A course in emergency care for first-year medical students.

A 52-hour course in emergency medicine for first-year medical students was developed from the Department of Transportation's (DOT) training program for emergency medical technicians (EMT). The objective of the course was to train students to provide life support and emergency care in the field at the level of competence of the EMT. Ninety-four percent of the first class met these standards on written examination. Problems in the course included over-simplified presentations by paraprofessional faculty and an overemphasis on inhospital management by physician faculty. The program is well received by students and allows for introduction of clinical material into the first-year curriculum. The DOT training program for the EMT provides a useful model that, with slight adaptation, is appropriate for the first-year medical student.