Mission

As a full academic department in a community-hospital based medical school, we graduate highly competent and compassionate physicians with a strong foundation in the practice of emergency medicine, as well as with resiliency, well-being and a dedication to lifelong learning. Our program encompasses clinical and didactic experience in emergency and critical care medicine, emergency department and emergency medical services administration, teaching techniques, and principles of research and publication.

Vision

• Graduate civilian and military emergency physicians capable of working in any setting across the globe.
• Provide exposure to a wide range of patient ages, backgrounds, and pathology through rotations at multiple hospitals in the region.
• Integrate the latest in technology and evidence-based medicine into the clinical practice and didactic education of our residents and medical students.
• Select and train residents from diverse backgrounds who will use their skills and training to benefit communities in need and, in the case of our military residents, protect and serve our country wherever they are deployed.

Aims

• Provide comprehensive training in emergency medicine that aligns with ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) standards, ensuring residents gain proficiency in clinical care, medical knowledge, professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills, practice-based learning and improvement, systems-based practice, and patient care.
• Integrate Air Force-specific training elements into the curriculum, emphasizing the unique challenges and scenarios encountered in military settings, such as combat casualty care, aeromedical evacuation, and disaster response.
• Foster a culture of readiness and preparedness to care for service members, veterans, and civilians in high-stress environments, including those in harm's way, by emphasizing rapid decision-making, trauma management, and resource utilization.
• Cultivate leadership skills among residents, preparing them to serve as effective medical officers in the Air Force, capable of leading healthcare teams in diverse and challenging settings, both domestically and abroad.
• Promote interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork, recognizing the importance of coordination between civilian and military healthcare providers in delivering timely and effective emergency medical care, especially in times of crisis or conflict.
• Support research and innovation in emergency medicine, encouraging residents to contribute to the advancement of medical knowledge and practices that benefit both civilian and military populations, with a focus on improving outcomes for patients in austere environments or under adverse conditions.

The didactic component of the residency is rich and multifaceted, anchored by weekly small group discussions and comprehensive large group lectures. First and second-year residents are divided into three small groups, with the discussions facilitated by second-year residents, fostering a collaborative learning environment. Third-year residents engage in specialized small groups focused on advanced patient management strategies. Beyond these weekly educational gatherings, residents partake in monthly Journal Club meetings, six annual cadaver labs, and an extra two to three perfused cadaver labs, enhancing their practical skills. Furthermore, the curriculum is supplemented with numerous simulation sessions throughout the year, ensuring a well-rounded and immersive learning experience.

R1 Year

The first year of training is designed to provide a broad base for residents to acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities requisite to emergency medicine throughout the remainder of their training and future careers. R1s are expected to see a wide variety of patient ages and social situations, as well as presenting complaints, management approaches, and disposition decisions. R1s must also acquire technical skills in handling medical and surgical disorders in all age groups.

July of the R1 year begins with an intense month-long orientation, including seminars, simulation, and procedural training, to prepare the new resident with a foundation for approaching some of the most common and potentially most serious undifferentiated patient complaints. A session on the rational use of ancillary studies is also presented. Managing personal & professional stress is another session targeted at resident wellness. Additionally, a series on workplace violence, physical safety in the ED, and personal defensive tactics is presented during the orientation month. This prepares R1s for three hands-on defensive-tactics classes that will follow. ED directors discuss documentation, risk management, cultural barriers to care, and patient satisfaction. Additionally, an introduction to disaster medicine is provided. R1s are fully introduced to their integral roles in disaster-response plans for the eight-county Ohio Emergency Management Agency Region II. R1s subsequently complete the short course in basic disaster life support (BDLS). This is complemented by a day of hands-on instruction in personal protective equipment (PPE) and decontamination techniques for healthcare providers managing patients exposed to chemical, biological, or radiological (CBR) materials.

The R1 resident will work a reduced number of shifts in the emergency department during the orientation month.

R2 Year

The second year of training is designed for more in-depth exposure to emergency medicine. R2s are expected to focus on critical care, while refining their skills and efficiency managing less-emergent patients. R2s also take an educational role as small group leaders.

R3 Year

Senior residents are expected to apply and disseminate the knowledge they have gained from their previous training. As part of their increasing graduated responsibilities, R3s assume a more supervisory and educational role. During their teaching block, R3s assist in the education of medical students, and on shift they help manage R1s.

Third year residents have the opportunity to select an elective rotation of their choosing. Some examples have included:

• Indiana University simulation center rotation
• Anesthesiology rotation
• Motorsports Medicine at Indiana University
• Wilderness Medicine elective
• EMS/HEMS elective
• Prehospital and Operational Medicine elective
• International Medicine
• Hand surgery rotation
• Critical Care Air Transport Team course
• Poison Control Center

Residents (R1-R3) work eighteen (18) 9-hour shifts during an ED block. Chief residents have a two-shift reduction. During the R2 and R3 years, two of the 18 shifts are at Dayton Children’s ED, and 1-2 shifts are in the WPAFB ED.

During ED blocks, Residents are on backup call for two days, and during their Ultrasound rotation for 4 days.

The military unique curriculum features monthly lectures that delve into subjects distinctly pertinent to military medicine, focusing on operational challenges in resource-constrained environments and emphasizing the principles of officership and leadership within the military context. Each session is meticulously designed to incorporate discussions on the application of medical principles in deployed settings, offering insights into alternative treatment strategies and diagnostic approaches tailored for scenarios marked by limited resources. Annually, residents also participate in a classified brief provided by the National Air and Space Intelligence Center to gain a better understanding of current world events in the context of military medicine with emphasis on current threats and capabilities of adversaries to the United States.

All rotations are required. A minimum of 70% attendance at didactic sessions, including journal club, is required for graduation. Additionally, residents must maintain active Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, and Advanced Trauma Life certifications.

Procedure Lab

Residents will participate in cadaver labs to learn and maintain skills in rare and life-saving interventions, including central venous catheter placement, resuscitative thoracotomy, pericardiocentesis, chest tube placement, ultrasound-guided nerve blocks, lateral canthotomy, difficult airways, cricothyrotomy, burr holes, venous cut-downs, among others. There are six procedure labs yearly, with an additional 2-3 plumbed cadaver labs.

Oral Board Preparation

Oral board preparation is an integral component of the weekly didactic sessions held every Tuesday, further reinforced by two annual oral board simulation days where residents' performance is evaluated. During these simulations, third-year residents (R3s) facilitate oral case scenarios for first-year residents (R1s), fostering a mentorship-driven learning environment. In alignment with the American Board of Emergency Medicine's evolving oral board examination protocols, the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Emergency Medicine Residency program remains committed to adapting its curriculum, ensuring that all residents are thoroughly equipped to successfully navigate and excel in their oral board examinations.

Simulation Lab

The Wright State University Emergency Medicine Department has a state-of-the-art simulation lab with high-fidelity adult, pediatric, infant, and obstetrical models. Residents use this lab throughout their three years to hone their evaluation of complex and ambiguous cases and refine their management skills of critically ill patients, particularly those with rare diseases. Their year residents help to run medical student simulation cases during their teaching block.

1st Year Resident

• Orientation Sims (Procedures, Airway, Undifferentiated Cases, OSCE skills checkoff)
• Individual Sim - occurs in Fall
• Resuscitation Sim - occurs in Fall
• Individual Sim - occurs in Spring
• Resuscitation Sim - occurs in Spring
• R1-R3 Clinical Teaching Sim

2nd Year Resident

• Difficult Airway Sim (with RT students)
• IPE Sim (with nursing students when available
• Pediatric Sim
• Neonatal Resuscitation Sim one block before OB block
• Ventilation Cases one block before SICU/MICU block

3rd Year Resident

• R1-R3 Clinical Teaching Sim
• IPE Sim (with nursing students when available)
• Pediatric Sim
• ACGME Procedure/Cases of Choice Sim

The Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Emergency Medicine Residency offers a comprehensive curriculum to cultivate leaders in emergency medicine and military settings. Leadership development begins immediately, with residents encountering progressively greater responsibilities and leadership roles throughout the 36-month program. Upon completion, our graduates emerge as adept leaders, proficient in managing complex and high-pressure situations with clarity, direction, and composure. Leadership activities include: 

• Leadership and team building exercises
• Peer mentorship
• Quarterly program leadership and mentoring sessions
• Progressive leadership responsibilities on shift, during medical resuscitations, and in the management of trauma patients
• Resident leadership roles, including cohort element leaders, resident physical training leaders, and five chief positions during the third year

Residents are required to perform a scholarly activity project of their choosing. This project can be a full research project, a book chapter, an online review article, a case report, or a poster presentation.

Residents are also encouraged to participate in quality improvement activities, both within the department of emergency medicine and within the area hospitals in which they work. Opportunities for participation with hospital committees and regional medical societies exist to foster advanced interest in quality improvement. A quality improvement project is not required for graduation.

Concurrently with mastering emergency medicine and resuscitation techniques, residents are meticulously groomed to become future frontrunners in both the military and the field of emergency medicine, leveraging a blend of role modeling and mentorship. Our residents and alumni have notably held officer positions within esteemed organizations such as the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association and the Government Services Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Furthermore, we actively encourage our current residents to engage with the broader medical community by attending national conferences, where they can showcase their research findings.

Kettering Medical Center (Kettering, Ohio)

• Level II Trauma Center with 53,104 emergency visits in 2014
• Comprehensive cancer care including Gamma Knife Perfexion, Stereotactic Body Radiosurgery and Versa HD linear accelerator
• Level III-B Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• 2015 Best Regional Hospital according to U.S. News & World Report
• Named among 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in the nation for 2015 by Truven Health Analytics

Miami Valley Hospital (Dayton, Ohio)

• Region's only Level I Trauma Center and home of regional CareFlight Air and Mobile Services with over 100,000 annual emergency department visits
• Level III-B Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• U.S. News & World Report 10th best hospital in the state of Ohio for 2015
• 13 HealthGrades 5-Star Ratings Awards for specialty care
• U.S. News & World Report rated 45th in the nation for pulmonology care for 2015

Wright-Patterson Medical Center (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio)

• One of the Air Force's largest medical treatment facilities (now considered a specialty hospital)
• Average of 69 emergency and more than 1,100 outpatient visits per day
• Providing specialty and subspecialty services for more than 58,000 beneficiaries
• Fully Accredited by the Joint Commission
• WPAFB is the home of the 711th Human Performance Wing, which includes the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, and the Air Force Research Laboratory

Dayton Children’s Hospital (Dayton, Ohio)

• New $162 million patient care tower
• Regional referral center for a 20-county area
• More than 400 physicians and residents and more than 45 pediatric subspecialties
• Level II Pediatric Trauma Center
• Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval
• Award-winning, nationally recognized Level III Newborn Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
• One of only 11 pediatric cancer care centers in the nation that are fully accredited by the Commission on Cancer
• Partners with the Neuroscience Institute in pediatric neuroscience research
• Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship

Our program offers rotations to fourth-year medical students (and third-year medical students on a space-available basis) to those students interested in emergency medicine. Additionally, HPSP students may apply through the Wright State Emergency Medicine Department for a civilian rotation. Rotations are four weeks (one block) long and include multiple clinical shifts, didactic opportunities, simulation experience, and catered time for learning about the values and culture of the program. Students interested in rotating with our program can visit the Wright State Scheduling Site to see availability and self-schedule a rotation. Follow guidance through the WPAFB Graduate Medical Education regarding rotation logistics.

If you want to schedule an interview with our program, please visit the Wright State Scheduling Site or contact dha.wright-patt.wright-patt-88th-mdg.list.wpafb-em@health.mil.

Program graduates take the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) qualifying examination and certifying oral board examination. These examinations are offered annually. To become fully board certified, applicants are eligible to take board certification exam three months following graduation. To be eligible to take specialty board exams, graduates must complete all pre-requisites required by ABEM by October 31st. Board eligibility is described on the ABEM website. Graduates may remain board-eligible for up to two five-year periods following completion of residency.

Residents are expected to assume increasing levels of responsibility as teachers to their peers in the department on shift, during didactic sessions, in the simulation laboratory, and while off shift as mentors to junior residents. R2s will actively teach during small group didactic discussions, and R3s will teach medical students during their teaching block.

Residents are offered opportunities to teach courses at local, regional, national, and international conferences, including ultrasound, emergency procedural skills, and lectures on military and emergency medicine.

The residency is supported by faculty with a wide variety of subspecialty and niche education and experiences. Examples include:

• Advanced Emergency Medicine Ultrasound
• Emergency Medical Services and Disaster Medicine
• Tactical Medicine
• Wilderness Medicine
• Critical Care Medicine
• Medical Toxicology / Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN)
• Addiction Medicine
• Informatics
• Research
• Administration

Upon joining the program, residents are immediately paired with a faculty advisor/mentor to ensure a smooth transition to residency and provide initial guidance. Nonetheless, we actively encourage residents to explore mentorship relationships with faculty members whose expertise, personality, and career trajectories align more closely with their own professional aspirations and interests. This approach fosters a more personalized mentorship experience, enhancing the resident's growth and development within the field.

Prioritizing wellness is essential for delivering optimal care to emergency patients. To support this, our program includes quarterly wellness days, and we appoint a senior resident as the wellness chief to advocate for and guide our residents' well-being initiatives. Recognizing the demands and pressures inherent in residency training, we provide personalized and confidential support to each resident. Our approach is tailored to identify and offer the necessary resources and assistance to address our residents, ensuring their well-being and professional growth.