Comparison of the residency training proposal for emergency medicine and programs in internal medicine, intensive care medicine, anesthesia and recovery care, and family and community practice

The objective of this study is to describe similarities and differences between the proposed residency program in emergency medicine (EM) and the established programs in internal medicine, intensive care medicine, anesthesia and recovery care, and family and community practice. The training program drafted by the committee to promote specialization in EM, convened by the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES), was compared to those of the 4 above-mentioned residency programs published on the web page of the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services, and Equality as they appeared in June 2015. Points of comparison with the SEMES committee's proposal were the general definitions, scope of practice, and aims of each program; the rotations included; the organization of on-call responsibilities; and specific aspects of emergency care knowledge, skills, and techniques the residencies include in their curricula. The programs were found to be similar in their training plans for managing acute conditions and they had common aims regarding quality of care, organization and management, and research methodology. Differences between the EM proposal and the other residencies were found in the implementation of triage in multiple scenarios; integrated care for patients with mild to critical conditions; the approach to training, workplace organization, and research during regular shifts and on-call periods; training in out-of-hospital emergency situations; and the management of emergency care in catastrophes. It is concluded that EM has a character of its own, with features that distinguish it from other specializations and that are relevant to overall, specific, and practical aspects of training in both hospital and out-of-hospital emergency care.