ER Board case studies
ER Board · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Qualifying Examination is the written, multiple-choice examination that serves as the first of two examination steps toward certification by the American Board of Emergency Medicine; ABEM lists the Certifying Exam as a separate step in the same process. It is aimed at physicians who have completed or are completing emergency medicine residency training and who are pursuing ABEM certification, and it verifies the breadth of knowledge expected of a practicing emergency physician rather than only the conditions a given candidate happens to see often. The ER Board case studies are 5 cases and about 4,555 words.
1Tearing Back Pain with a Raised Troponin and a Creatinine of 1.9
A 64-year-old man is brought in 90 minutes after the sudden onset of severe tearing pain between the shoulder blades while lifting a box. He is diaphoretic and restless.
932 words, about 5 min2The Asthmatic Whose Carbon Dioxide Is No Longer Low
A 27-year-old woman with a long history of asthma presents after four days of a viral illness with worsening breathlessness. She is sitting upright, speaking in single words, and using accessory muscles.
866 words, about 4 min3A Ground-Level Fall in an Anticoagulated Octogenarian
An 81-year-old woman is brought in after a mechanical fall at home in which she struck the back of her head on a doorframe. There was no loss of consciousness and she has remained alert throughout.
912 words, about 5 min4Forty Tablets of Amlodipine, a Heart Rate of 44, and a Glucose of 340
A 58-year-old woman is brought in by her husband two hours after she swallowed approximately 40 tablets of amlodipine 10 mg along with a bottle of wine following an argument. She is drowsy but answers questions.
879 words, about 4 min5Headache, Hypertension, and Crackles at 34 Weeks
A 33-year-old woman, gravida 2 para 1, at 34 weeks and 2 days gestation presents with a severe frontal headache and right upper quadrant pain for six hours. Blood pressure is 178/112 mmHg, and repeats at 176/110 mmHg.
966 words, about 5 min