L41 BIOL 2965: PEMRAP® I

Credits: 3 credits (pass/fail)

Class sessions are held on Tuesday afternoons, 1:30-3:30 p.m. on the medical school campus. Subjects covered include an introduction to clinical research, study design, inclusion/exclusion criteria, data collection and enrollment techniques. In addition, faculty members with active research projects introduce the basic principles behind the clinical questions being asked. There is also a hands on simulation session where students will get to interact with airway equipment and go through emergency case simulations with high fidelity manikins. Finally, students prepare a brief presentation on a clinical topic relevant to pediatric medicine (e.g. jaundice, asthma or meningitis) for presentation to the class at the end of the semester.

This class provides an unparalleled opportunity to work within a busy pediatric emergency department. Your role as a student and research associate places you on the front lines of clinical research and can give you an inside look into how advances in medicine are made. Step-by-step, patient-by-patient, you will gain experiences and learn skills that have the potential to shape your future career.

Note: PEMRAP/Bio 2652 is not offered in the summer.

Research shifts

New students are required to perform:

• Two, two-hour shadow shifts with an experienced PEMRAP Research Assistant (RA), part of the PEMRAP II class.
• Two, four-hour shifts each week in the SLCH Emergency Department.
• A total of 64 shift hours in the Emergency Department are required to receive a PASS grade.

Note: Physician shadowing shifts are optional and are not counted toward these shift hours.

Who should enroll in this course

Washington University undergraduate students (sophomore level and above) considering a career in medicine, healthcare in general or clinical research. Unfortunately, we are not able to accept students enrolled in the post-baccalaureate program at this time.

Note: It is vital that students interested in participating in PEMRAP consider the time commitment required before starting the registration process.

Course requirements/prerequisites

All accepted students are required to complete the following Medical School campus requirements:

• Sophomore standing or above
• Non-appointee packet documents
• EPIC, CITI and GCP, HIPAA and EHS training (via MyLearn)
• Single-step TB testing
• Flu vaccination (October – March)
• Program sponsored drug screening
• Background check through the Missouri Family Care Safety Registry (MOFCSR)*

Once all forms, certificates and test results are received, students will be notified of eligibility and subsequently enrolled in the course.

* Students are responsible for the approximately $15 application fee.

Weekly responsibilities

Attendance at all Tuesday lectures is required

An unexcused absence may result in a failing grade for the course.

Any student who misses a lecture must be excused by the PEMRAP Coordinator or Course Master prior to the start of the lecture. No more than two excused absences from lectures will be allowed for the semester.

Two Emergency Department shifts per week

Students must work two shifts in the SLCH Emergency Department each week for the entire semester. Each shift will be four (4) hours long.

Students will sign up for their shifts via the PEMRAP Scheduler. Attendance at scheduled shifts is required. Any student who will miss a shift due to illness or injury should notify the program coordinator at pemrap@email.wustl.edu. Unexcused absences may result in a failing grade for the course.

Students may swap shifts with one another without permission of the Coordinator.

Required presentation at the end of the semester

An oral presentation will take the place of an exam at the end of the semester. 

Students will work on presentations with a fellow PEMRAP student as a team. Topics for presentation should be a medical subject of interest in pediatrics. The last lecture dates of the semester are reserved for student presentations. Every student who presents will receive peer-evaluations along with a course master led group critique session.

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