Main ContentMedical Toxicology Elective
The medical toxicology elective provides a unique experience for interested senior medical students. Students are given the opportunity to work at the state poison control center, perform inpatient and outpatient consultations on poisoned patients, attend specially designed toxicology lectures and conferences and interact with emergency medicine residents on their resident toxicology rotation and with board-certified toxicologists on faculty in the Department of Emergency Medicine. Through these experiences, students will learn the basics of medical management of the poisoned patient and the acute and chronic effects of toxic exposures.
Rotation overview
Duration
- 4 weeks or 1 calendar month (on select months - August, September, November, February, March, April)
Clinical
Students spend approximately four hours per day at the Mississippi Poison Control Center (located on UMMC campus). They spend the remainder of their time as a member of the Medical Toxicology Consult Service. Students are responsible for evaluating patients for whom toxicology consults have been requested and will evaluate undifferentiated patients in the Adult Emergency Department and the Pediatric Emergency Department. They follow these patients as inpatients and learn to function as a consulting service. All consultations are performed in conjunction with Emergency Medicine residents and faculty.
Additionally, students participate in scheduled outpatient toxicology clinics.
Didactics
Students participate in specifically designed weekly toxicology conferences in conjunction with the Emergency Medicine residents currently on service. Conferences are held at the Mississippi Poison Control Center. Students also actively participate in patient rounds as well as individualized meetings with toxicology residents and faculty.
Reading
Students are assigned selected readings from various toxicology texts. Additionally, they are issued a concise toxicology guide containing important reference information as well as pertinent journal articles of particular interest.
Grading
Student grades are based on participation and contribution during rounds and toxicology conferences as well as on discussions with the course director.
Orientation
A thorough and informative orientation session is held for all students at which time they will receive their reading materials and further information as needed.
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