Program Structure

• How are rotations scheduled?

  • Rotations are scheduled in typically 4 week blocks (despite a few exceptions e.g. OBGYN is 3 weeks, community hospital is 3 weeks) that are set in an annual block schedule. Prior to starting each year, we are offered 12 different block schedules, including ED blocks, off service rotations and a total of 4 weeks of vacation time. You are able to rank your top 3 preferred annual block schedules, and once assigned, that is how your rotations are scheduled. 

• What is the typical resident workload (hours, shifts, etc.)?

  • Residents work either 8 or 12 hour shifts. All of our weekday shifts are 8 hours aside from a Trauma/Oncology shift that you work which are 12 hours which may be a shift that you work during the week. All weekend and holiday shifts are 12 hours.

• How is the balance between didactics and clinical duties managed?

  • Didactics are every Wednesday from 9AM-2PM. Didactics are protected time and you attend didactics even if you are on an off-service rotation.

• Are there opportunities for electives or specialized training within the program?

  • As a PGY-2, we have 2 weeks of elective time and as a PGY-3, we have 4 weeks of dedicated elective time. You can choose to rotate in many different specialties in house, including ultrasound, toxicology, admin, SIM, EMS etc. You can also reach out to outside sites to arrange other elective rotations of your choice.

 

Training and Education

• What type of simulation or procedural training does the program offer?

  • We have two dedicated SIM cases during our morning report that occurs at 7:30AM every weekday morning aside from Wednesday. We partake and present an adult SIM case during one day (usually a Thursday) and a pediatric SIM case (usually a Tuesday). Aside from this, we also have a SIM during conference 1 out of the 4 conference days in a 4 week block. You can always reach out to the faculty to access the SIM lab if you have any questions or procedures you would like to work on outside of the normal time we do a SIM.

• How does the program ensure exposure to a diverse patient population?

  • As residents we are encouraged to see any patient that comes through the emergency department, we have a diverse surrounding community and we frequently get transfers from outside facilities to ensure an overall well-rounded residency experience. Hackensack serves a widely diverse population from the region. We also have language lines available through our phones as well as through tablets available through the ED to aid in translation and help our patients get appropriate care. 

• Are there opportunities for research during residency?

  • Yes! Towards the mid- to end of PGY-1 year, each first year has the opportunity to explore their interests in research topic. You will create your own research study/design, present the topic to the other residents and faculty and vote on which research project you want to be apart of. Residents are then split into groups to tackle these research projects! You will also have the opportunity to join other research projects that faculty are working on/interested in starting. 

• What is the program's approach to board preparation and exam success?

  • We are assigned Rosh Review at the beginning of the academic year, per block we are assigned a set of questions that we are asked to complete and we review the questions during conference. As we approach our in-service training exam in the month of February every year, we have rapid reviews to go over high-yield topics that will present on boards. It is expected to self-study and complete questions on your own time to supplement the assigned questions.

• How are residents evaluated and given feedback?

  • After each shift, attendings are encouraged to provide verbal feedback. They also fill out a written feedback available for residents to view on their online portfolio. We also have mid year and end of year evaluations where we are given feedback regarding how we are doing based on standardized milestones set for the residents. 

 

Faculty and Mentorship

• What is the faculty-to-resident ratio?

  • Our faculty-to-resident ratio is generally 1:1 during our shifts, you are very closely working with the attending and other residents during shift.​​​

• How accessible and involved are the attending physicians?

  • There is an open-door policy with our faculty, you can walk-in to their offices anytime you have a question. Aside from this, the faculty are more than happy to share their phone numbers and are always available via call/text.

• Can residents choose or be paired with mentors based on their interests?

  • Yes residents can be paired with mentors based off of their interests, we have many fellowship trained attendings within the program and they are always available for any questions or concerns. You can also always reach out to faculty/attendings that are not your mentors for any other questions or guidance that you need within the program

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Resident Life

• What is the culture like among the residents and faculty?

  • There is always an open door policy, faculty are always available via call/text/email for any questions that may arise. Faculty are always willing to help and they have served as a great resource to the residents for any and all questions they may have.

• What resources are available for resident wellness and burnout prevention?

  • You can always reach out to any of the residents, chiefs or attendings for resources regarding wellness and burnout prevention. We also have a dedicated wellness chief to help with overall resident wellness. 

• What is the social life like within the residency program?

  • Many residents hang out outside of the ED with both their own class but also residents of other classes. We also usually have a dedicated day off per year that you are share with your residency class to foster time that you spend with your class. 

• How does the program support work-life balance?

  • We get two golden weekends (both Saturday and Sunday off) during our ED blocks. We also have 8 hour shifts during the weekdays to help have our mornings/evenings off on the days we are working. If there are certain days that you need off, just request those days off and the scheduling chief will accommodate accordingly to help us be at important life events.

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Career Support

• What types of careers do graduates of the program typically pursue (academia, community practice, fellowship)?

  • We have residents that pursue any and all kinds of careers after residency which include travel, LOCUMs, academia and community practice as well as pursue fellowship. If you have any questions about the type of career you are interested in after residency, we have a wealth of both faculty and alumni residents that can help provide the resources needed to answer your questions.

• How does the program assist with job placement after residency?

  • Faculty and administration are always available for us for help with our application process, and help with CVs, applications, and  networking. Fellowship trained faculty are also available for mentorship throughout fellowship application and match process. 

• Are there opportunities for networking and professional development?

  • We attend NJ ACEP networking events as well as NY ACEP. During your PGY-3 year, we also get to attend the national ACEP conference. Residents are also encouraged to submit cases, research for various EM conferences occurring throughout the year and we have had residents from all years present at national conferences. 

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Logistics and Location

• What are the living arrangements like for residents (housing, cost of living)?

  • We have residents commuting from walking distance to the hospital as well as from as far as the city or suburbs of NJ or NY. Most live in apartments with their spouses/family. Cost of living varies depending on the various cities near Hackensack as well as proximity to Manhattan. Hackensack has a lot of apartment complexes with a wide range of renting options. 

• Is parking or transportation a concern?

  • Generally all of our residents either live locally and can walk to the hospital or have cars, we have a parking garage on the premises that residents can park at. It is free to park and you can easily access the hospital without having to take a shuttle.

• What is the surrounding community like, and what recreational opportunities are available?

  • HUMC is in a safe residential neighborhood with many surrounding luxury apartments, houses and with low crime rate. We have plenty of hiking options available within an hour. Residents also have a discounted membership available at Hackensack Meridian Fitness and Wellness center with world class amenities. Manhattan is also only a 30 minute drive from the hospital. 

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Policies and Benefits

• What is the program’s policy on moonlighting?

  • You are able to moonlight in your PGY-3 year assuming you meet all the necessary requirements that have been set.

• What benefits (health, dental, etc.) are provided to residents?

  • We are required to sign up for health insurance through our job but we are offered different plans to choose from. Included in those plans are forms of dental, health and vision coverage. We also can add money into an Heath Savings Account (HSA) to use specifically for health care related purchases that will not be taxed up to a certain amount. 

• How does the program handle vacation and time-off requests?

  • We have 4 weeks of vacation within the academic year. Generally those vacations are split between 2 one week vacations and 1 two week vacation. If you have any specific days that you need time-off for, you can request that day during the appropriate scheduling period and it is mostly approved.

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Unique Aspects

• What sets this program apart from other emergency medicine residency programs?

  • Our ER is super, super busy, one of the perks of being the #1 adult and children's hospital in New Jersey! We also are in the top 10 most busy ER departments in the country, so patients come from all over NY/NJ specifically for the care and resources we provide. We see all ranges of acuity from “fast track”/urgent care patients to critical ICU-bound patients. As a Level 1 trauma center, comprehensive stroke and STEMI center, we, as residents, respond to critically ill patients and get the opportunity to work with various different specialties. Every single day we get to practice balancing tasks and managing multiple sick patients! Many graduated residents say they feel super prepared and can handle anything that rolls through the doors of their ED — isn’t that the goal of residency?! 

• Are there any recent or upcoming changes to the program that applicants should know about? 

  • We recently created residency families, which are groups of a few attendings and residents from each year. We have family group chats and schedule events. For example, my family went to dinner and axe throwing.  Another family went to an escape room. It’s a fun way to connect with attendings/your fellow residents outside of work! 

• How does the program handle diversity and inclusion?

  • We have a specific DEI curriculum ingrained within our conference schedule, we have longitudinal lectures over the year with a culmination in a DEI Symposium that occurs at the end of the year with different lecturers, poster presentations and activities that we as residents and faculty get to partake in.