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  1. What do I do if I am too sick to work a shift or have another emergency that will make me miss my shift? 

If you are ill or have another emergency and so will not be able to work your shift, PAGE the EM Chief Pager by texting (206) 314-8884 or calling and leaving your numeric phone number. Do this as soon as you know you will not be able to work. Leave your phone number and the EM Chief on call will reach out to you asap to discuss your situation. If you have not received a call back from the on-call EM chief after 20 minutes, page again.  

  1. Who do I contact if I am running late for my shift? 

Page the EM Chief pager as above. The EM chief on call will contact you for more information. You must page the EM chief pager if you are running late.  

  1. I have a very important personal event that I want to attend during my ED block. How can I get the day off? 

Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate day-off requests from our off-service rotators due to the complicated nature of ED staffing and the number of off-service rotators that rotate with us, but you will likely be able to facilitate a shift swap to make it to your event.  If you find that based on the final ED schedule you are scheduled to work a shift on a day that you would like to have off, you will need to find coverage for your shift via a shift swap with another resident. Please see the “Scheduling 101” page for more details on how to request shift swaps. 

  1. What do I do if I experience a needlestick or body fluid exposure? 

Immediately notify your senior resident and attending on shift, and they will give you further instructions.  

  1. I received a “QI Email”. What is it and what happens next? 

The Quality Improvement committee’s role is to understand where there are potential “holes” in our system. The purpose of these emails is to improve our healthcare system for our residents and our patients. They are in no way meant to be accusatory or punitive and only serve the purpose of finding solutions. If you receive one of these emails, please respond to their questions to the best of your ability. QI investigations are confidential and not discoverable.

Feel free to reach out to Dr. Raj Trivedi, Dr. Medley Gatewood, or Dr. Annie Chipman to discuss your questions over the phone. You are also welcome to reach out to the EM Chief residents if you have questions or need clarification. 

  1. I am struggling to cope with a challenging patient encounter. Who can I reach out to? 

The Emergency Department takes care of many critically ill patients and patients who are experiencing mental health crises. These encounters can and do take an emotional toll on our staff. If you find that you are struggling with a difficult patient encounter, there are many sources of support that you may access. If there is an immediate concern, we encourage you to discuss these with your EM senior on shift or your EM attending. You are also encouraged to reach out to the EM chiefs as needed via email. If you need to talk to someone urgently, please page the EM chief pager and you will receive a call back within 10 minutes – we are happy to listen and want to support you. 

There are also free and confidential counseling services available to all of our residents through the UW GME office and wellness counselors are available to schedule appointments quickly. The PEER support program is another resource for you to utilize. If you are struggling, please reach out. We are here to support you. For more information about the above resources, please visit the UW GME Wellness website: https://sites.uw.edu/uwgme/wellness/ 

  1. What is the protocol for reporting a patient safety event or concern? 

Patient safety events should be reported so that we can improve our clinical environment and work to keep our patients and staff safe. To report a concern, please visit the Safety Net reporting tool which you can find on the UW Clinical Toolkit.

You will need to log in with your UW Net ID but the reports can be filed anonymously. If you do not feel comfortable filing your own report, the EM Chief Residents will be happy to help file a report anonymously on your behalf. Please email the EM Chief Residents (emchief@uw.edu) if you need assistance or have more questions about this process. 

  1. I have general questions about my rotation not otherwise addressed on this website. Who should I contact? 

For any additional questions or concerns that come up while preparing for, during, or after your rotation, please email the EM Chief Residents (emchiefs@uw.edu). We are excited to work with you and want to be able to support you as best we can! Do not hesitate to contact the EM Chiefs with any questions.