Pediatric Emergency Medicine Subinternship
Overview
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Department of Emergency Medicine includes an 18-bed separate Pediatric Emergency Department adjacent to and sharing a trauma resuscitation bay and imaging facilities with adult emergency department areas. The PED is staffed by emergency medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine residents supervised by PEM-boarded pediatrics and emergency medicine residency-trained faculty, emergency medicine faculty, and pediatric emergency medicine fellows. The PED is a pediatric trauma and pediatric critical medical receiving center, seeing ~25,000 patients per year.
Clerkship Overview
The elective in Pediatric Emergency Medicine is designed to familiarize the 4th year medical student with the care of the acutely ill pediatric patient who presents to the PED. The student works one on one with a senior resident and the attending, and has the opportunity to see patients ranging from newborns to 20 year-olds. The student will take histories, do physical exams, and come up with differential diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients. The student will see 3-5 patients per day and have many opportunities to learn from their patients as well as other patients being cared for by other providers in the PED.
Common pediatric diseases / problems encountered
Some of the common pediatric diseases/problems students will encounter include fever, URI, otitis media, skin disease/rashes, gastroenteritis, asthma, abdominal pain, pneumonia, trauma, and urinary tract infections. We also care for many injured patients, including those with major and minor trauma such as lacerations and fractures.
Procedures
There are opportunities for many different procedures including laceration repair, removal of ingrown toenails, foreign body removal, abscess incision and drainage, and fracture reduction and splinting.
Simulation
Students will have the opportunity to participate in mock codes during their 3 week rotation.
Ultrasound
We have state of the art ultrasound machines in our emergency department, and lots of them! If interested, the medical student will have the opportunity to learn to acquire and interpret basic bedside ultrasound images during the rotation.
Child abuse clinic
Students will spend 1 afternoon in the child abuse clinic learning more about the recognition and evaluation of non-accidental trauma.
EMS ride-along
Students will spend one day on an EMS ride-along to observe the care of patients before they arrive at the emergency department and to gain familiarity with pre-hospital scope of practice, policies, and procedures.
Weekly conferences
Students will join our residents for our department’s weekly Thursday didactic conferences. The residents have protected time (the faculty staff the ED) to help build their core emergency medicine knowledge. Students will also have the opportunity to attend conferences given by the Pediatric department.
Preparing for your clerkship
We are excited to work with you on your upcoming rotation! Please review the following items prior to your first day, to ensure you get the most out of your rotation.
Using the Electronic Medical Record System ORCHID (Cerner)
We have made some videos to help you understand how to better navigate the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) that we use. We will also be training you in-person on your orientation day, but review the information included beforehand to make your training more useful. Please open the YouTube training video link here and have a basic understanding of ORCHID prior to attending orientation.
Parking
Parking may be limited during your rotation. You may park in any unmarked spot, but please ensure you read all signs. The three-story parking garage (Lot D) only allows visitors to park on the top floor during most hours. You can check in for orientation in the N-14 building on the map below and ask for Chanel Carter or Lorie Fager.
Educational resources
PEMsource.org has many FOAM (Free Online Access to Meducation) links and resources, algorithms, ECGs, and images. There is also a PEM curriculum covering common Pediatric Emergency Medicine topics.
PEMplaybook.org is a monthly podcast with extensive shownotes aiming to demystify the emergency care of infants and children for learners.
Apply
Rotation Dates
2022-2023 Academic Year Rotation Start Dates: 4/4, 5/2, 5/30, 7/4, 8/1, 8/29, 9/26, 10/24, 11/21, 1/2, 1/30, 3/20
Rotations will start on the dates listed. All visiting students must participate in a 4-week rotation. UCLA students are required to do at least the 3-week rotation but it is suggested to do a 4th week if interested in emergency medicine.
Applications
Applications can be accessed online via VSLO. Please e-mail Chanel Carter and Lorie Frager, the medical student coordinators, with any specific application questions.
Once you have been accepted for a rotation with us, you will also be required to meet all the requirements of the Department of Health Services at Los Angeles County for a rotation, which include:
- Health Clearance Packet (E2 Form)
- Background Investigation
- Respiratory Fit Test
- Online application
You must also complete a Workforce Member form at http://dhs.lacounty.gov/cef — when completing the form:
- Select “New Assignment”
- The Sponsor Facility is Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
- The Sponsor Division is Emergency Medicine
- The Sponsor Name is Patricia Padlipsky
All required forms and Live Scan fingerprinting can be found on the VSLO website or will be emailed to you upon rotation approval by the program coordinators, Chanel Carter or Lorie Fager. Please e-mail the coordinators with any questions about this process.
Contact information
Patricia Padlipsky, MD, FAAP
PED Clerkship Director
ppadlipsky@dhs.lacounty.gov
Chanel Carter
Medical Student Coordinator
ccarter-johnson@dhs.lacounty.gov
Lorie Fager
Medical Student Coordinator
lfager@dhs.lacounty.gov