The Department of Emergency Medicine welcomes 4th year medical students to participate in its senior Emergency Medicine (EM) elective. Rotating students should have completed prerequisite rotations in other core specialties and be well versed in those other specialties. Students rotate at Mount Sinai Morningside, a Level 1 Trauma Center in uptown Manhattan serving a diverse community population with a separate pediatric EM department, as well as Mount Sinai West, the only hospital on the west side of lower Manhattan, serving a diverse population including tourists, businesspersons, and underserved patients.

Our rotation is designed to be a clinical experience, thus most of the student’s time is spent working in our emergency department, with hands-on teaching and learning. Over the course of 12 clinical shifts, students function as sub-interns and primary care givers for their patients, developing skills in differential diagnosis, assessment, and EM-specific procedures. Students are expected to see patients independently, create focused differential diagnoses relevant to emergency medicine, and direct the appropriate work up and treatment plans as well as dispositions for all their patients. Students are assigned to work directly with attending physicians boarded in emergency medicine.

Weekly didactic sessions are offered in conjunction with the residency conference with independent student break-out sessions. Sub-specialization in emergency medicine is highlighted through teaching sessions with our Simulation and Ultrasound divisions as well as an EMS ride-along. 

The rotation is four weeks long and runs on the same academic schedule as the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Students must attend the Monday orientation and be available during the entire four-week rotation. 

Rotation Structure

The rotation is structured around 14 clinical work days and additional educational experiences described below:

Educational Experiences

Resident Conferences

The resident’s weekly educational conference is interactive, exciting, evidence-based and rigorous. It takes place every Wednesday from 9am-1:30pm, attendance and participation is expected.

Simulation Session

A single session of a small group taken through a simulation case that varies based on the month. This is run by our simulation division and fellowship.

Resident Lecture

A single student-focused lecture or hands on procedure lab, guided by one of our senior residents.

Ultrasound Conference

A monthly didactic and hands on learning session specifically focused toward students and emergency medicine use of ultrasound. The conference is run by our ultrasound division and their topnotch staff and fellows.

Trauma Lecture

High-yield trauma topics discussed by the department chair, a nationally recognized trauma expert.

Director’s Rounds

Each student must present a case seen during their rotation. This is an informal group discussion and teaching session. This conference usually takes place on the fourth Thursday of each month and participation is mandatory.

How to Apply

Please apply to the elective via VSLO, but feel free to email us with any questions. Additionally you may submit your interest via the medical student interest form and visit the Sinai course catalog for more details. 

If you have any further questions, please contact us at slredmedstuds@gmail.com


Jamie Edelstein, MD and Bess Storch, MD

Medical Student Clerkship Directors