Emergency Medicine is an exciting, diverse, challenging, and evolving medical specialty that focuses on the acute care of patients with all types of illnesses. EM physicians deliver a wide range of services involving both pre-hospital and hospital care. In any one shift, a physician may give advice or on-site assistance to a paramedic, direct a major trauma or medical resuscitation, deliver a baby, splint a broken limb, or direct the care of an acute myocardial infarction. In addition to being skilled in a variety of procedures, EM physicians must be able to recognize serious illness in the early, often benign-appearing stages.
EM200 Core Clerkship
The Emergency Medicine Core Clerkship (EM200) is a required four-week clerkship at the Perelman School of Medicine designed to introduce students to the field of emergency medicine and the unique opportunities and challenges of the specialty.
Your experience will include formal lectures, case presentations, and, most importantly, direct patient care. The best way to learn emergency medicine is to do it. Students will be expected to evaluate patients, address their presenting complaints, initiate appropriate diagnostic workups, and provide definitive treatments. Throughout the rotation, you will develop an approach to caring for undifferentiated patients, participate in resuscitations, and gain experience performing common emergency department procedures.
The emergency department operates through a collaborative team-based approach, bringing together paramedics, nurses, physicians, students, and other members of the healthcare team. We encourage you to actively observe, engage, and participate in this unique environment, as teamwork is central to delivering effective emergency care.
Ultimately, how much you learn, see, and do during the clerkship will depend on your curiosity, effort, and willingness to get involved. Take every opportunity to participate, ask questions, and immerse yourself in the experience.
Contact us
| Vice Chair of Education | Suzana Tsao, DO Suzana.Tsao@pennmedicine.upenn.edu |
| Administrative Education Coordinator: | Kristen Clements Phone: 1-215-662-7334 Kristen.Clements@pennmedicine.upenn.edu |
| Clerkship Director, PPMC ED Site Director | Erica Tabakin, MD – Clerkship Director/Site Director Erica.Tabakin@pennmedicine.upenn.edu |
| Assistant Clerkship Director, HUP ED Site Director | Hari Amin, MD - Clerkship Director/Site Director hari.amin@pennmedicine.upenn.edu |
| PAH ED & Cedar ED Site Directors | Abia Abia, MD Abia.Abia@pennmedicine.upenn.edu |
| CHOP ED Site Directors | Josh Belfer, MD Belferj1@email.chop.edu Fiona Pirrocco, MD pirroccof@chop.edu |
| Philadelphia VA ED Site Director | Eric Farabaugh, MD – Site Director Eric.Farabaugh@va.gov |
Directions to the John Pryor Conference Room and the EDILL
Enter the Hospital via the Main (Ravdin) Entrance. Head down the main corridor, which leaves the lobby on the right, and travel past the EM administrative entrance. At end of corridor, turn Left — you will pass the Founders elevators on the Left. At end of this corridor, turn right (the only way you can go), this corridor will take you to the MRI machines in the Donner Building. Along this corridor there is a narrow corridor on the Left, turn here and the John Pryor conference room is on the left side. Once you're at John Pryor, the EDILL room is on the right side, slightly further in.
Directions to the Emergency Department administrative conference room
If you start in the main lobby of HUP, you will walk toward the back and to the right and go down the Ravdin hallway about 15 feet and there will be a door on the left "Emergency Department Administrative Suites" and once in, the receptionist will direct towards the conference room. (Upon entering the door, you will go to your right to the end of the hall, make a left and the conference room is on your left)
EM Sub-Internship Elective (EM308)
For students considering a career in emergency medicine, a sub-internship rotation at HUP is strongly recommended as it is a requirement for applying to residency. Students interested in surgical and procedure-based specialties are also encouraged to complete this rotation for the procedural experience and exposure gained throughout the rotation.
University of Pennsylvania medical students interested in scheduling a sub-intern elective in EM should sign up for the EM308 course and contact Kristyn Smith, DO at Kristyn.Smith@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Visiting students should apply for the EM308 course by sending an application through the Penn Visiting Students website. Only visiting students from US and Canadian medical schools will be considered. Any further inquiries can be made through Beth Marra, mcneelyb@mail.med.upenn.edu, Registration & Visiting Student Coordinator, Jordan Medical Education Center, 6th Floor, 3400 Civic Center Blvd BLDG 421, Philadelphia, PA 19104-5162, 215-898-1168
This course is designed to introduce you to emergency medicine and all the unique opportunities and challenges associated with this specialty. This will be accomplished through formal lectures, case presentations, and by primary patient care. The best way to learn about emergency medicine is to immerse yourself in the care of emergency department patients. As a sub-intern, you will be expected to evaluate patients and address their presenting complaints, initiate workups, and provide definitive therapies. Often the most critically ill patients are managed using the “team approach” which often involves EMT’s, nurses, physicians, and students. We would encourage you to observe and participate in this unique aspect of patient care. How much you learn, see, and do depends entirely on your effort and interest.
Although the overall focus of this rotation is clinical patient care, the Department of Emergency Medicine at Penn offers substantially more than just a clinical exposure to emergency medicine. The faculty that you will be working with are leaders in the country in the many subspecialties within emergency medicine. Subspecialty areas within emergency medicine including toxicology, ultrasound, pediatric emergency medicine, hyperbaric medicine, emergency medical services, and travel and occupational medicine are well represented. Penn’s emergency department is a national leader (often first) in research funding and is home to the Center for Resuscitation Science, a large clinical research enterprise, and the Center for Emergency Care Policy and Research – the health services research arm of the department. There are many fellows who serve as attending physicians, in addition to the faculty members. Keep your eyes and ears open while working clinically, and ask your attendings about what it is that they are passionate about—no matter how early or late in their training, there is a reason they have gravitated to Penn Medicine.
Visiting students guide
Department of Emergency Medicine specific requirements:
- Third Year Medical Student
- Curriculum Vitae
- Medical School Transcripts
- Board Scores
- Immunizations Records
Perelman School of Medicine Visiting Students Guide
Contact us
| Sub-internship Director, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Site Director | Kristyn Smith, DO Phone: 215-203-6707 Kristyn.Smith@pennmedicine.upenn.edu |
| Pennsylvania Hospital ED Site Director | Abia Abia, MD Abia.Abia@pennmedicine.upenn.edu |
| Philadelphia VA ED Site Director | Eric Farabaugh, MD Eric.Farabaugh@va.gov |
| Administrative Education Coordinator | Kristen Clements Phone: 215-662-7334 Kristen.Clements@pennmedicine.upenn.edu |