Interest Group

UMKC is unique in that it offers the six-year B.A./M.D. program, which facilitates early clinical experience to a variety of skills and specialties through a myriad of interest groups. The Emergency Medicine Interest Group (EMIG) is one of UMKC’s largest and most active interest groups with around 120 active members. We strive to model our interest group with the vivacious spirit of EM.

Our Reason for Being

Partnering with one of the oldest residency programs in the country, our EMIG’s raison d’être is maintaining an equilibrium between theoretical classroom learning and more practical, hands-on learning. For instance, our highlight meeting of the fall semester includes a visit from the Lifeflight Eagle crew explaining the ins and outs of EMS in-flight before a field trip to the helipad to discuss the technical side of accepting a patient from the team. Our monthly meetings always promise students a trifecta of pizza, an opportunity to win our shadowing raffle and an exposure to a variety of EM topics, such as toxicology, radiology, pediatric emergency medicine and many more. Additionally, the University Health Truman Medical Center Emergency Department involves students in many departmental research activities.

Importance of Hands-On Experience

Our interest group also offers hands-on experience with one of our highlight events, the annual Emergency Medicine Skills Conference. Students can expect to work closely with residents and faculty to master skills in airway management, suturing, establishing IV/IO access, lumbar puncture, EMS, ultrasound and chest tubes.

SimWars Participation

UMKC’s EMIG is also highly active in SimWars when it is being offered by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Great Plains conferences. During SimWars practices, students are guided by EM faculty and residents through practice emergency medicine cases using a high-fidelity mannequin as the patient. We train intensively for two months of the year, which allows our teams to compete in the annual SAEM Regional Meeting. UMKC EMIG won first place in 2016, and hosted the competition in 2014.

Ongoing Support for Medical Students

Emergency Medicine faculty and residents pride themselves on providing collegial and collaborative support to the interest group while continuing to offer students guidance and exposure to the specialty in their medical school careers.

For more information, please email us.