EMIG: What You Need to Maximize Potential Jonathan S. Jones, MD FAAEM FACEP Program Director Assistant Professor Department of Emergency Medicine University of Mississippi Medical Center

Conflicts of Interest None…but am actively looking All pictures are either from public domain websites or with patient consent me:

Objectives Learn strategies to increase interest in Emergency Medicine Identify those students truly interested in EM (as opposed to just interested in free pizza) Successfully recruit the best students Manage students who are not a good fit for EM

Not-Objectives Distribute an exhaustive list of components necessary for a successful EMIG Tell you how you should organize your EMIG Pretend that our EMIG is perfect

EMIG Funding No dues! Departmental funding Fundraisers –T-shirts –Races –Food

Increase Interest in EM Effort: 2 Effectiveness: 5 Evaluated on a multi-cultural, language non- specific, visual-analog, Likert-scale using the polytomous Rasch model

Increase Interest in EM Who is the audience –Undergraduates –M1 –M2

Increase Interest in EM Pre-med students

Increase Interest in EM Undergraduates –Is this too early to start? –Very impressionable and excitable –Many will not actually attend medical school –Much time to rethink specialty –Great job for a resident

Increase Interest in EM M1/M2 –Very impressionable and excitable –What aspects of medicine are “cool”  Wilderness, disaster, toxicology  Trauma  Procedures  Riding in a helicopter  Foreign bodies

Increase Interest in EM M1/M2 –Must focus on this group  Why –What do M3 students learn?

Increase Interest in EM M1/M2 –Lectures in regular curriculum  ICM or equivalent –Large EMIG meetings (invite the whole class)  Residents are best ambassadors –Volunteering/shadowing in the ED  Must have interested and dedicated faculty/residents  Have a formal system –Consider goals/checklists/recognition/awards –Research in the ED  Get their name on an abstract/manuscript

Increase Interest in EM M3 –When do students rotate in the ED? –Is M3 year appropriate for an EM elective?  Maybe –Are there other options?  BLS/ACLS/PALS/ATLS  Simulation  Other

Increase Interest in EM M4 –More appropriate time for a core EM clerkship? –The M4 year is not too late to get students interested in EM –Other EM related electives  Typical EM Sub-specialties –But don’t limit the options to these  Don’t be afraid to “step on some toes” –EKG, ultrasound, research, sports medicine

Increase Interest in EM Social Media –Effort: 5 –Effectiveness: 1 Not really that useful Too much out there/overload Who does this appeal to and would we want that person

Identify those truly interested Effort: 5 Effectiveness: 8

Identify those truly interested EMIG Membership –Be approachable (free, friendly, and open to everyone) but require a little initiative on their part –Keep a list of members  Some events can be open to all medical students  But make sure some are exclusive to EMIG members –A reason to commit  Keep a role of who attends meetings –Consider recognition

Identify those truly interested Does attending meetings or being an EMIG officer mean the student is committed to EM? –Maybe Does spending time in the ED mean the student is committed to EM? –Yes

Identify those truly interested Mentors! –Don’t force anyone to be a mentor –The best mentors may be residents –Create a list of mentors and their interests  All students will want to have the PD, CD, Chair as their mentor –Be careful –Standardized expectations  For both mentors and mentees

Recruit the best Effort: 8 Effectiveness: 10

Recruit the best The EMIG Meeting –Need separate meetings for M1/2 and M3/4 –The M3/4 meetings are really for recruiting

Recruit the best Sample EMIG M3/4 meeting schedule –March/April: Planning for the M4 year, externships? –May: Welcome/going away party –June: How to be an M4 –July: Residency application basics and LORs –August: Personal statements –September/October: Mock interviews –January: Rank list

Recruit the best Awards –National, Regional, Institution Research Travel Let them teach

Recruit the best Most everything used to get students interested is also great to use for recruiting The most important thing you can do to recruit a great student:

Recruit the best Personal attention –Why should they be interested in us if we aren't interested in them –Honesty

What about students you don’t want Effort: 12 Effectiveness: 12 Evaluated on the “fibromyalgia-acting-up- allergic-to-everything-but-demerol” scale

What about students you don’t want Are they not a good fit for EM, or are there other issues involved? Remember what EMIG stands for –Ideally we can help all members of EMIG, even those we don’t want as residents –It’s good for them and for us

What about students you don’t want Demand specifics Be honest –A reality check now is better than on match day Should you interview all of your own students? Should you interview everyone who did an externship with you?

Take Home Point #1 EMIG is not just about meetings –Don’t let EMIG be totally student run – Take control of it –Expand the scope to include all recruiting efforts –Clinical experiences, research, curriculum changes –Be organized, keep records, track student involvement

Take Home Point #2 Start early –The earlier the better (and easier) –Get residents involved (heavily) –Get senior students involved –Remember why you chose EM –Shock and awe

Take Home Point #3 Mentors! –Faculty and residents –Will backfire if mentor isn’t interested/dedicated –This is how you keep your best