First aid for the emergency medicine clerkship: a student to student guide:

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Emergency medicine provides a number of pedagogical challenges for both teachers and students. Teaching in this environment is quick and focused because prolonged discussions can impede emergency department (ED) flow. Thus, creating a comprehensive guide for the emergency medicine clerkship is a relatively tall order. On almost all counts, however, First Aid for the Emergency Medicine Clerkship succeeds beautifully.

The first section provides a useful orientation to the emergency medicine clerkship, although much of the advice should be a penetrating glimpse into the obvious for fourth-year medical students. Nevertheless, some EDs are so busy that students may not receive a thorough orientation, and a general orientation will prove invaluable. Also helpful is the discussion in this section of the unique aspects of emergency medicine that are both attractive and difficult, what to expect, and what pitfalls to avoid. An issue that could bear more emphasis in this section is that emergency medicine organizes its differentials on the basis of life threat, not prevalence; this is different from other specialties and has major implications for ED clinical practice.

The bulk of the book is in the second section, focused on disease entities and organized by system. The information is presented in bulleted lists, with each entity broken down in terms of its definition, epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment. Alongside these lists are marginalia with mnemonics, examination and ward tips, summary and warning statements, and other memory aids. The range of disease entities covered is excellent, and the depth of information presented is appropriate for both medical students and interns. One concern is that it is organized by system and does not include a discussion of the presenting complaint; the chief complaint is generally how patients present, however, and rapidly developing an appropriate differential ordered according to life threat is an important emergency medicine skill. Another concern is that there is no section on pediatric emergency medicine; some essential pediatric emergency medicine topics are discussed (eg, in the sections on fever and on dermatology), but there is no separate discussion of the unique aspects of pediatric emergency medicine.

The last section provides a comprehensive guide to the major emergency medicine organizations for students interested in emergency medicine, with suggestions for scholarships and medical student opportunities, as well as Web-based resources to help guide preparation for residency application. This section provides an excellent resource listing; I found a number of resources helpful for my ongoing study of emergency medicine, as well as resources that I relied on when applying for emergency medicine residency.

For students of emergency medicine, I recommend this book highly. It is comprehensive and covers the vast majority of topics you are likely to encounter during your emergency medicine clerkship, and will prepare you well for both your time in the ED and the clerkship examination. My recommendation comes with a few small caveats: first, know how you learn; if bulleted lists are not your preferred mode, supplement this text with a question book or some other source of case-based materials. Second, know that you will have to reorganize the information presented in First Aid for the Emergency Medicine Clerkship into differentials focused on chief complaint and ordered by life threat. Third, this book does not have a subsection on pediatric emergency medicine, and you may need to supplement your learning in this area with another primary source. Despite these small concerns, First Aid for the Emergency Medicine Clerkship is an excellent introduction to emergency medicine, one that will serve both you and your patients well.