Incorporating prehospital care into emergency medicine residency training

Emergency medicine (EM) is a rapidly growing subspecialty of pharmacy. EM pharmacists are involved with a wide range of patients, including those being checked for minor ailments, those with sepsis requiring resuscitation and antibiotic therapy, and those with multiple traumas requiring massive transfusions. The combination of a fast-paced environment with the various levels of care required makes the emergency department a prime environment for medication errors.1,2 Across the United States, EM pharmacists are developing services to ensure optimal and safe patient care in the emergency department. As the need for EM specialty–trained pharmacists grows, the number of new postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) pharmacy EM residency programs is increasing. Currently, the curricula of pharmacy EM residencies consist of rotations in the emergency department and other core and elective rotations in intensive care, toxicology, and other areas to fit each resident’s goals. While some residency programs may offer opportunities to complete occasional EM services (EMS) “ride alongs,” few offer formalized rotations in the prehospital care setting. We describe a prehospital care rotation for a PGY2 EM pharmacy resident at Detroit Receiving Hospital with Detroit emergency services providers.