CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE SECTION
Critical Care Education: How Early is Too Early? Part Two: A Follow-Up on the Novel “AAEM/RSA Introduction to Critical Care in Emergency Medicine” Curriculum Matthew Carvey, MD FP-C, Ava Omidvar, MSIII MPH FP-C, Elias Wan, MD FAAEM, and Skyler Lentz, MD FAAEM
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uring part one of the “Critical Care Education: How Early is Too Early” series, we explained the basic concepts of critical care, it’s continuing influence on emergency medicine (EM), and how early education in this field starting at the medical student and intern level may expand decision-making, critical thinking, and overall confidence as they continue their journey through EM. Part two focuses on the deficiency of educational platforms which instruct students in these critical care concepts and support for further curricula, as well as discussing the novel “AAEM/RSA Introduction to Critical Care in Emergency Medicine” program as its second iteration begins, and its primary aim of filling this educational gap. Many medical schools and residencies offer “selectives” or “electives” in critical care education, which focus on the diagnosis and treatment of this unique population, while also offering the student or intern an early opportunity to investigate this field. However, formal medical school curriculums, which educate this populace prior to an intensive care rotation, seem to be mostly absent or deficient in current medical training. The proposed notion is that critical care may be too advanced for a student or intern with a background medical knowledge of solely undergraduate education. However, following implementation of an intensive care unit (ICU) curriculum, a student’s self-perceived confidence in critically ill patient management and medical knowledge may improve.1 Many professional organizations and schools offer virtual rounds, simulation sessions, or journal clubs to students who have an interest in critical care. However, some of these opportunities
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come at costly prices or may be too advanced for a medical student to understand without a critical care foundation to build upon. In an article by Ansari et al., there is a continued need for institutional support and endorsement of undergraduate critical care exposure and education to both better prepare medical students for their imminent exposure to ill patients and to help close the deficit of critical care physicians by promoting the specialty.2 One key teaching principle underpinning education design for undergraduate intensive care placements should be a clearly articulated learning curriculum.3 Therefore, it is imperative that a course be created which supports the basic framework of critical care and then builds towards further advanced topics using a combined theoretical and practical incremental model. Only then will a student or EM intern, especially anyone interested in applying to anesthesia or neurocritical care with early fellowship application cycles, have an adequate background to be confident in this proposed path and have the educational competency to understand critical care concepts.
The “AAEM/RSA Introduction to Critical Care in Emergency Medicine” course is comprised of multidisciplinary topics aimed at creating a firm intensive care medicine foundation for students. The eight part online lecture series was presented in a flipped-classroom method over a period of two months prior to the 2022 AAEM Scientific Assembly. The topics included
CRITICAL CARE IS A >> SPECIALIZED FIELD ENCOMPASSING FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS WHICH APPLY TO EVERY AVENUE OF MEDICINE.
critical care pharmacology, arterial blood gas interpretation, oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation, intra-aortic balloon pump therapy and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, pediatric and neonatal critical care, hemodynamic and intracranial monitoring, cardiac pacing, fluid therapy, and a brief overview of obstetric >>