The objective of this rotation will be to impart to each student a fundamental understanding of goal directed, bedside emergency ultrasound. During the month elective, students will learn how to integrate ultrasound into the clinical workups of multiple patients in the Emergency Department. By the end of the course, students will have learned how to use the ultrasound machine to perform basic focused exams to improve patient care. A final goal of the rotation will be the creation of a pictorial thesis containing a description of each patient's clinical presentation coupled with the ultrasound images obtained from each case. This thesis will serve as a virtual text for each student illuminating their accomplishments through the course and will be an important source for reflection in their future clinical careers. 
Learning Experience: Each medical student will gain proficiency in the standard Emergency Department ultrasound applications (cardiac, ob/gyn, renal, aorta, hepatobiliary and focused trauma assessment) through the performance of multiple bedside exams with direct proctoring by the ultrasound teaching staff. Students are also encouraged to become familiar with advanced Emergency Department ultrasound techniques (dvt, ocular, testicular, soft tissue and procedural applications). Students will review the anatomy examined by each ultrasound approach to allow reinforcement of a basic understanding of the human anatomy essential to medical practice. Basic ultrasound principles will be taught in order to allow for better appreciation of the images obtained from each exam. Students will be provided a syllabus on a CD containing lectures on all topics covered in the rotation. They will also have access to further teaching material in textbooks and on the web.
The elective is primarily designed for students interested in Emergency Medicine, but students interested in other areas of clinical medicine would also benefit from the experience. 
Rotation Schedule: Medical Students will work when Dr. Perera is working. As the schedule will vary each month, they can obtain their monthly work schedule by going to www.amion.com and typing in edschedule under password. They can highlight schedule for Perera at top right. In addition, students will go to the weekly Department of Emergency Medicine Conferences alternating between Wednesday mornings at Columbia and Cornell. Students will receive an E-mail the week before the rotation begins with additional information. 
Feedback:   Students will receive continuous feedback on their performance during the rotation. 
Evaluation: Students will be graded Pass / Fail based on their work during the elective.