Consensus Development of a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Clerkship Curriculum

Abstract

Introduction: As emergency medicine (EM) has become a more prominent feature in the clinical years of medical school training, national EM clerkship curricula have been published to address the need to standardize students’ experiences in the field. However, current national student curricula in EM do not include core pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) concepts. Methods: A workgroup was formed by the Clerkship Directors in Emergency Medicine and the Pediatric Interest Group of the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine to develop a consensus on the content to be covered in EM and PEM student courses. Results: The consensus is presented with the goal of outlining principles of pediatric emergency care and prioritizing students’ exposure to the most common and life-threatening illnesses and injuries. Conclusion: This consensus curriculum can serve as a guide to directors of PEM and EM courses to optimize PEM knowledge and skills education. [West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(6):647–651]