1. What makes your program different from
other programs, or what made you choose your program?
I think Cooper is just a closer knit community where we
emphasize helping each other out to become better doctors. The
attendings are the greatest asset at Cooper as they truly have
our interests close to their heart. They will do whatever it
takes to help you with your deficiencies. A great example is a
resident a few years ago who was having difficulty with
intubations. Our residency director came in on her off days to
help that resident intubate dummies and then took the resident
in the ER and give them the first shot at any intubations.
After one week, that resident could intubate anything. So I
think having excellent involved attendings who breed this very
friendly close-knit atmosphere where learning and teaching are
the utmost priorities is what sets our program apart and was the
main reason I came to Cooper.
2. Are there any major upcoming changes
to your program?
We are expanding as a residency from 7 residents per class to 10
residents per class. Also with the major construction being
done, we will have a brand new spacious emergency room soon.
3. Is there anything you would change
about your program if you could?
The great thing about our residency is that they are very
receptive to our concerns and will change accordingly. My first
year we did a month of internal medicine and agreed that it did
not help us whatsoever. So the attendings heard our concern and
got rid of that rotation. We also had stated we needed more
money to attend conferences and they increased our total
amount. The only thing that I would change about our residency
right now would be to do more case-based learning (we do a fair
amount now but I would like to see more - my personal opinion).
4. How much are you responsible for blood draws, putting in
IVs, etc.?
Interns are encouraged in their first few months to start IVs
and learn how to put patients on monitors as we stress the
importance at being proficient at most everything. The worst
thing that could happen would be for someone to graduate and
then be involved in a situation where they are with a sick pt
who has no IV access and they become paralyzed as they don't
know how to start an IV. That is why during a code, our
attendings are commonly hooking pts up to monitors while running
the codes making it easier on nurses to start IVs and collect
blood. Second and third years carry more patients so that
unless nurses cannot get IV access, they are not looked at to
start IVs.
5. Do you learn mostly from attendings,
other residents, or textbooks? Does this vary when you do
off-service rotations?
We learn from a mixture of all three. Attendings are great
sources of knowledge and it is excellent to see the varying
views of each attending and formulate your own style. We
definitely read textbooks and learn from each other as we have
these monthly module exams which residents get together to do
and learn from each other after they've read about the topic.
6. How does EMed rank in your
hospital's hierarchy?
Luckily, we are viewed as the strongest residents in the
hospital. Rotations outside of the ER always look forward to
having us as we are very hard workers who take great care of our
patients. Having Emergency Medicine as an academic department
also helps as we are an independent entity. We are not a
subdivision of surgery which is the case at many other
residencies. We have an extremely powerful residency director
who is the head of the graduate medical education group and
oversees all the other residencies. Our department chair
created this residency and the clout he has is immense. The one
thing as residents we have to be careful about is complaining
about something to Dr. Chansky (chairman) or Dr Stahmer
(residency director) as they will make sure our wishes are
granted no matter what, which will breed jealousy in surgery and
internal medicine residents.
7. What are the
perks that your school provides (PDAs, textbooks, conference
fees, meal tickets, etc.)?
We receive white
lab coats, five sets of personalized scrubs with your name and
the Cooper logo, textbooks, meal plan, money to go to
conferences, and free parking.
8. How do you
rate your rotations outside of the emergency department?
Rotations
outside of the ED are excellent. Our trauma rotations are
incredible as we get to see everything and anything that happens
in all our South Jersey (population of 2.5 million and
growing). This doesn't include all the interesting injuries
that happen in Camden. Our ICU rotations are by far the
favorite outside rotation as we get to work with Dr. Dellinger
and his group who wrote the textbook on ICU resuscitations. We
practice early goal directed therapy (EGDT) which is now
becoming the standard of practice everywhere for septic pts. We
also have an excellent ENT rotation. The only rotation that we
are ambivalent about is OB but that is because the OB residents
are all miserable!
9. What's the
best elective you've done?
ICU as you get to work with cutting edge technology and
practice. It is absolutely incredible. Very sick patients. As
an intern you have lots of autonomy but the senior resident is
always there as is the ICU fellow. As second years, we act as
seniors in the ICU and I believed I learned more as a second
year by showing interns how to do procedures and managing more
pts. Very busy and tiring rotation, but most fulfilling.
10. How much does
your program focus on research?
We are not a program
that will force you to do research at gunpoint! We are all
encouraged to a scholarly project which does not necessitate a
paper. What is very unique about our program is that we have
scholarly tracts which can substitute for research papers.
These scholarly tracts include medical education where you help
med students read EKGs, learn how to care for trauma patients,
how to care for MI patients. Another tract is ultrasound where
you are in close involvement with Dr. Stahmer who is a world
class teacher in ultrasound. You help develop teaching programs
in ultrasound and can become involved in the many research
projects that are on-going. Other tracts include simulation
lab, EMS...
Our research director, Dr. Baumann, is tireless in her efforts
and helps us create research projects that fit our interests.
If you are extremely interested in being first author on a
paper, you easily have the ability and opportunity to do so -
just ask Ryan Arnold the other chief who has published already.
11. What do you
love and hate most about the city you're in?
Camden is not
exactly a family-friendly city - yet. We are located in a very
safe environment. There has never been an issue about resident
safety. Camden is in the middle of a revitalization so that
while there are some incredible things already - Adventure
Aquarium, Tweeter Center for concerts, USS New Jersey, the
Waterfront - it will take some more time when Camden will be the
place to be. The thing I love about being in Camden is the
people - they are truly appreciative of what we do for them. We
learn so much from them and the variety of illnesses run from
the mundane to the most exotic.
12. Please
describe your typical month in terms of work hours and days off.
3rd years work
19 shifts, 2nd years work 21, and interns work 23 shifts.
Shifts are 9 hour on weekdays and 12 hours on weekends. We give
two weekends off each month. You never get close to 80 hours in
the ER (you barely come close to 60 hours). The nine hour
shifts are excellent as they enable us to go home and have a
life - go to the gym, read on something interesting you saw
today, go grocery shopping. We do 12 hours on the weekend as
this necessitates less people to work weekends and they aren't
that busy.
13. How much time
do you spend off-duty with the other residents?
I have come to
know my fellow classmates much more. I have had so many of my
residents come to my house for a barbecue and do module exams.
We go out into Philly pretty often to enjoy ourselves in
numerous bars and fine restaurants. Attendings have also come
out with us. Here are a few examples - I had an attending take
me to an Eagles game, residents have gone surfing off the Jersey
shore, residents have gone biking in Philly, and a few of us
went together to San Francisco for a conference where Dr.
Chansky took us out to dinner and we had an absolutely amazing
experience.
14. Do you have
any international experience?
I personally do not but the opportunity is always there. For my
elective, I may be going to India to work in one of the ERs
there. You always hear about different groups going to some
really interesting places. If you have the time, you can
definitely do it.
15. What are your
plans after residency?
I plan to work
in an academic center where I can teach and continue to learn.
16. How prepared
do you feel?
I seriously
think that I could step out now as a second year and hold my own
as an attending. That is solely due to my training at Cooper.
I believe it is because I wasn't coddled as an intern but
encouraged to see sick patients and work them up. This has
helped me immensely in my growth as an EM doctor. I really do
feel that Cooper prepares you very well and we have graduates in
all types of programs all over the country who will attest to
the same thing.
17. Do you have
any advice for current applicants, or is there anything you wish
you'd known when you were applying?
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