Emergency Medicine Clerkship
Our four-week rotation for fourth-year medical students allows future physicians to gain autonomy, confidence and experience while working in the acute care environment.
Our EM clerkship is a 4-week acting internship for students interested in learning more about emergency medicine. During the rotation, students are given hands-on patient care responsibilities and work alongside EM faculty and residents in our busy, urban academic medical center with a high volume of critically ill and injured patients. Education sessions include student-focused lectures, simulations, workshops, and conference with the residents.
Each rotation incorporates clinical shifts in the acute adult and pediatric ED, resuscitation bay, and in the Clinical Decision Unit (observation unit). Students are given full access to the EHR and are expected to document encounters, enter orders, and complete appropriate dispositions.
Visiting Students
Visiting students from schools within the U.S. are invited to apply to our electives. Please visit the VCU School of Medicine's website for more information.
*Please note that VCU is listed as VA Commonwealth U SOM in VSLO
Our Emergency Medicine Visiting Student Elective allows visiting students intending to apply to our EM residency program an opportunity to rotate in our standard 4-week clerkship. This acting internship includes shifts in both our adult and pediatric ED, resuscitation bay, and Clinical Decision Unit (observation unit). An eSLOE is provided upon request, and students who are enrolled in the course may be offered an interview by our EM program. More details about the rotation can be found in VSLO.
We are pleased to offer a separate experience for visiting students intending to apply to EM/IM residency programs. Students will spend two weeks in our acute ED and two weeks in our Clinical Decision Unit. At the end of the rotation, students may request an eSLOE. Applicants to our EM/IM residency program who are enrolled in the course may be offered an interview. More details about the rotation can be found in VSLO.
The Department of Emergency Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to providing a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment for our patients, staff, and learners. The Emergency Medicine Health Equity AI is a 4-week acting internship that expands upon the standard clerkship experience intended for students with a special interest in underserved patient populations or in underrepresentation in emergency medicine.
In addition to the responsibilities of the EM visiting student elective, students accepted into the Health Equity AI are expected to complete a project related to issues in health equity. Mentorship for this is provided. At the end of the rotation, students may request an eSLOE coauthored by the clerkship director and program director. Applicants to our residency program who are enrolled in the course will be offered an interview.
Interested students should apply in VSLO. Additionally, applicants must submit a 500-word personal statement of how their experiences have influenced their study of medicine, their career choice (past, present, or future), or affected their appreciation of challenges faced by medically underserved and under-resourced populations.
The deadline for the Health Equity AI is May 1st. Financial assistance for the rotation will be offered by means of reimbursement. More details about the rotation can be found in VSLO.
Foundational Elective
We offer a two-week rotation for third-year medical students at VCU. This elective allows students to observe the evaluation and treatment of patients in the ED while gaining an appreciation of the unique aspects of emergency care. This elective is graded as pass/fail.
Additional Electives
Additional electives for fourth-year medical students are offered in the following subspecialties:
- Emergency Medical Services
- Toxicology
- Ultrasound
ACCESS-EM
ACCESS-EM is a VCU School of Medicine initiative that provides students a framework for how to approach system development in low resource and global settings. To learn more, click here.
Contact Us
Nathan Lewis, MD, FACEP
Clerkship Director
Sharon Fleming
Clerkship Coordinator