Medical Students

We offer an eight-week clerkship in Emergency Medicine, supervised by Jorge Fernandez, MD (jaf014@health.ucsd.edu). The clerkship administrative coordinator is Beckett Kirk (bhkirk@health.ucsd.edu). First and second year UCSD students are encouraged to apply for this rotation.

The rotation includes a combination of clinical shifts and didactic teaching. The objectives are to:

• Learn about the many disciplines within Emergency Medicine (ie, EMS, Disaster Medicine, Toxicology, Ultrasound, Hyperbaric Medicine)
• Gain exposure to the varied clinical settings of Emergency Medicine
• Attend clinical observational shifts in the ED while practicing physical examination.

We offer a nine-week elective in Wilderness Medicine, supervised by Christanne Coffey (chcoffey@health.ucsd.edu). The clerkship administrative coordinator is Beckett Kirk (bhkirk@health.ucsd.edu). First and second year UCSD students are encouraged to apply for this rotation.

The rotation includes a combination of didactic teaching weekly on Tuesdays, from 1-3pm along with a simulation hike through Torrey Pines at the end of the course. EMED 275 is a practical course covering diagnosis and treatment of injuries and illnesses encountered in the wilderness environment including cold, heat, high altitude, diving medicine, outdoor orthopedic trauma, plant and marine life poisonings, and survival in the wilderness.

Elective Dates: Course is offered during the fall semester.

This two-week selective was designed to offer a new opportunity to the medical students to gain an earlier exposure to emergency medicine that is supervised by Jorge Fernandez, MD (jaf014@health.ucsd.edu). The clerkship administrative coordinator is Beckett Kirk (bhkirk@health.ucsd.edu).

The students will learn basic medical resuscitation skills, gain exposure to EM patients by taking histories, physical exams, creating differential diagnoses from the EM perspective, identifying ‘killer EM” diagnoses, identifying appropriate diagnostics tests, and interpreting these tests. There also are hands on sessions with ED Technicians and Nurses to assist with performing and interpreting bedside diagnostic tests and procedures.

• CDEM Student Portal

We offer a four-week fourth year clerkship in Emergency Medicine, supervised by Brenna Hogue, MD (blhogue@health.ucsd.edu). The clerkship administrative coordinator is Beckett Kirk (bhkirk@health.ucsd.edu). This rotation includes a combination of clinical shifts and didactic teaching. To be eligible for the grade of Honors, a presentation is required at the end of the rotation.

To apply for the rotation, please visit the UC San Diego School of Medicine institution page on the AAMC’s Visiting Student Learning Opportunity (VSLO). Students who attend LCME-accredited medical schools that do not use VSLO should contact visitingstudents@ucsd.edu for a paper application. If any difficulty is experienced trying to schedule the rotation please contact the course coordinator Beckett Kirk. Please see below for more opportunities to rotate in an emergency medicine subspecialty.

This course will allow students to function as sub-interns in the evaluation and treatment of acute, undifferentiated patients at UCSD Hillcrest and La Jolla Emergency Departments. Students function as sub-interns with primary responsibility for the initial evaluation of patients. Students will be under the direct supervision of the Emergency Medicine (EM) faculty and will present cases to the EM faculty and EM senior resident. Students are required to write the primary note with review by senior house officers or faculty. Thursday mornings will be dedicated to student teaching day with didactic lectures and procedure labs. Tuesdays will be devoted to residency didactics which will include the Emergency Medicine Case Conference, Core Curriculum Conference, Toxicology Conference, Research Curriculum Conference, Trauma Conference, and monthly Grand Rounds. All students are required to attend Tuesday and Thursday conferences and workshops. All students will be required to work a minimum of 2 night shifts. EM Faculty and EM resident(s) teach and assess clinical performance with shift evaluations, every shift. Interviews for the UCSD EM residency will not occur during the rotation; interview offers will at a later time be sent to a selective number of rotators based on the overall competitiveness of their residency application.

• Clerkship Rotation Dates 
• Course Syllabus
• Clerkship Orientation Guide
• Visiting Students
• CDEM/SAEM Medical Student Educator's Handbook
• CDEM Student Portal
• EMIG (EM Interest Group) SITE
• Academic Life in Emergency Medicine -Doing Well in Your EM Clerkship

We offer a four-week fourth year clerkship in Emergency Medicine, supervised by Aaron Schneir M.D.(aschneir@health.ucsd.edu). The clerkship administrative coordinator is Beckett Kirk (bhkirk@health.ucsd.edu). Outside students are encouraged to apply for the rotation. Due to a UCSD policy, these positions first become available to visiting students in October. The toxicology service provides bedside consultations at four local hospitals including both UCSD Medical Centers. The rotation involves participating in weekly journal clubs, receiving bedside and didactic teaching, participating in daily rounds on hospitalized patients, and taking call with the toxicology fellows. A didactic presentation is required at the end of the rotation.

To apply for the rotation, please visit the UC San Diego School of Medicine institution page on the AAMC’s Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS). Students who attend LCME-accredited medical schools that do not use VSAS should contact visitingstudents@ucsd.edu for a paper application.

• Toxicology Rotation Information 

We offer a four-week fourth year clerkship in Emergency Ultrasound, directed by Anthony Medak, MD (ajmedak@gmail.com). The clerkship administrative coordinator is Beckett Kirk (bhkirk@health.ucsd.edu). Both UCSD and visiting medical students are encouraged to apply for the rotation. The clerkship is designed to allow students to perform and interpret bedside, focused ultrasound studies that guide clinical management of acutely ill patients. There will be an array of experiences during the rotation including: the Emergency Department, echocardiography lab, Radiology Department, as well as didactics by our Emergency Ultrasound Faculty and Fellows. Rotating students will also participate in Ultrasound Journal Club, and Image Review sessions. A didactic presentation is required at the end of the rotation.

To apply for the rotation, please visit the UC San Diego School of Medicine institution page on the AAMC’s Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS). Students who attend LCME-accredited medical schools that do not use VSAS should contact visitingstudents@ucsd.edu for a paper application.

• Emergency Ultrasound Lectures - for review prior to start of clerkship

We offer a four-week clerkship in Wilderness Medicine, supervised by Christanne Coffey, MD (chcoffey@health.ucsd.edu). The clerkship administrative coordinator is Beckett Kirk (bhkirk@health.ucsd.edu). Fourth year medical students are encouraged to apply for this rotation. The rotation includes a combination of wilderness medicine didactics and experiential learning along with high yield preparation for MS4s who will soon begin an emergency medicine residency.

Week 1 to Week 3: Each day will include lecture-based learning, journal club or presentation, followed by hands-on simulations on the UCSD campus or in the San Diego area. Activities include, but are not limited to:

• Combined wilderness medicine/toxicology journal club
• Diving/Hyperbaric journal club, case reports, and lectures the first Tuesday of the month
• Kayaking in La Jolla cove with lectures on drowning, water rescue
• Birch Aquarium tour with lectures on shark attacks and marine envenomations
• Climbing with lectures on wilderness orthopedic injuries, litters, improvisation
• Mercy Air tour with prehospital medicine lecture
• Hiking with various wilderness medicine lectures
• Survival lecture followed by movie matinee showing of a survival film
• Wilderness orthopedic lectures with simulation: fractures, dislocations, splinting, concussions
• Search and Rescue demonstration with San Diego Mountain Rescue Team
• Extreme sports round table or expedition medicine presentation
• Intro to orienteering at a local San Diego park

Week 4: Joshua Tree National Park, Big Bear or Idyllwild Trip - Each day will include at least 4 hours of lecture-based learning followed by outdoor, hands-on simulations, camping, hiking, climbing and a backpacking experience that includes one-to-two-night(s) camping in the backcountry.

To apply for the rotation, please visit the UC San Diego School of Medicine institution page on the AAMC’s Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS). Students who attend LCME-accredited medical schools that do not use VSAS should contact visitingstudents@ucsd.edu for a paper application.

We offer a four-week fourth year clerkship in Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine, supervised by Anthony Medak, MD (amedak@health.ucsd.edu) and Co-Directed by Dr. Ian Grover (igrover@health.ucsd.edu). The clerkship administrative coordinator is Beckett Kirk (bhkirk@health.ucsd.edu). Outside students are encouraged to apply for the rotation. The rotation takes place both at the Hillcrest hospital as well as off-site clinics. The furthest off-site is 26 miles from UCSD Hillcrest so transportation will be needed. Rotators will learn to assess clinical problems relating to diving and clinical hyberbaric medicine. The student will take call and will participate in clinics, discussions of cases, and receive didactic teaching. Students will be expected to participate in journal club and present a lecture on a mini-topic discussed during their rotation. A final 20-question exam will be administered at the end of the rotation.

To apply for the rotation, please visit the UC San Diego School of Medicine institution page on the AAMC’s Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS). Students who attend LCME-accredited medical schools that do not use VSAS should contact visitingstudents@ucsd.edu for a paper application.