Our Residents

Thank you for your interest in the MetroHealth/Cleveland Clinic/Case Western Reserve University Emergency Medicine Residency! We believe our program trains the best, well-rounded, and most experienced EM physicians upon graduating from our 3-year program. 

Our clinical training is split between MetroHealth and Cleveland Clinic. We spend roughly 60% of our ED time at Metro Health. MetroHealth is a nationally recognized safety net, county hospital, Northeast Ohio’s preeminent Level 1 adult and Level 2 pediatric trauma center, as well as the region's only burn center. MetroHealth is one of the busiest Emergency Departments in the country and here we see the sickest trauma and burn patients in the region that either show up at our doorstep, are transferred to us from other hospitals in the region or are flown to us by one of our PGY-3's rotating on Metro Life Flight.  As the safety net hospital for greater Cleveland, we gain an intimate understanding of social determinants of health and have an opportunity to serve the underserved of Northeast Ohio. 

Our other clinical site is the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic Main Campus. The Cleveland Clinic cares for the most medically complex patients in the world. The ED is often the first interaction for some of these patients who travel from all over the world to seek our expert care. It is another high-volume center where we care for bread-and-butter cases, complex cancer, transplant, and LVAD patients, while mixing in the “zebras” we had learned throughout our schooling. We also rotate at Cleveland Clinic’s neuro and pediatric intensive care units where we gain even more experience with complex medical patients, further increasing our competency and expertise in caring for truly anything that is brought through our doors when we graduate.   

We are a rare program. We train at both the county and the academic quaternary referral center. When we graduate, we have the experience to work in any setting and make an educated decision on which practice setting is best for us.  We also are one of the few EM programs in the country that provide an aeromedical experience with Metro Life Flight, where our PGY-3 residents are the sole provider on a helicopter responding directly to the scene of accidents or other emergencies and managing complex patients during inter-hospital transfers throughout the surrounding area.   

While we are proud of our training, what we all love most about our program is the people. You will make lifelong friends with your co-residents, attendings, nurses, and medics. Residency is tough, but it’s made better when you work every day with a great team you love and trust.  

We truly believe our program is the best. We challenge anyone to find a program whose week looks something like the following: Trauma shift at MetroHealth with ED thoracotomies, managing complex burn patients, honing skills of managing resuscitation of blunt trauma victims, and giving back to an underserved population. The next shift is at Cleveland Clinic caring for an LVAD patient, small intestine transplant, complex neurologic disorders, and a potential case of CJD. The very next shift is on Metro Life Flight responding to a scene run, doing a cricothyrotomy in the back of an ambulance, then flying that patient to Metro Health and giving report to your fellow resident in the trauma bay as you transfer care of your patient to the regions most experienced Trauma team.  

Looking forward to meeting you!  

All the best, 

The 2023 – 2024 Chief Residents   

Ryan, Sam, Kirsten, and Steffen 

 
Follow on social media: 
• Instagram (@metrohealth_EM and @mhlifeflight) 
• Twitter (@MetroHealth_EM).  

Visit the Cleveland Clinic Residency program website for more information

Resident Classes

Meet Our Residents