Chattanooga Emergency Medicine Fellowships
EMS Fellowship
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine Chattanooga proudly offers an ACGME-accredited fellowship in Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
This is the first accredited EMS fellowship in Tennessee and continues to be a valuable learning opportunity for physicians interested in pre-hospital medicine and transport medicine.
The fellowship is a one-year program covering all aspects of EMS practice.
Each section of the program emphasizes a different aspect of EMS with related readings and text assignments, including:
- Pre-hospital experience: major time in the pre-hospital response and setting
- Didactic sessions: held weekly to discuss each topic and facilitated by core faculty
- Journal Club: organized and presented by the fellow and held at a faculty member's house or as a night out with faculty (depending on work schedules)
- Mentorship: by assigned core faculty mentors
Fellows are also expected to continue practicing clinically (a monthly obligation of four clinical shifts) in the ED at Erlanger Health System.
The monthly schedule is flexible to meet the individual fellow’s needs. After completing all orientation and training, the fellow typically has most monthly meetings on Tuesday mornings, a 12-hour flight shift on Wednesdays, and weekly didactics on Thursday mornings. All other days are free for ground response with HCEMS, research/teaching, responding to SWAT or search and rescue calls, or additional ED shifts (with pay) as desired. Weekends are usually free unless working in the ED or on a call-out.
Important Recruiting Links
Videos, Photos, and Links
Dr. Tift graduated summa cum laude from Wake Forest University and earned his doctorate from Medical College of Georgia. Upon completion of his Emergency Medicine residency at Georgetown University, he came to Chattanooga for EMS Fellowship.
He is board certified in Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medical Services from the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the National Association of EMS Physicians.
Dr. Tift is actively involved with multiple EMS agencies serving Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina. He serves as the Assistant Medical Director for Erlanger Health System's Life Force Air Medical Service.
Dr. Tift holds the rank of Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine with UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga.
EMS Fellowship Applicants
Applicants interested in the EMS Fellowship should send the following materials to the EMS Fellowship Coordinator:
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- CV;
- Personal Statement;
- Letters of Recommendation:
- 1 from your residency Program Director (required)
- 1 from an EMS physician you have worked with (preferred but optional)
For more information contact:
Velvet Green, EMS Fellowship Coordinator
Velvet.Green@erlanger.org
Advanced Emergency Medicine Ultrasonography
Our Advanced Emergency Medicine Ultrasonography fellowship is a non-ACGME accredited one-year program sponsored by the Department of Emergency Medicine and our Emergency Medicine Residency.
Fellowship Requirements
The Ultrasound Fellow is hired as an attending physician and holds a faculty appointment with UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga. The fellow must meet these requirements by the time the fellowship begins:
- Be a graduate of an accredited emergency medicine residency;
- Be a licensed physician in Tennessee;
- Be credentialed as a member of the Erlanger medical staff
Ultrasound Faculty
Ultrasound Director Dr. Benjamin Smith is a board certified emergency medicine physician and core faculty member of the UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga Emergency Medicine residency. He is also an internationally recognized educator in point of care ultrasound (POCUS).
Dr. Smith was named the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Outstanding Speaker of the Year in 2021 for his teaching excellence. ACEP also awarded Dr. Smith an Innovation in Clinical Ultrasound distinction in 2017 for his work in developing software and social media tools that advance the field of ultrasound. In 2020, the Society for Clinical Ultrasound Fellowships recognized Dr. Smith with its iAward: Innovations and Impact for pushing the limits of the clinical ultrasound subspecialty through new teaching methods, high impact social media, FOAMed, and peer-reviewed research.
One of Dr. Smith's most noted achievements is the creation of CoreUltrasound.com, the highest-ranked POCUS educational site online with more than 1.2 million views. His other digital education tools include Ultrasound of the Week (ranked in the top 20 of ALiEM social media sites) and the websites 5minsono.com and CriticalCareNow.com.
Dr. Smith is a graduate of University of Tennessee College of Medicine. He completed Emergency Medicine Residency at University of Alabama-Birmingham as well as the ACEP Teaching Fellowship.
Dr. Smith holds the rank of Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine with the UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga.
Ultrasound Co-Director Dr. Elijah Wyatt is a board certified emergency medicine physician who joined the faculty in 2023. He is a graduate of University of South Carolina School of Medicine. He completed his Emergency Medicine Residency and Ultrasound Fellowship here in Chattanooga. In addition to mentoring fellows, residents, and students, Dr. Wyatt is also an instrumental contributor to CoreUltrasound.com.
Dr. Wyatt currently holds the rank of Clinical Instructor of Emergency Medicine with the UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga.
Ultrasound Applicants
Interested applicants should direct their inquiries to:
Ben Smith, MD, FACEP
Email: bensmith.md@gmail.com
Twitter: UltrasoundJelly