Preface

We wrote this book because we remember our own experiences as medical students and junior residents working in the emergency department (ED). The ED is a unique environment that requires knowledge and skills often not covered in medical or physician assistant school. In this book, we attempt to create a resource for the medical student, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, and junior-level resident to use to get a grasp on the issues and scope of problems that they will confront while working in the ED.

The book's length and format are designed to allow the student and practitioner to begin to digest the broad range of topics inherent to emergency medicine (EM). Each chapter begins with a section on Key Points, followed by an Introduction, Clinical Presentation (History and Physical Examination), Diagnostic Studies, Medical Decision Making, Treatment, and Disposition. Whenever possible, we tried to give practical information regarding drug dosing, medical decision-making thought processes, treatment plans, and dispositions that will actually allow you to function more comfortably in the clinical environment. The diagnostic algorithms are a unique feature that attempt to simplify the problem and point the clinician in the right direction.

The book has 19 sections and 98 chapters that cover the entire contents of the EM clerkship curriculum (Acad Emerg Med. 2010;17:638-643). The authors are all practicing emergency physicians and EM educators from throughout the country. For medical student clerkship directors, we believe that this text is the perfect book for the student to pick up and digest during a 4-week rotation.

In summary, we hope this book will enhance the emergency medicine experience of all its users.