The ACGME is planning to add a year to Emergency Medicine residency training.

Emergency medicine stands at a crossroads. Should EM residency training be standardized at four years?

On the show today are three Emergency Medicine residency program directors. Together, we discuss the history of 3- vs. 4-year EM programs, the evolving demands of emergency medicine, and what a fourth year could mean for future physicians, the healthcare system, and the patients we serve. From rural workforce implications to the shifting landscape of ultrasound, addiction medicine, and EMS, we discuss the nuances of a moment of transformation in medical training.

We close the episode with a reading of Roald Dahl’s powerful and heartbreaking essay on vaccine-preventable illness, and a sobering look at the 2025 resurgence of measles and pertussis.

Sameer Desai is the program director for the EM residency at UK and was previously the associate and an assistant EM residency program director.

Chris Belcher is the associate program director for UK EM. After residency, he spent 4 years in active duty Air Force service in San Antonio working with Air Force and Army EM residents and flying ICU and ECMO patients around the world.

Blake Davidson is an assistant program director for UK EM. After residency, he spent a year completing an EMS fellowship in Alabama. He also serves as the Medical Director of UK Transport.

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If you have any feedback, show/interview recommendations, or want to collaborate on the show, please reach out!

Email: Tama.TheMDM@gmail.com

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Host: Tama Thé | Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Producer: Melissa Puffenbarger | Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Communications Director: Katrianna Urrea | MD Candidate

Music: Spencer Brown

Doing Time | Sameer Desai, Chris Belcher, Blake Davidson