I am delighted that you are taking those initial steps toward finding that program which will be the best fit for you and your future career goals.  There are likely to be a number of wonderful programs in our specialty that will be “perfect” for you, and your only problem is how to choose!

Let me tell you about Duke.

 

The Emergency Department is brand new. There are over 80 available beds to care for fast track, pediatric, adult, trauma and observation unit patients. It is completely paperless, and comprehensive patient data is available with the swipe of a finger. Patient care is supported by a terrific team of patient care advocates that include ED based translators, psychiatric social workers, respiratory therapists, pharmacists and dedicated, highly professional nursing staff. Thus, the resources available to provide safe, efficient and professional care are superlative.

 

The educational opportunities are tremendous. This is an institution whose job has been the education of trainees for nearly 80 years. While the emergency medicine program is the newest training program, it has clearly benefited from maturing within an institution committed to education. The residents in training here learn from EM and off-service faculty who are nationally and internationally known in their fields for patient care, education and research. There are phenomenal opportunities for trainees both within the institution, regionally and nationally in areas that are based in EM and in collaboration  with other specialties.

 

The EM faculty are committed to educating future leaders in EM. Leadership in EM may take the form of creating novel approaches to education, working overseas to improve quality of care, developing clinical trials or being a role model for safe and cost-effective care. Our aim at Duke to is start you on the path. We do this through providing goal directed academic tracks, which are 2 1/2 year structured tracks which help you develop an academic niche or expertise in an area. The end result is a robust portfolio of lectures, independent and administrative projects all within one area of concentrated interest. Examples of these tracks are imaging/ultrasound, simulation, cardiology, medical student education, sports medicine, pediatric EM and administration.

 

The departmental faculty are an energetic group of individuals who are fabulous teachers, with many of them having received institutional and national teaching awards. They hold leadership positions at the regional and national EM organizations and meetings, including ACEP, CORD and SAEM They also truly like the residents, and faculty-resident rapport extends outside the hospital to the mountain biking trails and local (wonderful) restaurants.

 

In addition to myself, the department has added four new faculty who bring with them additional expertise in emergency ultrasound and pediatric EM. Other notable features in the educational program are the recent introduction of fiberoptic laryngoscopes routinely used in airway management, the recent opening of the departmental simulation center, and an expanded community hospital experience.

 

So how do you choose? You pick the region because of its warmth, charm and affordability. You meet the faculty and see if there is a match here with respect to mentorship, scholarly track or research ambitions. You meet the administrative staff, who will often become your family away from home making sure that you eat and sleep enough! You meet the residents, and see if they are a group with whom you see yourself working, relaxing and commiserating! And then you meet the patients, which is why we are here. The individuals for whom we provide care are residents of Durham and surrounding communities, who come here because we are close and they know they will get the best. They are also those who have traveled for hours to days, to access the resources of a major tertiary clinical and research institution. Our job is to give them the best that we have; we strive to be prompt, meticulous, attentive and kind.

  

And then you choose. I look forward to meeting you.

 

Sarah Stahmer, MD

Residency Director