Frequently Asked Questions

What training benefits does PEM training at Fairview and Hillcrest provide? 

Fairview Hospital is a dedicated pediatric emergency department staffed with trained pediatric EM physicians. Residents see a broad view of pediatric emergency presentations from behavioral disturbances to respiratory distress. Fairview Hospital is also a level II trauma center. 

Hillcrest Hospital is similarly staffed with trained pediatric EM physicians like Fairview Hospital.

Do residents see pediatric patients on a longitudinal basis?

Yes. All residents work emergency medicine shifts at The MetroHealth System and Cleveland Clinic. All patients, including pediatric patients, are seen within the same department. Neither training site separates patients by age. This allows the resident to care for pediatric patients the entire residency.

How do community shifts help prepare for independent practice? 

Rotating at MetroHealth’s Cleveland Heights and Parma community sites allows the resident to see a different aspect of Emergency Medicine. Most patients seen in the community EDs are historically less acute, allowing residents to learn how to take care of the most often encountered chief complaints.

Inevitably, there is a critically ill patient who comes to a community ED, and the resident is challenged to think how to independently manage the patient while initiating transportation.

Most EM physicians practice in a community emergency department. Community emergency medicine during the third year allows the resident to gain further independence with the acuity, pace, and staffing models commonly seen in our specialty."

How do Trauma and Emergency Medicine services respond to traumas?

There are three categories of traumas: category 3, category 2 and category 1 with category 1 being the most critically ill. The Emergency Medicine team is responsible for all care of the category 3 traumas. For category 1 and 2 traumas, the EM resident is at the head of the bed and is responsible for airway, breathing, and the secondary exam from the head to neck. PGY2 EM residents are responsible for responding to category 2 and 3 traumas, while a PGY3 EM resident is responsible for being at the head of the bed during category 1 traumas.

How is pre-hospital care part of residency training?

The PGY3 year has a dedicated month with MetroHealth Life Flight. While flying is optional, most residents take the opportunity to fly on Life Flight. It is a highly anticipated month for residents. They are the only physicians on flights with a flight RN, and two pilots.

If a resident chooses not to fly, there are vast opportunities on ground EMS, specifically with Cleveland EMS. The MetroHealth System/Emergency Department has an EMS fellowship with vast resources to offer the residents, including weekly didactics. Starting in 2022, an EMS track, giving residents more EMS experiences and training, is available.

How is ultrasound used to help diagnose patients in the emergency department? 

The EM Department has three Sparq US machines in use at Metro Main campus. The EM Department has a full-time, certified US technician working in the ED who assists residents to obtain perfect images for medical decision making. The EM Department also has an US fellowship.

In addition to emergency medicine didactics, residents are encouraged to attend US weekly didactics in addition to emergency medicine offerings. Both The MetroHealth System and Cleveland Clinic have many US Fellowship-trained attending physicians who enjoy bedside US teaching. The residency offers an Ultrasound track that gives residents focused US experiences and training.

How does a resident select housing in Cleveland?

Residents live throughout the City of Cleveland. From Brecksville to the south to Downtown to the north, there is a resident who lives there! Most residents tend to live around Downtown Cleveland and the surrounding areas such as Lakewood and Tremont due to the short commute to both MetroHealth and Cleveland Clinic.

However, there are options for all. Whether a large yard for fur babies or living within walking distance to some of the best breweries and restaurants in town, Cleveland has a home for any preference.

Will my spouse be happy living in Cleveland?

Many residents have loved ones not in the medical field and who followed them to Cleveland after the Match. This may be a difficult transition for them, especially since residents work long hours. There are many loved ones of residents in many specialties in the area who know how it feels to be in a new city.

Cleveland is a great place to train and a great place to meet people and explore. Cleveland is full of rich culture and nature, sports, education, employment opportunity, and the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra and MetroParks. Rest assured, there are many ways to “fit right in.”

What kind of commute can I expect when I have shifts at MetroHealth? Shifts at Cleveland Clinic?

Length of commute depends on where the resident lives. For most residents who live in the greater Cleveland area such as Downtown, the commute is about 10 minutes to MetroHealth Main campus and 12 minutes to Cleveland Clinic Main Campus. MetroHealth Main Campus is about 15-20 minutes.

How do residents develop camaraderie among themselves? 

The residency formed residency families for all levels of training. These families promote social gatherings between classes as well as pass down words of wisdom to the junior residents. Each year, the program has a dedicated Holiday Block where all residents are in the Emergency Department around the end-of-the-year, allowing for increased staffing. The residents have a girls’, guys’, and class night out. 

Girls' night out is when all female residents and most female attendings have the night off to get together as a group. Guys’ night out is just as expected: all male residents and most male attendings have off while the females take on the department! Class night out is the same concept: interns have the night off, then second years, then third years are off for a night of camaraderie.

There are also weekly gatherings on Wednesday evenings after conference called “Wellness Wednesdays” and all staff are invited!

What has the residency done to reduce charting burdens?

All residents have access to voice recognition dictation software (MModal) at MetroHealth. During a dedicated trauma shifts, residents have medical scribes who document during shift which is extremely helpful when hands are busy performing procedures in the trauma bay! All levels of training have access to Dragon voice dictation software at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus.