Senior Resident

Congratulations, you're almost done with residency! As you become more comfortable in your role as an emergency medicine (EM) physician, now is the time to really bolster your educational credentials. At this point, you should begin to consider your education-related career goals more specifically. Are you hoping to work in undergraduate/graduate medical education (UGME/GME)? Do you want to focus on clinical teaching, curricular design, or educational research? Do you have a specific area of interest, such as simulation training or disaster preparedness? Work with your mentor to establish a plan to help set you up for future success. Below are some tips to help increase your chances of landing the dream education opportunity.

• Networking: Continue to network by attending regional and national conferences. The Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors (CORD) is an excellent way to meet residency program administrators. In addition, most other conferences have educational committees you can sit in on. National affinity groups also provide opportunities for connection. Consider membership in the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) group on educational affairs or the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) education committee.
• Begin or Continue Working on an Education Project: Continue expanding your educational experiences. Again, this doesn't have to be formal research. You could lead a repeating journal club, teach at your program's educational conference, or even establish a simulation to correlate with a quality improvement project. Work with your mentor and the program staff to identify opportunities. If you are specifically interested in UGME, consider reaching out to your local emergency medicine interest group (EMIG) or speaking to the clerkship director about teaching opportunities within the medical school, if possible.
• Educational Research: Continue to work with your mentor to identify and complete educational research projects. Regardless of whether you hope to focus your career on research primarily, publication often serves as the pathway to promotion, and it is essential to understand this process.
• Become an Effective Teacher/Mentor: Here you may again wish to tailor your focus to junior residents or medical students, depending on your ultimate goals. Check out the SAEM Clinician-Educator Series for a list of resources on how to teach, adult learning theory, the basics of leading didactics, and more. You can also find similar resources through the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association (EMRA) or other large professional societies, as well as peer-reviewed journals in medical education. See the Resources section for a full list of recommendations.

You can also consider pursuing one or more of the following:

• The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Resident's Teaching Fellowship: This course allows residents the opportunity to explore a career in academic EM or determine if education is right for them. It provides participants skills and tools to enhance one's academic career as well as serves as a great mentoring/networking opportunity.
• Medical Education Research Certificate (MERC) Program: Offered by the AAMC, this certificate program requires your participation in six workshops of three hours each. The workshops are held on a rotating basis regionally, allowing the certificate to be obtained over an extended period of time. The program focuses on educational research and allows residents to demonstrate their interest and dedication to a career in education. No application is needed.
• ACEP Teaching Fellowship: This fellowship consists of an 11-day training course split between the spring and fall. It is designed for early career faculty to improve their skills; however, residents interested in an academic career are eligible to attend. The lectures are often taught by leaders in the field of academic EM, making it a great networking opportunity.