated ill and injured patients.
• Exhibit refined skills in obtaining relevant histories, performing focused physical exams, selecting appropriate diagnostics, interpreting results, developing management and disposition plans, communicating effectively with consultants and patients and families, and providing appropriate patient education.
• Demonstrate proficiency in clinical skills, including placing peripheral IV’s and central lines, NG tubes and Foley catheters; performing LP’s; suturing lacerations; reducing fractures and dislocations; and performing and interpreting bedside ultrasound testing.

In addition to 16 clinical shifts in the ED, students will participate in weekly resident conferences as well as didactic and simulation sessions designed exclusively for students. Rotators will have the opportunity to learn and practice many skills and procedures, including placing peripheral IV’s and central lines, NG tubes, Foley catheters; performing LP’s; suturing lacerations; reducing fractures and dislocations; and acquiring and interpreting bedside ultrasound images. As sub-interns, students staff cases directly with attending physicians and act as the primary provider for their patients, including placing orders and completing documentation in the EMR. Students have the option of doing an EMS ambulance ride-along shift, and/or a shift with our Mobile HeaL clinic.

Schedule: 4-week rotation, students are scheduled for 16 shifts, each 9-10 hours long. Students are expected to attend weekly resident conference (4 hours/week) and medical student-specific didactics (1-2 hours/week).

Common Problems and Diseases:  Students will encounter a wide variety of disease processes, including acute traumatic injuries, exacerbations of chronic illnesses, infections – both common (community-acquired pneumonia) and rare (extrapulmonary coccidioidomycosis), and critical illnesses such as MI, stroke, and septic shock. Our population includes patients of all ages, many ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and those suffering from problems related to addiction, homelessness, and limited access to care.

Pre-requisites: Prior completion of core clerkships in Medicine, Pediatrics, Ob/Gyn and Surgery. Students must have passed USMLE Step 1 prior to beginning the clerkship. Pre-requisites can be waived at the discretion of the course director. For rotation dates starting May through October, scheduling preference is given to those planning to apply for residency in Emergency Medicine. 

How to apply: Submit your medical school transcripts, USMLE Step 1 score, and a letter of interest in the VSLO portal. Your statement of interest should briefly explain why you want to take this course, and why a rotation in Fresno fits into your career plans. Every year, we receive applications from many more students than we can accommodate. Please take this opportunity to provide us any information that might be helpful as we consider your application. We will begin accepting applications from visiting students on March 1. Offers for rotation spots to visiting students will begin after April 15. UCSF and SJV Prime students may apply at any time.

UCSF students: Complete STEP 2 here.

Questions to:

Marie Martinez, Clerkship Coordinator
UCSF Fresno, Department of Emergency Medicine
559-499-6647
marie.martinez@ucsf.edu

or

Jessie Werner, MD, Medical Student Clerkship Director
UCSF Fresno, Department of Emergency Medicine
jessie.werner@ucsf.edu

Housing: Student housing is available and is free to UCSF students. It is located about 10 miles from the CRMC hospital campus. Rent for Non-UCSF students is $650.00 for a single bedroom, and $450.00 for a shared room (dorm setup.) If there is no vacancy available, we do offer an alternative housing list, which is our version of AirBNB. Questions about housing? Contact Fresno UME Housing at fresno-umehousing@ucsf.edu.

Wilderness Medicine Elective—EM 140.31

Wilderness Medicine UCSF Fresno from Daniel Hernandez on Vimeo.

“One of the best and most practical courses I have taken in medical school. I will recommend it to all of my friends.”

This elective is a two week course offered annually, usually in the late summer. It is a hands on course that covers the major topics and skills in wilderness medicine.

The course is a combination of classroom didactics and hands on training in the Sierras/Yosemite Park. Major topics in wilderness medicine are covered including:

• High altitude illness
• Heat and cold exposure
• Lightning injuries and burns
• Plants and envenomations
• Trauma in the wilderness
• Wild land fires and avalanches
• Wilderness preparedness

The second week is spent in the Sierra Nevadas, applying the knowledge obtained in the first week

Activities include:

• Wilderness improvisation
• Search and rescue
• Wilderness survival
• Rock climbing
• Water safety

UCSF Fresno
Department of Emergency Medicine
155 North Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93701