Wright Patterson Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant Fellowship

PROGRAM OVERVIEW:

MISSION STATEMENT AND VISION STATEMENT

Wright-Patterson's mission is to prepare and train highly motivated and experienced Air Force Physician Assistants in the diverse clinical and procedural skills of Emergency Medicine. The EMPA Fellowship program maintains its membership with the Association of Postgraduate Physician Assistant Programs.

The Emergency Medicine specialty-trained Air Force PA's will dramatically and cost-effectively increase patient access to rapid and appropriate care in the Emergency Department and in the field. The fellowship prepares the EMPA to evaluate, diagnose, and stabilize those conditions which pose an immediate threat to life and limb. The EMPA will also be able to manage medical and surgical conditions encountered in Emergency Departments or in deployable environments. They will provide a higher PA standard of quality care to the overall patient population that they serve. They will contribute greatly to the medical support that the Air Force provides during war and peace. Because of their unique training and skills EMPA's will be placed in many different assignments; from emergency departments to remote clinics to operational and combat support roles, as well as administrative and leadership positions.

HISTORY OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE AND MILITARY EMPA PROGRAMS

The U.S. Air Force Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant Fellowship (EMPA) Wright-Patterson Medical Center, OH is a 12 month graduate medical education program of didactic and clinical instruction in all areas related to Emergency Medicine.

EMERGENCY MEDICINE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND DEFINITION

In the late 1960's and early 1970's there developed an increasing awareness of the need to deliver high quality medical care to the patients, both in transit and during the first hour in the hospital. Pre-hospital care matured from a delivery mechanism to a fairly sophisticated and appropriate transport, linked to hospitals by radio and telemetry communications. At the same time a fairly small group of physicians recognized the need for formal training in Emergency Medicine and was willing to pursue that goal prior to formal acceptance by the medical community. The first residency in Emergency Medicine opened its doors to applicants in 1972, seven years before the specialty was officially recognized.

DIDACTIC AND CLINICAL CURRICULUM

The Didactic Phase is conducted at WPAFB and the universities. It will provide the technical foundation for further learning and development through emergency medicine lectures, conferences and presentations. The Didactic portion consists of the following:
A one-month introduction to emergency medicine consisting of lectures and ACLS/PALS certification, structured to allow each EMPA student to make a smooth transition into the program.
Grand rounds, morning reports, procedure lab, trauma/M&M conferences, and participation in emergency medicine research.
Academic clinical evaluation through monthly exams on required readings, midterm and final written/oral examinations, case presentations, and continuing evaluation of skills during each rotation.
Research project or paper done in with PD supervision and guidance.

The Clinical Practicum is conducted at WPAFB and the associated Universities and hospitals. It is designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice through one-on-one supervised hands-on training. To be effective, the Clinical Practicum must be conducted in a true patient care environment. The EMPA fellow applies the principles and procedures he has learned during the didactic phase. It is imperative this hands-on experience be an integral part of the entire program rather than a separate, unrelated experience. Because the projected assignments for EMPA fellows will be in the outpatient setting, emphasis is placed on emergency and ambulatory care. The Clinical curriculum consists of 13 blocks (plus 4 elective blocks) of 28 days with 7 blocks in an emergency department setting (see Appendix).

University and Institutional Affiliations

Affiliated with Wright State University, Several local Hospitals also listed in the training manual (Section 1, E2)

Admissions process and timetable:

The USAF Fellowship in Emergency Medicine seeks career military PA¹s who have a demonstrated ability and desire for the challenges and rewards of high level, high intensity patient care.

The following information will be collected by the designated interviewer and compiled in the appropriate USAF BSC directed checklists (see Appendix). Final package submission is to AFPC. See AFPC for selection AFI and oversight.

PA History and Grade/Rank criteria:
All candidates need a minimum of 5 years as a PA and will be eligible for Captain before application is accepted and must be promoted to Captain BEFORE graduation. Waiver will be rare and depend on board review, and on the following information.

Reference Interview - Recommendation Checklist:
Once the pool of applicants is narrowed down to the primary choices and two alternates, the interviewer will interview at least one reference for each of the selected candidates and include them in the final report to the Chief Consultant for Physician Assistants.

Primary Military Education (PME) required:
All Candidates are required per AFI to complete PME commensurate with grade. PME if at all possible will be completed before acceptance into the fellowship. However, interviews for the fellowship can include persons currently enrolled in PME who WILL have it accomplished before Orders to attend are provided by AFPC.

Accomplishments:
All individuals will be questioned about their accomplishments to date which reflect appropriate interest in the field of Emergency Medicine and signify an historical significance and propensity for it. These will include training completion of: C4, EMT, EFMB, OEMS, PH, NBC, CBRNE, EMEDS, IDMT, IHS, CCAT, FLIGHT MEDICINE, PARARESCUE, JOINT TRAINING PROGRAMS, AIRBORNEŠ and any INSTRUCTOR courses.

Experience:
ED, UCC, EMT, Surgery, Operational, Readiness and leadership positions which reflect future potential need to be properly weighed towards selection with higher grading given to those who have shown a higher propensity to Emergency Medicine.

-- Refer to training manual (Section 1 Number 7). Annual application due to program director by August of each year. Program director will interview each candidate and rate based on past PA and military performance. Program begins each June with rotations begin July 1st each year.

CERTIFICATE OF TRAINING.

Upon satisfactory completion of a Comprehensive Midterm and Final Examination and all required checklists, the fellow will receive a signed certification indicating completion of the USAF Emergency Medicine Fellowship. It will be sent to AFPC for documentation of records to show successful completion of the fellowship and to provide the EMPA¹s with their new AFSC ­ 42G3E.

-- Certificate of Completion and 50 hours of AAPA preapproved category one CME credits

Financial Information

Active Duty military program all pay and benefits continue per PA fellows current rank.