Medical Student

As a medical student, primary focus should be on creating a well-rounded application for residency, but you can consider an away rotation at a community site. You should also consider attending a national conference for networking and meeting program representatives, or joining groups geared towards medical students like the SAEM Residents and Medical Students (RAMS) community, your local American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) chapter, or the Emergency Medicine Residents' Association (EMRA).

There is no specific research mandate, but most emergency medicine (EM) programs value some amount of research, and this helps with a well-rounded application.

Residency Programs

There is no specific necessity for a three-year vs. four-year residency program type. People can, and do, go into community EM from both types of programs. For those certain they want to pursue community medicine, there may be little value in a fourth year of residency.