Emergency Medicine: A Venezuelan Perspective An interview with Dr. Carmen Sofia Rosales by Atillio Atencio, MD and William Weber, MD, on behalf of the SAEM Global Emergency Medicine Academy For the last decade Venezuela has been battling political unrest and a failing economy. In a mere eight years the country's gross Carmen Sofia Rosales domestic product (GDP)) has dropped by over two-thirds. More than 75% of Venezuela’s 28 million residents live in extreme poverty, with annual inflation rates ranging from 2,000% in 2021 to 60,000% in 2017. Dr. Carmen Sofia Rosales is a pediatric emergency physician and professor at Instituto Autónomo Hospital Universitario de Los Andes (IAHULA) in Merida, Venezuela. She sat down for an interview to discuss her experiences and the challenges
faced while practicing medicine in a country battling economic crisis amidst a global pandemic. While there are universal similarities seen in all emergency departments, Dr. Rosales provides a unique insight into the training and resources available in Venezuela.
year residents rotate through our Unidad de Cuidados Especiales Pediátricos — essentially an ICU set up in the ED. Third-year residents oversee triaging and managing all patients. Our internal medicine colleagues cover the adult ED with a similar set-up.
What does emergency medicine training look like in Venezuela? There is no formal emergency residency in Venezuela, so training varies depending on the institution where you practice. Here at IAHULA, our emergency department (ED) is run by residents who spend an average of two months out of the year with us.
Are there resources available for physicians seeking emergency medicine specific training? The short answer is no, not outside what is taught during medical school and residency. We have few resources with regards to supplies and technology. With that said, we have an excellent university that has trained some remarkable physicians.
On the pediatric side, first-year residents see less acute patients and staff them with attendings. Second-
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