International Emergency Medicine

Abstract

International Emergency Medicine (IEM), also frequently equivalently termed “Global Emergency Medicine” has matured as a sub-specialty of Emergency Medicine, and there are now over 40 IEM Fellowship programs in the U.S.A. which provide post-residency training in this field. If one’s career choice is to center on being involved in Global Health issues and/or developing the specialty of Emergency Medicine (EM) in other countries, then completing an IEM Fellowship program is the best way to start this career path. The current IEM Fellowship programs have a wide variety of components, all providing experience in teaching and practicing EM in other countries, and most also include completing a Masters in Public Health Degree. The specialty of EM (as practiced in most of the “Western” countries) in many countries is essentially non-existent or in the very early stages of development. Accordingly this situation offers the opportunity for a single individual to have lasting positive effects at the national level in developing and practicing EM in other countries. The “Global EM Fellowship Consortium” operates a web-based application service (similar to the Residency Matching Program) to coordinate applications for IEM Fellowship positions. A career centered on IEM can give you satisfaction at having achieved major improvements in EM care and teaching, as well as being potentially exciting and emotionally rewarding.