What do interns want to learn during emergency medicine rotations in Australia?

Introduction: Only two pre-2005 studies have investigated interns’ learning expectations from emergency medicine rotations. Objectives: To gain insight into interns’ current expectations and learning outcomes from emergency medicine rotations during their internship year. Method: In 2013, a prospective qualitative survey of 22 of the cohort of 32 interns was conducted at St Vincent’s hospital Sydney. Interns consented and undertook a 30-minute semi-structured interview, where three experiences of educational significance they had during their internship year were explored. The interview concluded with an exploration of any missed educational topics. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded using a validated open axial approach. Themes related to emergency medicine were analysed for the results. Ethical approval was granted by Cardiff University & St Vincent’s HRECs. Results: Fourteen interns (64%) highlighted emergency medicine educational experiences. Interns identified managing aggressive patients (23%), conflict resolution (55%) and prioritisation/ time management skills (59%) as their key educational expectations. Two potentially beneficial learning methods the interns described included structured and unstructured reflective practices (100%), learning to be proactive in the working environment for their own education (86%). Poor senior support was identified as the potentially limiting factor to their learning opportunities (50%); this was particularly the case in rural locations. Conclusion: This qualitative study highlights novel Australian intern-developed grounded theory themes, which validate research-established methods to practically improve education to interns at local emergency departments. Examples include focusing education on intern-desired topics and using clinical portfolios to stimulate educational proactivity and enhance reflective practice