Research is central to ChristianaCare’s Combined Emergency Medicine/Internal Medicine residency. During your residency, you will sharpen your skills as a researcher and deepen your ability to critically review published studies. All Emergency Medicine-Internal Medicine residents complete a scholarly project during their residency with the goal of presenting their work on a national level.
Emergency Medicine/Internal Medicine Residency Research FAQ
Do all EM-IM residents do a scholarly project?
Yes. This is a requirement of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Residency Review Committee (RRC) for all EM residents. At ChristianaCare, each EM resident designs a research protocol with faculty mentorship. There are a number of pathways for completing the scholarly activity requirements, and residents have some flexibility in protocol implementation and publication to suit their academic interests and career goals. Residents then present their project during their senior year at one of our weekly educational conferences, usually preceding their presentations at regional or national meetings.
How much support will I have to get my scholarly activity done?
From day one you are assigned a faculty research mentor. This experienced faculty member meets with you at least twice yearly to go over your goals, ideas and progress. You also have access to five full-time EM research nurses who are able to assist you with planning your project, submitting to the IRB, and collecting data. Additionally, ChristianaCare librarians and statisticians are available to assist with literature searches and data analysis, and we have access to tools to assist with writing your abstracts and manuscripts.
What are the major areas of research interest at ChristianaCare?
Our four primary areas of research focus include resident education, ultrasound, EMS, Cand ED administration. In addition, we have a number of faculty members conducting research in sepsis, stroke care, infectious disease and public health. We work collaboratively with other ChristianaCare departments such as Trauma, Intensive Care, Neurology, and Cardiology, as well as other academic EM programs regionally and around the country.
How successful are residents at getting their projects accepted at national meetings?
Our residents routinely present abstracts at multiple national conferences, including ACEP, SAEM, AAEM, CORD, and NAEMSP. Our research department works closely with residents in both the abstract and poster preparation to optimize the chances of acceptance and to represent our program at the national level.
For more information, contact Barbara Debbage , manager of EM Research, at 302-733-4198, barbara.j.debbage@christianacare.org.