Disaster Curiculum
As emergency medicine physicians, we are often the first ones to provide medical care to victims of disasters (be they natural or man-made). In these situations, it will be imperative for emergency medicine physicians to be able to rapidly sort and treat multiple victims simultaneously. The disaster curriculum is designed to introduce emergency medicine providers to concepts related to rendering care during a disaster such as triage principles and the incident command system.
The curriculum in disaster medicine is designed longitudinally, with exposure to different concepts in disaster medicine by year.
Intern year (PGY1-2 for combined residents): Triage
Interns will gain familiarity with triage principles during a disaster. Triage is a crucial component of disaster response as it allows for the allocation of scarce resources to benefit the greatest number of victims. Interns shall complete the online SALT mass casualty triage online training. They will be required to submit proof of completion to Ms. Janae Yates. Completion of the SALT traige training will award the resident 1 EMS credit.
Additional information on disaster triage can be found on the EMS Triage page:
https://em.umaryland.edu/page/ems/triage
Second year (PGY3-4 for combined residents): NIMS
During the second year of residency, residents will be exposed to principles of National Incident Management System (NIMS). NIMS provides a framework for responding to disasters. Residents will be required to complete 4 online courses focusing on NIMS. These courses are offered free by FEMA. The courses are:
Click here to access the online FEMA courses and link to create a FEMA student ID. If you do not already have a FEMA student ID, be sure to create one prior to completing the courses.
Completion of all 4 courses will award the resident 2 EMS credits.
Additionally, we recommend completion of the courses listed below as well:
Completion of all 3 of these additional courses will award the resident an additional 1 EMS credit.
Third year: Elective
PGY3s+ who have completed the triage and online didactic curriculum have the option of doing a Disaster Medicine elective. The elective allows residents to gain additional insight into disaster management and response. Opportunities include working with:
Interested residents should contact Dr. Ben Lawner for additional details
Participation in the Disaster Medicine Elective will award the resident 3 EMS credits.
Additional Resources:
https://em.umaryland.edu/page/ems/disaster_didactics
