FAQ
Questions, answered.
The things applicants actually ask us, grouped so you can skim. Anything missing, ask the coordinator.
Application
When is the application deadline?
We do not have a specific deadline, but to be considered, have your application complete by the New Year.
What makes an ideal application?
A complete ResidencyCAS application: transcript, two SLOE letters, and your Dean's letter. Step 2 must be taken and passed before the ResidencyCAS closing date to be placed on our match list.
Do you consider international graduates? Which visa do you support?
Yes, we consider foreign graduates. Our institution will support a J-1 visa.
What are you looking for in a candidate?
Humble, intelligent, hard-working people who strive to do the best for their patients while being committed to learning.
The program
How many residents do you accept each year?
We take 6 residents per year.
Why train at a smaller program?
Individualized attention. You work one-on-one with attending physicians and become part of the community rather than a number in a large class.
What is the relationship between attendings and residents?
You are teammates with your attendings. They treat residents as physicians-in-training and develop each resident around their own interests.
How are relationships with other services?
Very collegial. That is one advantage of a community hospital environment, and the department of Emergency Medicine is a significant department within the hospital.
How do things change as the residency grows?
Not dramatically at all. As residents take on more, attendings gain time for case review and supervision.
Will residents have input into the program?
Yes. Feedback to program leadership is integrated deliberately, including resident participation in Program Evaluation Committee decisions.
How does the program support careers and job placement?
Every resident is assigned a mentor with regular check-ins, leadership keeps an open-door policy, and the department's national connections help with placement.
Curriculum & training
What is your role in trauma care?
Residents work actively on ED trauma teams at St. Joseph and St. Catherine of Siena, and rotate with the trauma surgery team at Good Samaritan University Hospital, a Level I trauma center, managing Trauma Alert and Code T activations.
Will I get enough pediatric EM exposure?
Yes: pediatric cases in the ED, dedicated rotations with PEM attendings and fellows at Good Samaritan (a Level II pediatric trauma center), and PICU experience.
Is there adequate ultrasound training?
Ultrasound is a tool used in the ED every day. Faculty include fellowship-trained ultrasonographers, and residents complete dedicated ultrasound rotations with scanning shifts and image review.
How does graduated responsibility work?
You manage your own patients from day one, progressing from close supervision to nearly independent practice by graduation.
What is the workload?
Monthly ED shifts decrease as you advance: 17, 16, then 15 shifts per month across PGY-1, PGY-2, and PGY-3.
Do students rotate in your department?
Yes. Students rotate through our department, and residents teach them on shift. See Student Rotations.
Benefits
Can I attend national conferences?
Yes. CME stipends are provided to all residents, rising each year of training. Full figures are on the Salary & Benefits page.
Where can I see the full salary and benefits package?
Published in full, including salary by PGY year, stipends, insurance, and time off, on the Salary & Benefits page.
Life on Long Island
What is it like living here as a resident?
Beaches within fifteen minutes of the hospital, 37 state parks, a food scene from Korean BBQ to dockside seafood, and Manhattan about 45 minutes away by train. The Life page has the full picture.