The Masters in Emergency Medicine – International (MEM) program was initially started in 2006 as a partnership program between the Ronald Reagan Institute of Emergency Medicine at George Washington University and various private institutions around the country of India. This program is not unique as a partnership program for education and training in EM in India, but it is currently the biggest of the partnership programs. The MEM program has a foundation in quality education and training, integrating a standardized curriculum with modifications for local context, and ultimately amplifies the effects of international partnership.
In India, EM gained official recognition as a specialty from the Medical Council of India in 2009. The need for EM in India is immense, particularly when considering the changing burden of disease. Consider this reality: there are likely more myocardial infarctions in India than any other country in the world, and ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in India. Injury is the second most common cause of death after the age of 5 in India, and it is estimated that in 2016, 415 people died each day due to road traffic injuries, including 29 children. This number represents a staggering 32% increase in road traffic fatalities since 2007. Communicable diseases persist throughout the country, with persistently high burdens of disease secondary to malaria and tuberculosis, while noncommunicable diseases (such as heart attacks, strokes, asthma, chronic lung disease, and pregnancy-related deaths) account for 57% of mortality among 30- to 69-year-olds. The need for effective emergency care cannot be overstated.
Since the inception of the program, there have been 377 graduates. A survey of graduates conducted in 2015 showed that 98% of survey respondents were still practicing EM, with 70% involved in academics and teaching, and 36% involved in research. Of the respondents, 85% reported ongoing involvement in education and outreach activities, ranging from nursing education to community education to prehospital care development. A different project investigating the impact of the EM education and training program on the hospital system revealed that 96.5% of stakeholders (including hospital administrators, consultants, faculty, and ancillary staff) believe that the education and training program has positively affected patient care.
The MEM program began implementing Rosh Review as an integral part of the educational process in June 2018. It has revolutionized the way residents are able to study the material they’ve learned and test their aptitude. It has helped our residents study at their own pace, and it also has helped our residents identify weak points in their knowledge and develop more well-rounded clinical skills. The feedback from residents has been overwhelmingly positive, as evidenced below.
There is still a vast ongoing need for education and training in EM in India, considering the population of 1.339 billion people would warrant at least 100,000 practicing EM physicians. We hope to continue bringing the educational tools available at Rosh Review to assist our education and training programs and ultimately make a difference in the clinical care being delivered to the people of India.
Testimony from Residents
“I really like the concept of Rosh and am very happy using it. My fellow residents and I feel that Rosh Review is better than the previous software in various ways: It gives instant answers to all the questions with reasoning, which helps us revise and not to repeat the same mistakes again. It has multiple questionnaires that one can refer to and practice. It can be opened up easily on all the devices and even phones. The time limit helps focused question solving and teaches time management. Diagrams and picture illustrations used in the answers are really good.”
– 3rd Year Resident, KDAH Hospital, Mumbai
“It’s user friendly, less complicated, we know the results immediately, know the right answers immediately, the prep exams were really helpful, and we were able to attend the exams in our mobile itself.”
– 3rd Year Resident, Meenakshi Mission Hospital, Madurai
“A heartfelt thanks for the new software Rosh review. It’s amazing, the best part is it has videos and reference values and shows results immediately.”
– 2nd Year Resident, AMRI Hospital, Bhubaneswar
List of all programs involved:
- AMRI Hospital, Bhubaneswar
- Baby Memorial Hospital, Calicut
- Believers Church Medical College Hospital, Thiruvalla
- Aster Medcity Hospital, Kochi
- Aster MIMS Hospital, Kottakkal
- Aster MIMS Hospital, Calicut
- Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore
- DM WIMS Academy Hospital, Wayanad
- Meenakshi Mission Hospital, Madurai
- Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai
- MAX SuperSpecialty Hospital, Patparganj
- MAX SuperSpecialty Hospital, Saket
- MAX SuperSpecialty Hospital, Shalimar Bagh
- MAX SuperSpecialty Hospital, Dehradun
- MAX SuperSpecialty Hospital, Vaishili
- Medica SuperSpecialty Hospital, Kolkata
- Moolchand Medcity Hospital, Delhi
- Peerless Hospital, Kolkata
