The Emergency Medicine Residency aims to provide graduating residents the tools, skills, empathy and knowledge to practice in any Emergency Department of their choosing. We strive to achieve the ultimate goal of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Charleston Area Medical Center: excellence in patient care.
Comprehensive clinical training
The program will be taught using the newest and most innovative approaches to medical education, along with extensive clinical exposure in all areas essential to the competent and compassionate practice of emergency medicine.
These resources allow the didactic component of Emergency Medicine education to focus on small group presentations, intensive instruction using simulation (standardized patients, partial task trainers and high-fidelity full human patient simulators), and active resident participation in the learning process.
Combined with bedside teaching that employs a one-resident and one board-certified attending model, and with a patient population that exceeds 100,000 visits annually, we offer exceptional educational opportunities.
Program goals
- Promote a broad understanding of the role of Emergency Medicine as it relates to other medical specialties
- Integrate the sciences applicable to emergency medicine with clinical experiences to prepare residents to assume progressive responsibilities, commencing with general medical skills, and progressing to complete care of patients in need of emergency care
- Enable the Emergency Medicine resident to rapidly evaluate, initiate treatment, problem solve and prescribe the appropriate therapy of the emergency patient
- Develop the teaching skills of the residents in Emergency Medicine
- Develop professional leadership and management skills
- Promote lifelong learning in medical education through engagement in quality improvement/patient safety initiatives and research
- Develop interest in, and understanding of, research in Emergency Medicine
- Prepare the resident to meet certification requirements of the American Board of Emergency Medicine
- Assure competence in procedures and ultrasound as they relate to the practice of Emergency Medicine
- Provide a professional and team-based learning environment where residents can work without fear of intimidation
- Promote the importance of well-being, work-life balance, resilience and management of stress and burnout
Research opportunities
Emergency Medicine residents will receive instruction and practical experience in medical education to prepare them to assume a role in any academic program in the country. One of the goals of the Emergency Medicine residency is that residents develop an interest in and understanding of research in emergency medicine. The program emphasizes scholarly activity in many forms and provides ample opportunities to residents for involvement in interdepartmental collaboration on patient safety and quality improvement projects, original research ventures, case report development and curriculum creation and teaching. Residents must display active involvement in scholarly activity as an element of residency completion.
Hear from our residents
I have been incredibly pleased with the training I've received thus far at Charleston Area Medical Center. I have been exposed to a wide array of pathologies and multiple comorbidities, which will strongly shape me into being the best emergency physician I can be. Residents are given a significant level of autonomy early on, which is a unique aspect of our program. The support I received from my co-residents, attendings, mid-levels, nurses, pharmacists, respiratory therapists and radiology techs is unreplicable. We also have weekly didactic sessions that include lectures from our facility, simulation sessions and the opportunity to teach as residents that prepare us for the in-training exams and, ultimately, our boards. We also have fun outside of work with multiple wellness events. We have a family dynamic. I may be biased as a West Virginia native, but I firmly believe that WV has some of the best people in the country, and it is my honor and privilege to take care of them at CAMC.
CAMC was by far my first choice for my Emergency Medicine Residency. CAMC receives high patient volumes annually and is responsible for covering a large geographic area in West Virginia. These patients are in high acuity and have critical care statuses with multiple comorbidities. It was clear I would have an abundant number of opportunities to care for and treat very complex critically ill patients, thus equaling an excellent training environment. CAMC provides an environment that is very 'hands-on' from the beginning, which is a huge advantage to be able to not only perform procedures but also be able to master them with many repetitions. Additionally, the comradery between residents, attendings and teaching staff is superb. Your co-residents always have your back and are willing to go above and beyond to teach and train you to ensure you become the best physician you can be. The atmosphere is enjoyable, and the learning opportunities are endless. West Virginia is a beautiful state with a large variety of outdoor activities, and the affordable cost of living is a luxury. I am more than pleased with my decision to represent and be a part of CAMC. It would be very difficult to find a finer program than CAMC to give you the tools to become a successful and fully trained physician.
