Research

Each resident will plan, participate and complete one research project during their residency with the goal of abstract submission to a regional and/or national meeting.  The project will be done with a sponsoring core faculty.  The project may include clinical, educational or translational research.  Active faculty involvement in the project is expected.  The topic will be chosen to allow completion during the resident’s tenure.  The project will be identified in the first year with a specific goal of abstract submission at the end of the second year or beginning of the third year.

Each resident will be involved in planning, implementing and completing a quality improvement project as part of an Emergency Department team.  As part of this project, they will learn the fundamental concepts of process improvement, PDSA cycles, and statistical process control.  The project will be conducted in a rigorous fashion under the direction of a faculty advisor.  The Quality Improvement Team will submit a formal written proposal, oral presentation of the planned project to the Emergency Department leadership, a presentation to the Emergency Department staff after completion and a written report to the hospital quality improvement committee.  The resident will be evaluated by the sponsoring faculty and the Medical Director of the Emergency Department.

The following topics will be covered in the core resident conferences:  1) basic statistics, 2) research design, 3) research methodologies, 4) interpretation of study results, 5) how to deliver a presentation, and 6) abstract writing.

Teaching

Emergency Medicine Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) Journal Club

Journal club meetings are held throughout the year. Residents will be responsible for the primary article presentation and discussion of core concepts three times each during their PGY-1 and PGY-2 years.  The PGY-3 resident is expected to plan and moderate two journal clubs with a faculty advisor.  The Annals of Emergency Medicine journal club articles will be utilized, as well as articles selected for their contribution to Emergency Medicine evidence based knowledge.  A 12-month rotating curriculum covering EBM concepts will be part of the Journal Club to insure that the major topics are covered.  EBM concepts will also be integrated in resident conference topics.  Residents will be expected to achieve an understanding of EBM concepts and research methodology.

Conference Didactics

Residents will have the opportunity to teach and lecture during departmental conferences each month.  This includes involvement in patient case presentations during rounds, yearly presentations at morbidity and mortality conference, and leading/moderating departmental conferences as senior residents

SIU-SOM

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is nationally recognized as a leader in medical education research. Teaching methodology and proficiency assessment at our institution are both innovative and at the forefront of undergraduate and graduate medical education. As a resident many opportunities are available in teaching medical students at the SIU-SOM and in participating in educational research with the school’s Academy for Scholarship in Education.