• Frances Rudolf, Leslie C Oyama, Kristy Schwartz, Jorge A Fernandez, and Stephen R Hayden.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California.
• J Emerg Med. 2021 Jul 1; 61 (1): 76-81.

BackgroundRapidly assessing an undifferentiated patient and developing a gestalt for "sick vs. not sick" is a core component of emergency medicine (EM). Developing this skill requires clinical experience and pattern recognition, which can be difficult to attain during a typical EM clerkship.ObjectiveWe developed a novel approach to teaching medical students rapid assessment skills in the emergency department (ED) by implementing a teaching shift in triage.MethodsFourth-year medical students in our EM clerkship in fall 2019 were scheduled one shift in triage with a dedicated teaching attending. The students evaluated patients under direct supervision, discussed their immediate differential diagnosis, and proposed an initial workup. The attending gave real-time feedback using a standardized direct observation tool. Students completed an electronic pre and post survey (5-point Likert scale) to assess their comfort level in the following areas: performing a rapid triage assessment, determining "sick vs. not sick", performing a focused physical examination, developing a targeted differential diagnosis, and ordering an initial diagnostic workup.ResultsTwenty-one students participated in the triage shifts. There was a significant improvement in self-assessed comfort with performing a rapid triage assessment, mean pre 2.76 and post 4.43 (p < 0.0001). There were also significant improvements in the four other survey areas (p < 0.004 or less).ConclusionsA teaching shift in triage can increase medical students' self-assessed rapid assessment skills for patients in the ED. Benefits to the teaching attending included the opportunity to perform direct observation, give real-time feedback, and identify real-time teaching moments.Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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