Program FAQ

General

  • Please visit our Apply page to learn more about application requirements, eligibility, important dates, the interview process, and application-related FAQs.

  • NYPEM is a 4-year, bi-campus academic program.

    By serving two very distinct, high-volume and high-acuity hospitals, our residents are afforded an unparalleled level of clinical exposure and breadth of training, preparing them to work in any setting upon graduation. Our residents become experts in management of routine EM complaints as well as highly-complex, specialized care. Graduates from our program have gone on to work everywhere from highly-specialized academic centers to high-volume county hospitals to stand-alone rural EDs.

    Beyond simply becoming excellent clinicians, we pride ourself on fostering an environment of academic excellence and scholarship. Our program is associated with two Ivy-league institutions that are home to faculty who are leaders in their respective fields. No matter what your academic niche is, it is likely you will be able to find a faculty mentor with similar interests and specialized training in that field. Our Academic Practice Tracks and elective time afford residents dedicated time and resources to carve out an academic niche that sets them apart and sets them up for success in their career following residency.

    Outside of our clinical and academic work, the NYPEM family is the foundation of this program. NYP program leadership is supportive and nurturing, and works tirelessly to develop and improve the program based on resident feedback. The residents are close-knit and spend a lot of time together outside of work. Our residents' partners and children are welcomed into the NYPEM family, and often independently form close friendships with the people in our program. Residents and faculty have a very collegiate relationship, and faculty are eager to be involved in resident life.

Clinical Experience

  • NYPEM residents primarily staff the NYP-Columbia ED in Washington Heights and the NYP-Cornell ED on the Upper East Side.

    All residents primarily work in the "main bays" of the ED, where they will see higher acuity complaints, traumas, and resuscitations. The main bays have various staffing models, but typically involve 2-3 junior residents (EM or off-service rotators), a senior resident, and an attending. PGY4 residents are in a pre-attending role, and will receive presentations from junior residents and oversee the bay.

    At Columbia, the PGY3 is a dedicated "resuscitation" resident and staffs the Critical Care Resuscitation area. Junior residents from the main bays help with resuscitation and procedures that come to this area.

    In addition to working in the main bays, residents will intermittently have shifts in Cornell Urgent Care and the Columbia Med/Psych bay.

  • We use Epic at both campuses, with access to dictation, customizable macros and customizable dot phrases.

  • Cornell is a designated level 1 trauma center. Trauma activations are co-managed by the ED and trauma surgery teams. The EM senior and surgery senior alternate "leading" the trauma based on even/odd days. The formal trauma airway policy is to alternate with anesthesiology between even/odd days. In practice, the airway is typically managed by the EM resident.

    Columbia is not a level 1 trauma center, but receives a fair number of "walk-in" traumas. The EM team primarily manages any traumatic injuries at CUMC with the surgical team available as a consult service. Since it’s a level 2 center, trauma surgery is not in the same building and will not reach the trauma room until the resuscitation is well underway.

  • Our program offers robust exposure to critical care Emergency Medicine, and our patient population has remarkably complex physiology. Both our hospitals are ECMO-capable centers.

    In the Emergency Department, our junior residents are core components of the resuscitation team from day 1, and interns get first dibs on procedures. Our PGY3 residents are the dedicated "resus" resident and staff the critical care area of the Columbia ED. By the end of our third year, our PGY3 residents are very comfortable with the management of incredibly sick patients-- whether it's bread-and-butter septic shock and OHCA to crashing LVAD patients.

    Outside of the ED, our residents rotate through the medical, surgical, burn, pediatric, and neurologic ICUs. Our ICU colleagues are leaders in their fields, and the educational experience is unparalleled.

    In addition, we have several faculty members and many alumni who are double boarded in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care.

  • NYP hosts a large and very active Ultrasound Division consisting of faculty with dedicated fellowship training in EM Ultrasound who are very invested in resident education. Ultrasound is a core component of EM training and we believe residents should become facile with POCUS and US-guided procedures early in their training. During intern orientation, PGY1s participate in "Ultrasound Bootcamp"--with 2 days of dedicated training in ultrasound basics. There is a one-month Ultrasound rotation in the first year with US faculty-directed scanning shifts. If desired, residents have the opportunity to pursue advanced ultrasound training during their PGY2 Selective block or PGY3/PGY4 Elective. Both of our hospitals have new state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment, and Cornell is equipped to perform TEE-guided resuscitation.

  • We work very closely with our consulting services, and have admitting privileges at both campuses. Communication with both is very collegial, and you’ll find yourself making friends with people from other services as you each rotate through the hospital. Additionally, we benefit from excellent education from our consultants as some of them are the world experts in various disease pathologies and treatments.

  • We have a great relationship with our nursing colleagues, and become very close with them over the years. Both hospital sites are ANCC-designated Magnet centers.

    In the workplace, we have well-delineated roles, and residents typically do not perform tasks such as IV placement (unless ultrasound guidance is needed) or patient transport, except in scenarios where it is immediately necessary for patient care.

    We also have good relationships with our APP colleagues. Occasionally APPs will work in the main bays with residents to supplement staffing and to cover while residents have protected time for EM Conference, but primarily work in the mid-acuity bay or urgent care directly with an attending.

Academics & Scholarship

  • Each resident's academic progress is monitored by a faculty committee, and residents have semi-annual check-ins with their faculty mentor. In addition to this, our Academic Practice Tracks (APT) offer opportunities for dedicated mentorship in a specific area of Emergency Medicine.

    Each resident is placed in a "residency family", consisting of several residents from each class and 1-2 faculty "parents". Residency families provide an informal environment for mentorship and support.

    Given that we have two large academic centers available, finding mentors is straightforward, and many faculty members have active projects and areas of interest that they welcome residents to join. Residents also find mentorship via our WomEM and DEI groups, both of which host events throughout the year for residents and other staff.

  • Our residents have gone on to practice in a variety of clinical environments across the country, including county, academic, community, and rural settings. Many have pursued prestigious fellowships after graduation. Recent matches include ED Administration, Medical Education, Anesthesiology Critical Care, Medical Critical Care, Ultrasound, EMS/Pre-Hospital, and Geriatrics. Many of our graduates have gone on to pursue careers in healthcare administration, policy, research, and entrepreneurship/innovation.

    See our Alumni page for more information.

  • See the APT Page for more information.

Resident Life & Wellness

  • Our annual schedules are organized into 13 four-week blocks. The operations chiefs are responsible for creating the day-to-day schedules for the Emergency Department blocks, and typically release the schedule 4-8 weeks in advance. We do not use a templated schedule, so there is a great deal of flexibility for residents. Residents are allowed to make scheduling requests prior to the start of a block. After the schedule is made, residents are easily able to trade shifts amongst each other.

    For EM Blocks:
    PGY1: 18 shifts; 12 hours each
    PGY2: 17 shifts; 12 hours each
    PGY3: 18 shifts; 8 hours*
    PGY4: 17 shifts; 8 hours*
    *12-hour shifts on Wednesday nights and weekends

  • Residents get 28 days of vacation time. Vacation time is split into two 2-week vacation blocks. Residents requests are taken into account when the Annual Schedule is being made.

  • Graduate Staff Level Salary (Effective July 2024)
    PGY1: $89,100
    PGY2: $98,700
    PGY3: $106,700
    PGY4: $109,800
    +Annual Living Supplement: $7500 ($1875 paid quarterly)
    +Monthly Meal Stipend: $180 per month
    +Annual Transportation Stipend: $2000 Lyft Credit

    See Salary & Benefits to learn more.

  • See our Resident Life page to learn more about our residents and life in NYC!

  • Resident wellness is a top priority at NYP. Our program heavily emphasizes mutual respect and promotes a nurturing and collegial environment. Our program leadership is very receptive to each residents' needs, and will work with you to make an individualized plan that allows you to thrive in residency while prioritizing your health and wellbeing.

    Enterprise & Department Initiatives
    The CUMC EDWell Committee has piloted multiple wellness initiatives, including ongoing research regarding the impact of work environments, workplace violence and break studies, social gatherings and health and fitness challenges. Additionally, the committee has identified lactation space, and advocated for a provider lounge with computer access, lockers and kitchen.

    NYP's BeHealthy program provides a number of resources for mental , physical, and financial wellbeing. NYPBeHealthy Wellbeing Coaches offer onsite, confidential, and personalized coaching on topics such as nutrition, exercise, stress, sleep, weight management, work-life integration, self-compassion, mindfulness, and more.

    Physical & Mental Wellbeing
    Physical and mental wellbeing resources are available via the NYPBeHealthy program. Confidential mental health counseling is available for free to house staff through CopeNYP.

    Worklife Harmony & Social Wellbeing
    We believe fostering a strong sense of community is an important part of wellness, and to this end the residency provides residents with protected time for the annual Intern Retreat, Resident Retreat, and Graduation. Each year, the PGY2 class goes to SAEM with expenses covered by the program. At a department level, we have annual Department Parties, Holiday Parties, and EDWell Committee social events.

    Financial Wellbeing
    NYP offers a competitive salary that is one of the highest amongst all residency programs in the country. GME provides $180/month of meal credit and $2000/year of Lyft credit for work-related commutes. Additional resources are available for financial planning and retirement. See Salary & Benefits to learn more.