Yale Emergency Medicine Residency

The Yale-New Haven Medical Center established the Emergency Medicine Residency Program in the tradition of Yale University: to educate and promote leaders in the field while furthering the pursuit of research and academia. To this goal, the founders set out in 1990 to lay the groundwork for starting a premier Emergency Medicine Residency Program. The recruitment of diverse faculty skilled in the art and science of Emergency Medicine began, as well as the careful planning of a dynamic curriculum, resulting in the formation of the Yale Emergency Medicine Residency Program. The program officially gained accreditation in 1995 and enrolled its first class of residents in June 1996.

The mission of the program revolves around providing comprehensive, state-of-the-art training to prepare academically-oriented leaders in Emergency Medicine. As the practice of Emergency Medicine has diversified into areas including out-of-hospital care, toxicology, critical care, ultrasound, and disaster management, it has become apparent that the standard residency training program cannot provide adequate opportunity to pursue these areas of expertise. Hence, the founders of this residency program set out with the mission of providing a comprehensive background in Emergency Medicine as well as sufficient elective time to pursue training and research in these important areas. This planning has resulted in a curriculum which includes six months of elective time and six months of critical care experience.

Curriculum

First Year

The focus of the first year is to provide the fund of knowledge and basic skills needed to practice Emergency Medicine. This is obtained through five blocks of emergency medicine rotations at both Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH) and Bridgeport Hospital (BH), as well as two blocks of intensive care experience at YNHH. Additional four-week blocks are provided in pediatrics, trauma surgery, orthopedics, anesthesiology/ultrasound, and general internal medicine. A one-week introductory experience in emergency medical services is provided.

Second Year

In the second year, emphasis is placed on the refinement of general Emergency Medicine skills and exposure to pediatric emergency care. Pediatric experience is obtained through rotations in the pediatric intensive care unit and the pediatric emergency department. Critical care experience is heightened by rotation time in the surgical intensive care unit and a more supervisory role in the coronary care unit. The balance of the year is spent with one block of obstetrics and others in the emergency departments at YNHH and BH. Also, a four week elective is provided.

Third Year

The transition into the third year results in the beginning of a more supervisory role for the residents. Emphasis is placed on directing junior level residents in the emergency department, medical intensive care unit, and trauma service. Residents will also help to direct trauma resuscitations while at Bridgeport Hospital. Experience in toxicology at the New York Poison Control Center is provided. Core experience in emergency psychiatry is provided as well as eight weeks of elective study to pursue research or other areas of interest.

Fourth Year

The final year is spent in a supervisory and administrative role. During blocks of general and pediatric Emergency Medicine, the residents function as junior attendings, receiving case presentations and dictating therapeutics and dispositions. Emphasis is placed on coordination of care, direction of trauma resuscitations, and emergency department management. The remainder of the year is divided between off-service rotations in ophthalmology and plastic surgery/hand service, as well as three four-week blocks of research/elective time.

Didactics & Electives

To augment the clinical experience, the residency program has integrated a five-hour conference schedule every Wednesday morning, which includes Grand Rounds, Clinical Pathology Conference (morbidity and mortality), specialty topics, core curriculum review sessions and procedure labs. Additional highlights include:

• Monthly clinical pathology conference
• Morning conferences four days per week
• Monthly Journal Club meetings
• Mock written and oral boards, including annual in-service exams
• Procedure labs on suturing, casting, chest tube insertion, difficult airways, ultrasound and more
• ACLS, ATLS and PALS certification
• Medical control of Emergency Medical Services
• Regular pediatric mock codes
• EMS ride-along and support experience

The faculty of the Yale Emergency Medicine Residency Program is aware of the importance of research and elective time for the pursuit of interests in both the academic and clinical arenas. As such, six rotation blocks are reserved exclusively for research and/or clinical experience, taking advantage of the many elective options available both inside and outside the Medical Center.

Although Yale-New Haven Hospital provides electives in virtually every medical and surgical specialty, residents may also arrange elective time at other major medical centers. In addition, many opportunities exist to create and pursue elective experiences available through the Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health, the Yale School of Organization and Management, and the Yale Law School. Those with interests in international health have the opportunity to travel to medically under-served and under-developed areas both inside and outside the United States through the Yale-Johnson and Johnson International Health Program. In addition, residents are provided the opportunity to do clinical and research work at the New York City Poison Control Center. Time can also be arranged through AmeriCares to set up Emergency Medicine programs abroad, as well as to provide aid for international disasters.

detailed .pdf rotations

Application Information

Applications to the Yale Emergency Medicine Residency Program are accepted from senior medical students from accredited U.S. medical schools, as well as other qualified candidates. The deadline for completion of the application and receipt of all materials is December 31st. The Yale Emergency Medicine Residency Program participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), and utilizes the standard NRMP application form through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

Application Requirements:

1. NRMP Universal Application (Photograph is optional, but strongly encouraged) through ERAS.
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Dean’s Letter or Chairman’s Letter
4. Medical School Transcript
5. USMLE Score(s)
6. Three Letters of Reference

Program Information:

Program Type: PGY I-IV
Number of Available Positions: 10 per year
Starting Date: 3rd Week in June
Questions: (203) 785-5174
NRMP Program # 108933

Correspondence:

Scott W. Jolin, MD, FACEP
Director, Emergency Medicine Residency Program
Yale University School of Medicine
Department of Surgery
Section of Emergency Medicine
464 Congress Avenue, Suite 260
New Haven, CT 06519-1315
Scott.jolin@yale.edu
(203) 785-5174