Pitt County Memorial Hospital (PCMH) is the teaching facility for the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and serves as the primary training site for a well established Residency in Emergency Medicine established in 1982 and a combined residency in Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine. A tertiary care facility with over 700 beds and a Level I trauma center, PCMH is the primary referral center for 29 counties in eastern North Carolina. The Emergency Department at PCMH has greater than 100,000 patient visits annually and is growing rapidly. To meet this demand a new state of the art department, with 58,000 square feet and 58 beds, was opened in 2005.
The emergency medicine residency, an accredited three-year program has a total of thirty-six resident physicians and the combined emergency medicine/internal medicine residency, an accredited five-year program, has a total of 10 resident physicians. In accordance with the mission of the Medical School, the residents, faculty, and staff are dedicated to providing health care for the medically underserved areas of Eastern North Carolina.
While serving a rural population, Greenville, N.C., is the thriving educational, health, and entertainment hub of the Tidewater and Coastal Plain. The Greenville Metro Area is home to over 183, 000 people and PCMH is one of the largest hospitals in North Carolina. In January 2008, Greenville was named one of the nation's "100 Best Communities for Young People" by the America's Promise Alliance. In March 2008, Greenville was ranked in the top ten of the nation's "Best Places For Business And Careers" by Forbes Magazine. In 2004, Greenville was named Sportstown USA for the state of North Carolina by Sports Illustrated and the National Parks & Recreation Association.
The patients presenting to the ED provide many challenges. Included are those associated with a high prevalence of coronary artery and cerebrovascular disease. The frequently encountered conditions of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and obesity are further complicated by tobacco use, and marginal medical compliance. The illnesses encountered in the growing migrant population also provide unique interventional opportunities. Together with regional trauma referrals these factors contribute to the truly vast array of pathology encountered in the ED. PCMH is the second busiest trauma center in the state and sees a significant amount of penetrating trauma in addition to blunt trauma, industrial, and agricultural accidents.
The Acting Internship in Emergency Medicine is designed to acquaint students with the broad scope of emergency medical practice. The environment allows for individualized learning, facilitated by an emergency medicine faculty with a wide range of teaching and research interest. The faculty was recently ranked number nine nationally for EM research productivity. Faculty interest includes EMS, Air Medical Transport, Toxicology, Disaster and Wilderness Medicine, Domestic Violence, International Medicine, Injury Prevention,Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Education, Simulation, Ultrasound, and Observational Medicine.
The rotation includes extensive procedural lab experiences, ultrasound, simulation, and a medical student lecture series. Students rotating in the emergency department present directly to the attending physician and have the opportunity to expand their educational experience by working with a teaching resident. Students may elect to participate in EMS and aeromedical activities while rotating in the ED. Additional electives in Emergency Medicine Ultrasound and EMS/Aeromedical Transport are available. Please apply early since we have a limited number of positions available due to a mandatory emergency medicine clerkship.
Apply now for limited rotation slots!
For more information contact:
Luan Lawson, MD
Director of Undergraduate Education
ECU Emergency Medicine
Mailstop 625
Brody School of Medicine
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC 27834
Phone: 252-744-3813
E-mail: lawsonjohnsonl@ecu.edu
Please e-mail Dr. Lawson directly concerning visiting student EM rotation.
