Responsibilities in the Emergency Department

1) Perform a focused Emergency Department history and physical exam. This includes a chief complaint, HPI, PMH, ROS, medications, allergies, brief social history, and any pertinent family history.

2) You are an integral part of your patient's care. At all times you should be aware of your patient's status. You must ensure that your patient's needs (labs, x-rays, IV's, fluids, etc) are met.

3) Present your history and physical to either the senior resident or attending, INCLUDING at the end your MANAGEMENT PLAN. If the resident or attending alters the plan, understand the rationale for the revised plan. Remember not to overlook vital signs (that's why they're called vital!) tetanus, pulse ox, etc.

4) Make sure the senior resident or attending is notified before any disposition, either admission or discharge.

5) When leaving at the end of a shift, make certain that all of your patients are signed out to the next shift (either the next student or a resident if no student follows you), and make sure the senior resident or attending is aware of the change.

6) Procedures such as IV's, Foleys, ABG's should be done by you. If not successful after two attempts, then request staff assistance. For more invasive procedures, you may do the procedure, but must have a resident or attending supervise. ALWAYS FOLLOW UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS.

7) Treat your colleagues, nurses, staff, and patients with the same respect you would expect to enjoy.

8) You MUST have HIPPA training prior to beginning ANY shifts in the Emergency Department, and MUST observe patient confidentiality at all times. The Emergency Department is a difficult environment to maintain confidentiality, but all efforts need to be made to maintain confidentiality. If an environment exists that makes either you or the patient uncomfortable sharing information, please solicit the attending’s help in rectifying the problem. Get consent from patients before discussing any medical information.