Emergency Medicine Resident Rotations Abroad: Current Status and Next Steps

Abstract

Introduction: International rotations for residents are increasingly popular, but there is a dearth of evidence to demonstrate that these rotations are safe and that residents have appropriate training and support to conduct them. Methods: A survey was sent to all U.S. emergency medicine (EM) residencies with publicly available e-mail addresses. The survey documents and examines the training and support that emergency medicine residents are offered for international rotations and the frequency of adverse safety events. Results: 72.5% of program director responded that their residents are participating in rotations abroad. However, only 15.4% of programs reported offering training specific to working abroad. The results point to an increased need for specific training and insurance coverage. Conclusion: Oversight of international rotations should be improved to guarantee safety and education benefit.

Keywords

• International rotations
• resident safety