Phase 1 Students
Upstream from the ED is an innovative educational experience for medical students during their first months of medical school. Through active, experience-based assignments and faculty-led small group discussions, students explore the many factors that influence health and well-being, including the circumstances that bring patients to the emergency department.
The experience helps students begin to distinguish between population-level and individual approaches to health, recognize how multiple systems shape patient outcomes, and develop a deeper understanding of patient perspectives. These themes extend beyond medical school and remain central to a lifelong career in medicine.
What do students do in the ED?
Students observe the intersection of clinical medicine and public health in the emergency department. They interview patients to better understand the social and structural determinants of health and how those factors may influence a patient’s current emergency visit, overall health, and experience with the health care system.