Charge Resident System

The Charge Resident System is based on a model of graduated responsibility and constitutes a core value of our educational philosophy to develop excellence in leadership, education, and professionalism.

The Charge Resident is ultimately responsible for supervising patient care and determining all medical decision making for a 14-bed section of the ED. They oversee a team of interns and medical students, take clinical presentations, prioritize and delegate tasks, supervise all procedures, conduct shift change rounds and manage patient flow. In the Trauma Bay, the Charge Residents leads all resuscitations and manages the airway for all trauma patients. Additionally, they serve as medical control and respond to all radio communication from EMS regarding  medical treatment questions, transport decisions, and trauma activations.  

Upon graduation, our residents have significant experience navigating operational challenges, managing departmental flow, and caring for medically complex and critically ill-patients while continuing to provide superb patient care.

Social Emergency Medicine

The Social Emergency Medicine curriculum allows residents to further investigate the social determinants of health and how they impact patient care. Our program is a pioneer in the development of this subspecialty and our residents and faculty hold a wide range of local, state and national leadership positions in the field. This integrated curriculum involves site visits to local clinics, completing online training modules, engaging in community activities, and participating in advocacy on a state and national level. All residents are required to complete the basic curriculum and for those who have a vested interest in the area, a dedicated elective and sub-specialty track is available.  

Rural Emergency Medicine

Lallie Kemp Regional Medical Center is a critical access hospital located 90 minutes outside of New Orleans in Independence, Louisiana. Residents spend two weeks annually rotating at Lallie Kemp where they gain experience making clinical decisions in a rural environment without access to sub-speciality services. Residents learn to become self-reliant and master the ability to rapidly stabilize, treat and transfer the acutely sick and injured patient. Our residents enjoy working at Lallie Kemp so much that many of them choose to moonlight there later in residency. 

Residents as Educators

Our residents have a tremendous opportunity to develop their skills as educators throughout their training and regularly participate in an array of teaching activities for a variety of learners. Our Emergency Department at UMC serves as the dedicated teaching hospital for both Tulane and LSU Medical Schools and our residents oversee nearly 400 rotating medical students annually. In addition, we are the primary training site for LSU’s PA and nursing students as well as the United States Navy SEAL medics. Furthermore, our residents serve as educators in the following programs: 

• Simulation, Ultrasound, Procedure & Cadaver Lab Instructors
• ACLS Instructors
• Stop the Bleed Instructors
• “Big Buddy” Mentorship Program for medical students 
• Foundations of Emergency Medicine Course Instructors
• Dedicated 2-week Teaching Rotation 
• Lectures during weekly educational conference

Elective/Selective Time

Our residents are granted a total of 22 weeks of Elective and Selective time in order to explore the sub-specialties within Emergency Medicine and ultimately develop a niche for their career. Residents may purse any pre-approved elective of their choosing or can design their own elective opportunity. For Selectives, residents may choose from rotations such as: Palliative Care, Pain Management, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Radiology, Oral Surgery, Dermatology, ENT, Administration, Informatics, Simulation and others.