The City of Buffalo and surrounding communities provide significant opportunities for emergency medicine residents to learn about emergency medical services (EMS) and EMS systems.
Much of this training occurs during the EM2 year where all residents spend a month on the combined EMS/Toxicology rotation. During the month, residents respond as part of the primary Erie County EMS (ECEMS) response.
The goal of the EMS rotation is to provide the resident with an overview of:
The goal is not to make an EMS Medical Director out of the resident; it is impossible to do this in one month. Rather we hope to foster an appreciation of the EMS environment and a good working relationship with area EMS providers. During the EMS/Toxicology rotation, residents drive one of the department's four emergency response vehicles and respond to mass casualty incidents, patient entrapments, major incidents at the Buffalo/Niagara International Airport, and other medical incidents where physician expertise is needed. Erie County EMS also provides on-scene medical services for several SWAT teams in the Buffalo area.
It augments local EMS resources for large public gatherings such as festivals and concerts throughout the year. Prior to driving the ECEMS vehicle, all residents receive formal training in emergency vehicle operations. During the EMS rotation, the emergency medicine resident will interact with a variety of emergency medical services personnel. Resident activities during the EMS rotation will include the following:
The emergency medical services rotation at our emergency medicine residency allows the emergency medicine resident to experience the whole realm of EMS systems in the Buffalo area. If you have any further questions concerning the EMS rotation at UB, please do not hesitate to contact us.