What does your program offer that residents can’t get anywhere else?

Our residents are proud to be at a community-based hospital that truly values what it means to be a part of a community. Most recently, our community was struck by one of the largest and strongest hurricanes to affect the State of Florida. Our area was hit particularly hard and we had the opportunity to see our staff, residents, and our entire hospital system step up and reach out to help. Our PGY-3 residents voluntarily stayed behind—missing out on ACEP22 in San Francisco—in order to work at the hospital during the storm and then to help in the aftermath. They spent weeks helping with hurricane clean-up, taking extra shifts to manage the huge influx of patients, and organizing food and fund drives to support our staff and EMS services. The love and self-sacrifice they showed exemplifies the culture of our entire hospital system.

Probably the most important asset to our residents is our faculty. Both our core and clinical faculty consistently provide supportive feedback, encouragement, and oversight that is unparalleled. Every day, each faculty member demonstrates that they want their residents to graduate with the best education possible and with all the experience they need to be successful. Faculty care about our residents personally and spend time getting to know each one.

Besides the community culture of our program, the diverse population and wide coverage footprint ensures that our residents are aptly trained in all areas of emergency medicine. Our hospital system primarily serves patients from Sarasota, Manatee, De Soto, and Charlotte counties, and we frequently receive transfers from other areas, which add to our already large catchment area. The hospital houses an exceptionally credentialed team including two board-certified toxicologists, as well as board-certified ultrasound, pediatric, and EMS physicians on faculty. Due to our exposure to an older population, we see and treat many high-acuity cases with multiple comorbid conditions. We see over 100,000 patients per year at our main hospital alone, giving us a high volume of diverse experience. We see over 30,000 pediatric patients per year and are grateful for our partnership with the local pediatric hospital, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, where our residents rotate.

What is the work-life balance like?