Welcome to the Emergency Medicine Acting Internship

Thank you for your interest in the University of Cincinnati Emergency Medicine Acting Internship. This is a four-week rotation open to UC students and visiting students who have fourth-year standing or have completed all of their Core Clerkships. During the Acting Internship, you will work shifts primarily at the University of Cincinnati Center for Emergency Care, which is an urban, academic, Level I Trauma Center with approximately 75,000 annual visits. There will be additional shifts at one of our Community Emergency Departments to enhance the variety of patients, pathology, and resource settings commonly experienced in Emergency Medicine.

Course Logistics

1. Goals and Objectives
   • Develop your clinical gestalt for “sick” or “not sick.”
   • Hone bedside history and physical examination skills.
   • Discuss the differential diagnosis and develop a management/disposition plan for each patient under your care, focusing on simultaneous diagnosis and management of life-threatening conditions in the undifferentiated patient. 
   • Serve as your patients’ primary provider, performing appropriate procedures, documenting the patient’s ED course in the electronic medical record, and discussing the patient with physicians and consultants from other services.
   • Concurrently manage multiple patients across variable levels of acuity and stages or patient progression.
   • Practice critical procedures, resuscitation, and team communication using high-fidelity simulation.
2. Course Activities
   • Clinical Shifts: Approximately fourteen 8-12 hour shifts per four-week block. Students will work primarily at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, with additional shifts at one of our two community sites (West Chester Hospital or Jewish Hospital).
   • Didactic and Simulation: Two hours per week small group learning with emphasis on active discussion, procedure training, and high-fidelity simulation. 
   • Grand Rounds: Five hours per week of departmental Emergency Medicine Grand Rounds
   • Course Readings and Examination: Our course uses the CDEM National EM M4 Curriculum to prepare for the SAEM National EM M4 Written Exam. Students must pass the national exam to successfully complete the clerkship. Students will also complete a standardized Oral Exam following the ABEM examination format. 
   • Extracurricular/Enrichment Options: Additional department activities including Sub-specialty Interest Groups and Journal Clubs are optional and open to students on rotation. 
3. Additional information and a detailed description of course requirements and grading can be found on our Course Syllabus

How to Apply

Please submit your application via the AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) service. Please see the University of Cincinnati Visiting Medical Student page for additional information and institutional application requirements. In addition to the standard VSLO application, applicants are also required to submit a less than 250-word Letter of Intent addressing the following question: Why Cincinnati? Letters of Intent should be uploaded to VSLO and submitted with the rest of your application materials. Application review will begin May 1st, and acceptances will be granted on a rolling basis starting May 15th. If you application is listed as “Pending,” you are still under consideration for a position. 

In collaboration with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion we are able to offer scholarship funding to qualifying students from underrepresented racial and ethnic minority backgrounds in medicine. Following acceptance to the clerkship, we will ask you to fill out a supplemental application for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Feel free to contact Dr. Bi Awosika (awosikba@ucmail.uc.edu) with questions. 

2024-2025 update: We will be following CoPA recommendation and accepting students for away rotation starting in our August block which begins 7/26.  We require a CV, transcript, Step I score, and a 250-word statement answering the question “Why Cincinnati?” VSAS offers will be extended on a rolling basis. If your application is listed as “pending,” you are on our waitlist and remain under consideration. Students will work fourteen 8-to-12 hour shifts primarily in our adult ED with additional experiences in the community, ultrasound, and helicopter EMS. Offered every month August - October.  Contact: Kim Regan wohlfeke@ucmail.uc.edu 513-558-8996. We have a separate application for URiM applicants and can offer scholarships for qualified applicants, inquire individually.

2024-2025 Academic Year: Four-Week Rotations

Notice we have transitioned from calendar months to blocks. For the 2024-2025 academic year, our four-week rotations are:

• Block 1: 5/6/2024-5/31/2024
• Block 2: 6/3/2024-6/28/2024
• Block 3: 7/1/2024-7/26/2024
• Block 4: 7/29/2024-8/23/2024
• Block 5: 8/26/2024-9/20/2024
• Block 6: 9/23/2024-10/18/2024
• Block 7: 10/21/2024-11/15/2024
• Block 8: 11/18/2024-12/13/2024
• Block 9: 12/16/2024-1/10/2025
• Block 10: 1/13/2025-2/7/2025
• Block 11: 2/10/2025-3/7/2025
• Block 12: 3/10/2025-4/4/2025
• Block 13: 4/7/2025-5/2/2025

Contact Us

For questions or additional information, please feel free to contact us: