Chapter 48 Student’s guide to the emergency department
The emergency department can be the highlight of a student’s day or the place where you feel most out of place, or both at the same time. Hopefully this chapter will outline some practical tips for getting the most out of this wonderful resource.
ADVANTAGES OF THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
Learn to handle emergencies
As a student my biggest fear was that I would actually kill someone! My second biggest fear was failing exams. And the third was, how do I actually save someone’s life? I’m not just talking about the big trauma cases but also the smaller practical procedures. This is one of the greatest things emergency department can teach you. By spending time there and talking to the doctors, you learn how to actually prioritise management and the basic couple of things that you need to do right now before you stop and work out the clinical management guidelines. You can also learn how to actually do them.