The University of Maryland Emergency Medicine Residency

NSUCOM
Emergency Medicine Society
Unofficial Information Page

I. What is the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) ?

UMMS is comprised of several hospitals. The main university hospital, University of Maryland Medical Center, is an 800 bed tertiary care facility that features the fist free standing trauma center in the United States. The University of Maryland Medical Center features programs in Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Surgery and its subspecialties, Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, and many more. It is a leading institution for graduate medical education and is affectionately referred to as the, "West Side Gorilla" by the elder statesmen over at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The UMMS includes the following:

The University of Maryland Medical Center
The R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center
University Specialty Hospital
Maryland General Hospital
Baltimore Washington Medical Center
The University of Maryland Hospital for Children
Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital

II. What about Emergency Medicine at the University of Maryland?

Besides being a spot on the ERAS application, several features distinguish the University of Maryland's Emergency Medicine Program. The program began in the 1980's and currently comprises programs in Emergency Medicine (Categorical), Emergency Medicine/Internal Medicine, and Emergency Medicine/Pediatrics. The Division of Emergency Medicine, as part of the UMaryland Department of Sugery, also features post graduate fellowship programs in Forensics, EMS, Trauma/Critical Care (at Shock Trauma), and Research. The program's curriculum places a heavy emphasis on critical care medicine and trauma. Amal Mattu, MD, FAAEM, FACEP, serves as program director and Kenneth Butler, DO, FACEP is the associate director. UM Emergency Medicine leadership have distinguished themselves as speakers, authors, and recognized educators.

III. Vital Statistics

The Emergency Department at the University of Maryland comprises about fifty treatment beds and is divided into the following areas:

Adult Emergency Department
    A 20 bed area dedicated to the evaluation and stabilization of adults with sudden illness or injury. This area includes private patient suites, three dedicated resuscitation bays, and a psychiatric emergent care area. The adult ED has isolation rooms, computerized order entry and patient tracking systems, and two ultrasound machines. The adjacent radiology suite encompasses x-ray and a 60 slice multi-detector CAT scanner capable of 3d reconstruction and cardiac/gated angiography. Though trauma patients will occasionally walk in for care, most seriously injured patients meeting trauma transport criteria are directly routed through the free-standing Shock Trauma Center. 

Pediatric Emergency Department
    An area designed for the evaluation and treatment of critically ill children. This area features a resuscitation bay, critical care areas, and an asthma room. The Pediatric Emergency Department has its own triage / reception area and is staffed by attendings board certified in pediatrics and emergency medicine. 

Urgent Care
    This area focuses on the treatment and disposition of patients with minor complaints. 

Observation / Clinical Decision Unit
    Currently a four bed unit located in the adult ED, this area is staffed jointly with residents from the IM and EM/IM programs. Patients triaged to the CDU/Observation area are possible candidates for discharge but may require additional tests and ongoing evaluations prior to final disposition.

The R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center
    This level one facility contains ten dedicated resuscitation bays, imaging equipment, surgical suites, and intensive care beds dedicated to victims of adult trauma. Shock Trauma Radiology boasts two multi detector CT scanners, an angiography suite, and digitalized x-ray equipment. The Shock Trauma Center has six operating room suites that function 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Residents from across the country rotate at this institution as do units from the United States military. STC personnel wear pink scrubs and are organized into, "trauma teams." The helipad is located on Cowley's roof and is capable of receiving multiple patients simultaneously. Dauphin helicopters from the Maryland State Police's Aviation Unit are frequent flyers. Patients do not walk into the STC, but are transported there via ambulance or helicopter. Trauma teams are comprised of attendings, fellows, residents, and students from all departments.

Courtesy of the Maryland State Police Aviation Command

IV. The Curriculum

The intern year is both fast paced and intensive. Faculty at the University of Maryland EM program are responsive to resident feedback and have recently changed the first year curriculum to include an additional critical care month. Patient care responsibilities increase as residents progress through the curriculum, and interns are encouraged to participate in the resuscitation of critically ill patients. Senior residents are expected to expand on their supervisory and leadership skills through supervising patient flow and resident teaching opportunities. Didactic sessions take place every Wednesday morning; conference time is both protected while off service and mandatory.  The didactic program includes lecturers, a board review series, and cadaver labs focused on surgical airway and trauma procedures. Residents at the University of Maryland can expect to complete the following rotations:

INTERN YEAR

JUNIOR YEAR

SENIOR YEAR

V. Official Links

To learn more about the U Maryland programs, consult these more official links:
-The University of Maryland's Emergency Medicine Residency Homepage
-Graduate Medical Education at the University of Maryland

VI. Fellowship Training

    As residents can appreciate, education does not end with completion of residency.  The University of Maryland has several fellowships available to emergency physicians including:

Ultrasound
Director:    Brian Eurle, MD, FACEP, RDMS 
    This newly developed fellowship requires one year for completion and provides practicing emergency physicians with advanced training in emergency ultrasonography. Under the direction of Brian Eurele, MD, fellows will learn basic and advanced emergency ultrasound applications. Fellows function as junior faculty and hone their skills at:
-Bedside emergency echocardiogaphy
-Emergency fetal biometry
-Detection of pneumothorax
-Central line placement
Please do not hesitate to contact the departmental offices at 410-328-8025 for more information

Emergency Medical Services 
Director:    Donald Alves, MD, MS, FACEP 
    This two year fellowship provides graduate emergency physicians the skills necessary to function as medical directors and integral members of disaster medical assistance teams. This fellowship takes advantage of unique resources like the National Study Center for EMS and Trauma located at the Shock Trauma Center, the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems, and the emergency health sciences program at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Fellows can complete an MS degree in emergency health science and participate a wide variety of activities including critical care transport and distaster medical response. 

International Emergency Medicine
Director:    Robert Corder, MD
    

Trauma Critical Care
Director:    William C. Chiu, MD
    The Trauma Critical Care fellowship at The University of Maryland's R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center has trained surgeons, emergency physicians, and intensivists across the country. This program was one of the first to openly recruit emergency physicians and provides applicants with broad based and intensive exposure to all facets of surgical critical care. Fellows are expected to supervise trauma resuscitations at Shock Trauma and rotate through a wide variety of the Medical Center's critical care units. From the fellowship's website:
    "Fellows may opt to remain for a second fellowship year where they are provided opportunities for research through the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center research program, as well as an opportunity to enroll in a Master's Degree program through an affiliation with the Injury Prevention Department at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and pre-hospital research opportunities are available through the National Study Center for Trauma and EMS and in cooperation with Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services System (MIEMSS). Additionally, a second fellowship year is available to gain more intense training in trauma patient care and management." 
http://www.umm.edu/shocktrauma/fellowship.html

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