Frequently Asked Questions
To ask the residents directly, please DM us on instagram! @bkmethodist.em
Q: What does it mean to be a level-II trauma center?
In NYC, the distinction between being a level I and level II trauma center mainly involves research and publication status. We have an in-house trauma surgeon on-call 24/7 and EMS will always bring trauma patients to the nearest hospital. We see a high number of both penetrating and blunt traumas.
Q: What is your patient population?
Our patient population is diverse in every way. Our central location in Brooklyn results in us caring for many surrounding zip codes. We see a full range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds: celebrities to homeless, Caribbean to Bangladeshi, Russian to Hispanic, working class to professionals. NYC programs often require rotating at multiple locations to acquire the diversity that we have under our one roof.
Q: Where do residents typically live?
Many of our residents, along with several attendings, live within walking distance of the hospital. This proximity fosters a tight-knit community of colleagues who frequently gather for post-shift hangs at nearby bars and restaurants. For those who prefer a slightly more distant location, some residents opt for neighborhoods such as Williamsburg, Manhattan, Kensington, and Bay Ridge. They conveniently commute to work using the subway.
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Q: How do residents afford to live in NYC?
Thankfully, Brooklyn Methodist offers some of the highest resident salaries nationwide!
Effective 11/1/23: PGY1- $80,300 PGY2- $87,331 PGY3- $95,342
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Q: What fellowships are offered?
Our residency program offers fellowships in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Ultrasound, Administration, Medical Education, and Simulation.
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Q: How long are the shifts?
12 hours.
Q: How many shifts are there per block?
PGY1s work 18 shifts every 4 week block, PGY2s work 17 shifts, and PGY3s work 16 shifts (chief residents work 15 shifts).
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Q: How is feedback given?
Feedback is routinely given via the platform MyTips as well as at mid-year and end-of-year reviews with the APD for that class.
Q: What EMR does Methodist use?
Epic, including access to dictation, customizable macros and customizable dot phrases.
Q: What is your residency program known for?
One of our many claims to fame is our amazing ultrasound program! Many of our attendings are leaders in the field of ultrasound, and we have an ultrasound fellowship program with 5 fellows per year, one of the largest class sizes in the country. This means that in our ED, there is always an ultrasound machine available and almost always somebody on shift that can help perform and interpret scans with you. We have 14 ultrasound fellowship trained faculty in our department. Our other strength is our pediatrics department. We are staffed by PEM trained attending physicians and our PEM fellowship is heavily involved in the conference curriculum.
Q: What procedural skills can Methodist residents expect to be particularly skilled at by the end of training?
All of them :) What makes our program unique is that, while we are a tertiary care hospital with many in-house specialties, in the Emergency Department we manage all of our patients and perform our procedures independently of needing other specialties’ approval. These include: reduction and splinting of orthopedic injuries, laceration repairs, intubations, conscious/moderate sedation, central lines, chest tube placements, paracenteses, thoracenteses, lateral canthotomies, lumbar punctures, transvenous pacings, point of care ultrasound studies, nerve blocks, and more.
Q: What is your exposure to pediatric patients?
We have a dedicated 10+ bed pediatric ER adjacent to our main ER with a full staff of PEM-trained attendings as well as PEM fellows. During intern year, residents complete a 4 week block in the pediatric ER working noon to midnight. Second year residents complete two 2 week blocks of dedicated pediatric ER shifts working 8-8 as well as intermittent pediatric ER shifts inserted into main ED blocks. Third year residents have pediatric ER shifts inserted throughout their ER blocks, usually having 1 or 2 shifts in their 4 week blocks.
Q: How often are patients transferred to an outside hospital?
Very infrequently. Mainly, severe burns get transferred to a burn center, and severe facial traumas may be transferred for oral maxillofacial surgery services as we do not carry that service (although we do have in-house dental and ENT specialists).
Q: How are traumas managed between the surgical and EM department?
For every trauma case that is activated as level 1 or level 2 trauma, the surgery team is present in the trauma bay and helps to manage the case. Leadership of individual traumas and procedures alternates between trauma surgery and EM on alternating days. The senior EM resident always has airway with anesthesiology present for back up if needed.