It is impossible to not learn a lot from working in an emergency department. You learn a lot because you see a lot. You see codes, you see intubations, you see really sick elderly folks and really sick young adults. You see death, and you see recovery. You see countless antibiotics, psych meds, fluids, pain meds, heart meds, and just about every other class of medication you can think of. You see frustration, hope, pain, worry, resilience, and strength. In the ED you see it all. You see it all because the ED is a spectrum, where the team takes care of patients with problems as minor as a headache, to as severe as sepsis.

Now, emergency med is a rapidly evolving field when it comes to pharmacy involvement. There are more pharmacists than ever staffed in EDs and we do a lot to prevent drug errors, help with admission and discharge, and provide counseling. I've already done a previous post on all the great things ED pharmacists do, but I also wanted to include some cool resources for my fellow students to look at if you're interested in emergency med and want to learn more. This APPE taught me that self-directed learning is really important to keeping up with the crowd. Not only is the environment fast-paced, but you have to keep up with scores of new information daily as well. One day we're not recommending antibiotics with I&D for simple abscesses, the next there's a journal article shaking up the conversation! How do you keep up? You seek out information as much as possible, and lucky for us in the technology age, there are a lot of savvy ways to do it.

Here are some of my favorite resources:

1. Follow the #FOAMed hashtag on twitter!

FOAMed stands for "free open access medical education". It was created with the idea that of sharing information for students and professionals in a way that is accessible and available on different platforms. It has even resulted in the formation of conference: SMACC or Social Media and Critical Care. No matter the platform (social media, podcasts), you can find some sort of FOAMed and therefore tons of FREE resources!! There is even a specific student website! For more info on FOAMed check out this brief summary article.

2. Academic Life in Emergency Medicine or ALiEM

Another great website filled to the brim with resources for students and professionals. This website also has a series of modules you can read through and complete on different subjects relevant to emergency med professionals (such as SSTIs, fluids, etc.).

3. Connect with emergency med pharmacists on twitter

Using your professional twitter, of course. Following pharmacists on twitter has provided me with a TON of information relevant to the field. This was my most utilized way of seeking out new information, including journal articles!

Some of my favorites include my very own preceptor, @TheEDpharmacist, plus @EMpharmgirl, @PharmERtoxguy and @Nadia_EMPharmD

Not to mention, a lot of organizations have speciality specific twitters, like ASHP! And the previously mentioned website, ALiEM has a nice twitter as well!

4. Sign up for a journal feed!

My favorite one is literally called JournalFeed, and they're great because they send an article straight to your inbox and give you a quick 60 second summary so you get a quick and easy way to learn! This is the only one i've been able to find so far, but if you have a great one you've found feel free to comment below!

One of the things I LOVED about emergency med was the social media activity of the community. All healthcare professionals are using social media more and more to communicate information but it seems like right now, the emergency med professionals have super strong presence. Utilizing resources like these are critical when it comes to staying an up-to-date, active learner. I'm grateful for the pharmacy skills that this ED rotation taught me, but also for inspiring me to change how I look for my knowledge. I'm seriously going to miss this place, but I'm excited to share some of my primary care adventures with you all in the next few weeks!

Have an other emergency med resources that you love?! Comment below to share!