About the Department of Emergency Medicine

One of the primary education goals for our department is to provide an experience for medical students that is not only exciting and educational, but is an accurate picture of what emergency medicine is all about. At Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, students complete a mandatory three week long third year rotation. Students participate in clinical shifts and complete required clinical experiences under faculty supervision. Outside of the emergency department, students are expected to complete an asynchronous lecture course with associated board exam-style questions, as well as a high fidelity simulation and table top simulations with faculty.

Medical school students can choose one of the following sites to rotate:

1. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital – New Brunswick, in New Brunswick, NJ
2. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital – Somerset, in Somerville, NJ
3. Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, NJ
4. St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ

This course is graded on a pass/fail basis. Our students have consistently ranked this clerkship very highly both from an overall perspective and from the experience with the faculty.

The sub-internship is also offered for visiting students interested in pursuing emergency medicine residency. Applications are accepted only through VSLO. For 2024-2025, start dates are 6/10, 7/8, 8/5, 9/3, and 9/30. Start dates are non-negotiable.

Once a student’s initial VSLO application is reviewed, the student will be asked to complete a short supplemental application that will be sent to them by clerkship leadership. Students who are accepted to our sub-internship have the opportunity to apply for at $1500 scholarship that aims at supporting diversity and inclusion at our institution.

The sub-internship is also offered for visiting students. Applications are accepted only through VSLO, and rotation start/end dates published in VSLO are non-negotiable. Students interested in emergency medicine residency are given scheduling priority. Students can apply starting at the end of March through the beginning of June each year. Once a student’s initial VSLO application is reviewed, the student will be asked to complete a short supplemental application that will be sent to them by clerkship leadership.

The Department of Emergency Medicine is pleased to offer a Diversity Scholarship in Emergency Medicine.

Our department is dedicated to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in our department and residency program and meeting the needs of our underserved patient population with equity and humanism, and recognizes the importance of workplace diversity and is committed to expanding our residency program with individuals who are capable and prepared to serve our unique population.  This program aims to provide financial support for fourth-year medical students interested in expanding diversity and promoting inclusion in the medical community. Students in this program will have faculty mentorship and can further their practice with disadvantaged populations related to healthcare access, education, and financial resources.  

Up to four $1500 scholarships will be awarded annually to students based on application and holistic review by the DEI committee. Scholarships will only be considered for students who are accepted to rotate at our institution and will be distributed after the student accepts the rotation. Students applying for the Diversity Scholarship will need to submit a short personal statement, a letter of recommendation from an Emergency Medicine faculty member or a Student Affairs dean, a copy of their CV, and an unofficial transcript. We will accept applications starting in May of the academic year.

Laryssa Patti, MD, FACEP                      Amanda Esposito, MD    
Clerkship Director

                                   Subinternship Director
laryssa.patti@rutgers.edu                         amanda.esposito.md@rutgers.edu

Daniel Polvino, MD                                 Michelle Bardsley
Bootcamp Director                                    Clerkship Coordinator


polvindm@rwjms.rutgers.edu                   holswomi@rwjms.rutgers.edu

We have developed several focused areas of investigation that include:

• ED Operations,
• Emergency Medical Services,
• Toxicology,
• Ultrasound,
• Medical Student and Resident Education,
• Resuscitation,
• and Social Emergency Medicine.

Our department actively collaborates with the Departments of Medicine, Cardiology, Critical Care, Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Rheumatology, Radiology, and Family Medicine and Community Health and also includes connections with the New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science (NJ ACTS), the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), Rutgers School of Public Health, Rutgers - University Center for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response and Rutgers - Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research.  

We also participate in national emergency medicine research networks such as Strategies to Innovate Emergency Care Clinical Trials Network (SIREN) and Comprehensive Oncologic Emergencies Research Network (CONCERN).

Sara Heinert, PhD, MPH
Director of Research
sara.heinert@rutgers.edu

Jonathan McCoy, MD, FACEP
Research Faculty
mccoyj1@rwjms.rutgers.edu

Paul Peng, MD, PhD, MSCR, FACEP
Research Faculty
paul.peng@rutgers.edu
 

More information on our Emergency Medicine Research Elective for medical students can be found here:

EMED 9017 - Emergency Medicine Research Elective

Medical school students or Rutgers undergraduate students interested in volunteering as an emergency medicine research associate can complete the form below. 

Volunteer by Completing the Form

We will reach out to you if there is a match between your availability and experiences and our current needs. If current availability is limited, we will keep your information on file in case additional opportunities open. Thank you for your interest! 

The Department of Emergency Medicine "Grand Rounds" takes place the second Wednesday of the month from September through May:

Wednesday, April 9, 2025 - 8-9am 

CHINJ Rm 3101 & via Zoom 

New Brunswick, New Jersey 

“The Occlusion-Reperfusion Era"   

Presented by

Chirag Shah, MD

Associate Professor

Department of Emergency Medicine

Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Click Here to View Recorded Emergency Medicine Grand Rounds

Emergency Medicine

Our clinical team of physicians, residents and physician assistants, along with support from the Scribes, provide 24/7 care for the adult patients (over 21 years of age) at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. We currently see approximately 82,000 patients a year who present with a wide range of problems from those who are critically ill or injured as well as those with minor illness. Our goal is to provide the best possible care in the most efficient manner. 

View More Information on Clinical Services

Observation Medicine

Our department includes a 24/7 32-bed observation unit that manages the majority of observation patients within the organization. 

Medical Toxicology

We have an on staff medical toxicologist who provides bedside consultation for a variety of toxicological complaints. 

Division of Emergency and Critical Care Ultrasound

Our Division of Emergency and Critical Care Ultrasound includes multiple fellowship trained ultrasound specialists who are involved in training our residents as well as other departments. They are responsible for quality assessment of all point of care ultrasounds performed in our department.

Emergency Medical Services

We provide medical command for the RWJ mobile Health Services for RWJ New Brunswick. They provide BLS, ALS and SCTU services throughout the state. 

EM+PACT (Emergency Medicine + Partnering for Access, Community and Trust) provides an opportunity for the Department of Emergency Medicine to participate in community outreach, build interactions between faculty and residents, and learn meaningful information about other cultures/ethnicities with a goal to provide quality patient care. 

Over the past three decades, the clinical applications of ultrasound by emergency physicians has greatly expanded. Emergency Physicians have adopted ultrasound to advance the timely and accurate evaluation and treatment of the acute patient. In 2001 the first emergency medicine ultrasound training and credentialing guidelines was published. It is a broadly written document that divides ultrasound into abdominal, pelvic and cardiac applications, and describes the many uses of ultrasound in emergency practice. Since this landmark publication, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) has mandated that performance and interpretation of ultrasound imaging is included in emergency medicine residency training.

In 2006, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School's Department of Emergency Medicine and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital purchased it's first ultrasound machine and began training emergency physicians to perform and interpret point of care ultrasound studies. In accordance with the revised ACEP training guidelines and the 2010 CORD consensus statement we have divided the training we offer our students, residents and physicians into the following:

Life-saving applications:

• Aorta
• Cardiac
• E-FAST
• Pelvic
• Vascular Access

Time-saving applications:

• Renal
• Gallbladder
• DVT
• Scrotal
• Soft tissue
• Ocular

Over the last several years our physicians have made a tremendous impact on patient care. Examples include but are not limited to:

• Approximately 70 US guided peripheral venous lines inserted per month (reduced number of blind attempts, less central lines).
• Rapid identification of ruptured ectopic pregnancy and aortic aneurysms leading to immediate surgical consultation and operative intervention.
• Rapid identification of traumatic intra-abdominal / pericardial hemorrhage and pneumothorax leading to immediate activation of trauma alert pathway.
• Utilization in cardiac arrest to identify absence of cardiac activity and/or reversible causes for arrest in order to guide resuscitative efforts.
• Utilization in undifferentiated hypotension and hypoxia to rapidly identify etiology, guide resuscitative efforts and enable better utilization of resources.

In 2010 we introduced a web based image archival system that has substantially improved the QA process. The images are sent wireless from machines in the ER to a server and can then be viewed from any computer in and outside the hospital. All information is encrypted and therefore HIPPA compliant. Images can be reviewed and feedback can be given to providers within seconds of when the scans are performed. We are one of the first emergency ultrasound programs in the country to begin using a workflow solution like this. This technology also allows us to accurately track data for research and resident teaching purposes.

We currently offer a four week emergency ultrasound elective for fourth year medical students and incorporate emergency ultrasound in the core emergency medicine clerkship. In addition, our Emergency Medicine residents take a one month ultrasound rotation during their first year of training. Our residents acquire all ultrasound training in the Emergency Department by our faculty. Heavy emphasis is placed on mastering all of the life-saving applications by the end of their intern year.