Medical Toxicology is an ACGME accredited specialty requiring 2 years of training beyond residency in a primary specialty.  The program must be associated with an accredited Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, or Preventive Medicine residency program. A board eligible applicant will have completed training in an ACGME accredited residency program. Currently there are a total of 29 accredited training programs which accept from one to three fellows per year of training.

A Medical Toxicology Fellowship Program will train physicians in the following:

• Evaluation and management of acutely poisoned patients

• Evaluation and management of occupational and environmental exposures

• Administrative functions of a regional poison center

• Education and research in medical toxicology                 

• Academic skills such as presentation and medical writing

• Injury and Illness prevention

A typical curriculum will consist of the following activities:

1. Dedicated didactics in the Core Content of Medical Toxicology (attachment)

2. Clinical care of poisoned patients in an inpatient consult setting.

3. Clinical care of toxicology patients in an outpatient setting, typically occupational or environmental exposures.

4. Poison Center activities including education, quality assurance, telephone consults, and administrative duties such as protocol development

5. Research in medical toxicology such as participation in ongoing trials

6. Education in medical toxicology such as giving toxicology lectures to learners

7. Academic skill training in topics such as critically appraising literature, presentations, medical writing, grant writing, evidence based medicine, biostatistics

8. Public health and patient safety initiatives

9. Participation in national and local toxicology conference

A Medical Toxicology Fellowship provides additional expertise for those interested in a variety of careers:

• Inpatient clinical patient care in toxicology

• Outpatient occupational/environmental toxicology clinic

• Medical Education

• Academic Medicine

• Research careers

• Poison Center Administration

• Medication safety/drug development

• Governmental agencies such as Food and Drug Administration

Most programs accept applications as early as July in the academic year before starting.  It is a good idea to contact the program by the spring of the recruiting year to learn about the site-specific fellowship application process.  See listing of programs.

As  of 2013 Medical Toxicology has joined the National Resident Matching Program for the starting class of July 2014.  Below is the timeline for application for the match: 

• August 7, 2013                                  Match opens

• September 25, 2013                         Rank order list entry opens

• October 23, 2013                              Quota change deadline

• November 6, 2013                            Rank order list certification deadline

• November 20, 2013                          Match Day

Further information regarding the match is available at the NRMP.