Get to know Dr. Shannon Toohey: UCI Emergency Medicine Program Director, A Dedicated Lifelong Student and Now Leading Educator

By Konnor Davis, UCI School of Medicine

Dr. Shannon Toohey’s interest in emergency medicine (EM) began early in medical school and solidified the second she stepped into the emergency department for her first shift as a fourth-year medical student. Dr. Toohey always had an inkling that she would thrive in a highly variable and fast paced environment that required doctors to be a “jack of all trades” to treat patients with wide ranging presentations. She now serves as the UC Irvine EM Residency Program Director (PD). 

Dr. Toohey has been an Anteater for many years as she completed her medical degree, residency, and fellowship (Multimedia Design and Education Technology) at the UCI School of Medicine and the Department of EM.

During fellowship, she completed a Master’s in Education from Cal Poly Pomona in 2016. She became a faculty member in the Department of EM in 2016 and residency PD in 2018. She became PD because of her desire to see continual improvements of the curriculum and passion for working directly with the residents in her department.

UCI’s EM residency program is committed to the residents’ education in many ways, the most obvious being accessibility and the presence of faculty with graduate level training in education. Dr. Toohey and the department’s faculty pride themselves on serving as a support system for the residents and that includes being available and accessible, even when residents move on from UCI. Similarly, the residency boasts an a tremendous medical education presence with numerous faculty members either fellowship trained or having graduate degrees in education. Residents’ can expect faculty that make themselves available, have training in how to optimize medical education, and are cognizant of patient volumes, both for patient safety and residents’ wellness. 

The program has a focus on efficiency. In her own words, “regardless of if you are in a community or an academic setting, to be a great ER doctor you have to also be efficient. It’s just an additional expectation in modern emergency medicine.” Dr. Toohey notes that efficiency, like anything else in a resident’s training, is a skill that must be actively worked on by engaging in task-switching and managing high volumes of patients. 

Much has changed in the medical world due to COVID, and the residency program changed and adapted as well. The program has grown to utilize improvements in technology (ex: Zoom breakout rooms that did not exist pre-COVID) to diversify the training received. Residents attend many seminars each block, but one per block is guaranteed to be virtual which leads to an increased access to national speakers and flexible learning environments.

Ultimately, one change Dr. Toohey is most proud of is the implementation of a “waterfall” scheduling system for both residents and attendings. This schedule allows residents to actively triage and follow patients along with attendings. Benefits of this system include seeing the bulk of your patients early into your shift, fewer sign-outs, and improved patient safety. 

Dr. Toohey is always thinking of new ways in which to enhance residents’ education, collaboration, and overall wellness. We expect Dr. Toohey to continue to propel the program forward and ensure residents’ are being provided with top tier training in an unbeatable location.