PGY1

The first year of residency starts with an introduction to the principles and practice of Emergency Medicine. The orientation month includes focused lectures and hands-on workshops on topics ranging from airway and resuscitation to bedside ultrasound, giving our incoming interns the tools they need to succeed during their first year of training. The remainder of the year consists of six and a half months in the ED, including one in the Pediatric ED, four months of off-service rotations in Trauma, Anesthesia, Obstetrics, Orthopedics, Neurology, and Ultrasound, and three weeks of vacation time.

Rotation Descriptions

Orientation – Hillcrest Medical Center, 1 month

Residency starts with a month-long orientation during which our incoming interns receive focused lectures, procedure labs, ACLS, PALS, and ATLS training, and a handful of practice shifts in the ED. The orientation month is punctuated by a series of social events for our interns including an invitation to our graduation celebration and an intern welcome party complete with swimming and BBQ.

Emergency Medicine – Hillcrest Medical Center, 5.5 months

Hillcrest’s ED offers a broad Emergency Medicine exposure with a high level of patient acuity. The intern-level physician gains understanding of the functioning of a busy urban Emergency Department and builds procedural competency under the close guidance of our faculty. As the year progresses, interns develop and build their clinical and diagnostic acumen.

ED Ultrasound – Hillcrest Medical Center, 2 weeks

All our residents use bedside ultrasound as a routine part of their patient assessment. During the first few months of the intern year, each of our interns has a dedicated two-week ultrasound rotation during which they receive hands-on bedside ultrasound training led by Dr. Lori Whelan. The timing of this rotation early in residency enables our interns to be fully certified to perform ED bedside ultrasounds as a part of their primary patient assessments.

Anesthesia – Hillcrest Medical Center, 2 weeks

Our interns rotate in the OR with the Anesthesia Department at Hillcrest early in the first year to build competence in airway management in a more controlled environment than the ED. Residents learn basic airway management skills along with advanced techniques and the pharmacology of rapid sequence intubation, all under the direct supervision of attending anesthesiologists.

Obstetrics - Hillcrest Medical Center, 1 month

Our residents rotate with the obstetrics and gynecology service at Hillcrest Medical Center where they provide care to patients in labor and learn about proper techniques for both uncomplicated and complicated deliveries. Residents gain valuable procedural experience and build their knowledge about the care for patients in active labor.

Orthopedics – St. Francis Hospital, 2 weeks

At the St. Francis Department of Orthopedics our interns receive excellent teaching and clinical experience in the management of traumatic orthopedic injuries. Residents learn about proper examination techniques and appropriate imaging for patients with orthopedic injuries.

Stroke/ Neurology- Hillcrest Medical Center, 2 weeks

Our residents rotate with the very active neurology service for two weeks caring for patients both in the ED and admitted for acute neurological disorders, primarily but not limited to strokes. Residents follow patients after receiving tPA to understand their hospital course.

Trauma/SICU – St. John Medical Center, 1 month

During the EM-1 and EM-2 years our residents rotate for one month of Trauma & Surgical ICU with exposure to both the initial management and ICU care of patients with traumatic injuries. Residents experience both the initial assessment and evaluation of traumatically injured patients and the management of critically injured patients during their ICU stay for a well-rounded trauma exposure.

Pediatric Emergency Medicine – OU Medical Center, 1 month

The Children's Hospital Emergency Department at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City is the state's only Pediatric ED staffed around-the-clock with board certified Pediatric EM Physicians. The Peds EM training available at this facility is not available at any other facility in the state. Residents learn to care for critically ill children and how to recognize ‘sick vs not sick’ under the guidance of experts in pediatric emergency care. Because of the distance from Tulsa, local housing is provided as well as reimbursement for travel. 

Emergency Medicine- Muscogee (Creek) Nation Medical Center- 6 shifts per year

Each year, residents have shifts scheduled throughout the year at the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Medical Center in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, a 45-minute drive from downtown Tulsa. This single coverage 8-bed rural emergency department serves both Native and non-Native patients, giving residents to opportunity to navigate the tribal healthcare system and other aspects of rural EM including resuscitation with limited resources, transfer coordination, and situational awareness of transport considerations.