Creation and Implementation of an EMS Elective for Final-Year Medical Students: A 5-year Evaluation

TL;DR

This paper describes the creation and evaluation of a two-week EMS elective for final-year medical students, showing improved understanding of EMS roles and practices.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel EMS elective curriculum for medical students with practical, hands-on learning and interdisciplinary communication.

Findings

Students showed significant improvement in understanding EMS practitioner capabilities and medical oversight after the elective.

Qualitative feedback described the elective as practical, hands-on, and eye-opening.

37 students participated from 2017–2022, with survey results indicating a 30% increase in understanding.

Abstract

Emergency medical services (EMS) professionals interact with nearly every type of physician and are key stakeholders across the healthcare spectrum. However, no formal national recommendations exist for medical student education about EMS. When looking for institution-level resources to assist in writing the educational objectives and curricular content for an EMS elective for medical students, limited examples are available for guidance. We designed, implemented, and evaluated a two-week EMS elective for final-year medical students. A pragmatic description of how to create an EMS elective is detailed.

The EMS elective involves an introductory session, an operational orientation, and six ambulance shifts. Self-directed activities and checklists encourage interdisciplinary learning between calls. Additionally, students deliver a case presentation including an example for improved interdisciplinary communication. Before and after the elective, a voluntary anonymous survey is distributed, in addition to a formal standard course evaluation.

From 2017–2022, 37 students participated in the elective. Thirty-four (92%) submitted the pre-elective survey, and 21 (57%) submitted the post-elective survey. Mann-Whitney U testing suggested an improved understanding of the capabilities of different EMS practitioner levels and of the different types of medical oversight after the elective (median pre=60%, median post=90%, U=118, P<0.001). Qualitatively, students described their experiences as “practical,” “hands-on,” and “eye-opening.”

An EMS elective using andragogy and intentional interdisciplinary communication seems useful in facilitating improved understanding of the fundamentals of EMS practice for final-year medical students.