Abstract
IntroductionLack of accreditation requirements affords global emergency medicine (GEM) fellowships the flexibility to customize curricula and content. A paucity of literature exists describing the state of GEM fellowship programs. We describe the current state of GEM fellowship curricula including which components are commonly included, and highlighting areas of higher variability.MethodsWe identified GEM fellowships and invited them to participate in a web-based survey. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed.ResultsOf the 46 fellowship programs invited to participate, 24 responded; one duplicate response and one subspecialty program were excluded. The 22 remaining programs were included in the analysis. Nineteen programs (86%) offer a Masters in Public Health (MPH) and 36% require an MPH to graduate. Additionally, 13 programs (59%) offered graduate degrees other than MPH. Fellows average 61 clinical hours per month (95% confidence interval, 53–68). Time spent overseas varies widely, with the minimum required time ranging from 2–28 weeks (median 8 weeks; interquartile range [IQR] 6,16) over the course of the fellowship. The majority of programs offer courses in tropical medicine (range 2–24 weeks, median 4 weeks) and the Health Emergencies in Large Populations course. Only 32% of programs reported offering formal ultrasound training. Fellows averaged 1.3 research projects prior to fellowship and median of 2.5 during fellowship (IQR 1,3). While the majority of GEM fellowship graduates worked at US academic centers (59%), 24% worked in US community hospitals, 9% worked for non-profit organizations, and 9% worked internationally in clinical practice.ConclusionOur results highlight the wide variability of curricular content and experiences offered by GEM fellowships.
Highlights
Lack of accreditation requirements affords global emergency medicine (GEM) fellowships the flexibility to customize curricula and content
While the majority of GEM fellowship graduates worked at US academic centers (59%), 24% worked in US community hospitals, 9% worked for non-profit organizations, and 9% worked internationally in clinical practice
Our results highlight the wide variability of curricular content and experiences offered by GEM fellowships. [West J Emerg Med. 2021;22(1)119-123.]
Summary
Lack of accreditation requirements affords global emergency medicine (GEM) fellowships the flexibility to customize curricula and content. A paucity of literature exists describing the state of GEM fellowship programs. GEM is a diverse field that includes clinicians involved in tropical medicine, trauma, disaster response, and epidemiology, as well as researchers, public health experts, and professionals working to improve global health systems and policies. A survey in the early 2000s identified eight such fellowships, yet the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) currently lists 42 global international EM fellowships.[2, 3] Because GEM fellowships are not accredited by bodies such as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), programs have the ability to customize curricula based on each fellowship’s resources, geographic advantages or limitations, and connections with international colleagues and nonprofit organizations. Little is currently known about the diversity and variation currently present among GEM curricula
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