Mount Sinai School of Medicine Residency Reviews

NYU:
-great didactics, morning report every day
-faculty mindful of other programs within the city, (lots of we got this much of this and they only have that much of that)
-good orientation month
-less exposure to trauma, but they do run them (as opposed to surgery-run)
-smart residents, friendly residents
-faculty are hit or miss, some are intense
-less peds (universal in NYC)
-less u/s (only one machine for the whole department)
-hours okay (12,12,10,8)
-less cards, but more neuro experience than at other programs

Jacobi:
-new ED coming (current one is tiny, but new one is phenomonal - have they moved into it yet? any day now, last i heard)
-good orientation month
-GREAT faculty resident relationships
-peds + or -
-GREAT trauma (all run by EPs!!!)
-good U/S
-less didactics, most is at the bedside (and beside teaching is done)
-tons of ED time and shifts (less off service)!!!
-graded responsibility (dept. flow and management during upper years)
-really really hard first year (huge time commitment) - all residents though happy were vocal about how "damn hard" the first year is
-friendly and down-to-earth faculty (VERY approachable)
-less ego-trips than other NYC programs
-more academically focused than other trauma-intense EM programs in the burrows

Mount Sinai:
-strong didactics (daily sign out, guest lecturers)
-good orientation month
-good ultrasound teaching
-half of ED months spent at Elmhurst – good staff, good ancillary support, less drunks, great trauma (peds mixed in) THIS IS THE TRUE PEARL OF SINAI!!!
-lacking peds (universal around the city)
-good residents - outgoing and friendly and smart
-faculty: some are intense, but most are benign
-commute to queens is ****ty
-ed shifts = all 12’s is bad, but only 18/month is good, not too tough, residents say they have a life outside the hospital
-mt. Sinai patients = mix between Spanish harlem and upper east side, medically complex and transplant patients
-learn 1) good clinician 2) good ED management
-nursing off-service isn’t malignant, but isn’t great, push you around some, and not the brightest
-trauma = 50% by EM vs Surgery, and most of the time primary command is EM

Good:
-Elmhurst in Queens is a great experience with bizarre differentials, and great faculty and great teaching. Sinai is filled with medically complex patients. Residents are fun to hang out with. Attending coverage is great. Peds not great (but electives available).

Bad:
-I've heard a few people say that Sinai is a second tier EM program, but I don't know why, this was one of the places I liked the most in NYC. Mt. Sinai is a trauma level 2 hospital, but 50% is ED time is at Elmhurst which is level 1 and sees more trauma than other trauma levels in the city
-commute to Queens isn’t that bad apparently (20 minutes by car? 45 min by subway), but still annoying

Mt Sinai has really made a lot of changes, (I'm one of the residents). I think people who have may have called it second tier haven't been there in a while. The program is 9 years old, and has made great changes every year. Now it's a 4 year program with residents working 32 hours/wk in the 4th year giving you time to develop your niche/mini fellowship, and clinically you are running the department in a Jr attending role. With the new changes people have been concentraing on sim medicine, US, admin, law, and public health during the 4th year. We've been getting jobs based on a lot of this 4th year work, bringing these disciplines to other programs. (Last year's Chief is setting up the sim lab at USC.) Next year we're starting a global health program for 3 residents per class, giving them an extra curriculum (2 weeks of classes), a 2 week preliminary visit to ther global health site in the 3rd year, and 2 months combined to visit their site in the 4th year with time left to publish the data/experience. Sites range from Haiti to Africa...

Conference is amazing, and we have 30 invited speakers this year thanks to all Jagoda's conncetions. This has to be one of the most in the country...

The blend of Elmhurst and Sinai is amazing, and Sinai is the premiere program now in the NY City, (but I'm a little biased). They've given a purpose to the 4th year, which will make you an attractive candidate in both academic and community environments when it's all said and done. I think we've changed tiers and then some...

Residents: 15/yr, now that they're a 1-4. Residents were all down to earth, very diverse bunch, work hard/play hard types. Most importantly, they all came across as normal down-to-earth folks.

Faculty: PD is great, and very interested in the wellbeing of residents -- residents love it when he's in the ED. The diversity of the residents is reflected in the diversity of the faculty. A lot of people stay here post-grad because it's a good system with established research.

Interviews: Three 20 min interviews with faculty, all very laid-back. Be familiar with your PS (obvious).

Hospital: Two hospital system split 60/40 (Elmhurst/Sinai). They give excellent tours of both, along with the ICUs and sim facilities (probably one of the best out there). Elmhurst is county straight-up -- Queens, weird great pathology, residents love it and get a rush out of shifts there. Sinai really moves the meat, and is an excellent tertiary care gateway (transplants, etc.).

Ancillary: Nurses and staff looked happy, with easygoing banter all around. At Sinai, nurses take on a lot more responsibility (part of their quality assurance program) by calculating drips on their own after you give the order.

Curriculum: 4 yrs, lots of tracks (including a truly outstanding Global Health curriculum), still has 2 medicine ward months (least favorite rotation amongst residents), favorite rotations other than Elmhurst ED seem to be high-yield SICU and 1 month in community EMS. Shifts are 12 hrs in 1st year, go down to mix of 8s and 12s in 2-4 yrs.

Didactics: Residents mentioned that no one can really concentrate for 5 hour stretches of lectures. So, they split it here into two protected days (2.5 hrs each day) from 11-1:30 with lunch included.

City: Hospitals are night/day different and you get to see the spectrum of NYC from immigrant-heavy Queens at Elmhurst to the affluence of the Upper East Side at Sinai. Nearly all residents live near Mount Sinai in subsidized housing (~$1500 for a 1BR) ; seemed very happy with that arrangement.

Extras: Residents are very much 'wanted' for leadership positions after graduation by top employers from coast to coast and placement is not difficult in tight areas like San Diego, Austin, etc. Conferences are reputed to be outstanding due to faculty connections.

Negatives:
1. Commute between hospitals can add 1 hr each way easily.
2. Two medicine ward months.

Overall: This is clearly an elite (if not the very best) New York program. Elmhurst has the 2nd highest ED volume in the city (after Lincoln). Resident camaraderie and post-graduate job placement assistance is outstanding. Would be a pleasure to train here.

Mount Sinai

Residents: 12 residents per year. I could not attend the happy hour before, but supposedly it was fun. I met mostly PGY4’s during the day, which all felt prepared, but I didn’t get to speak at length with any of the junior residents. Most are single, but with some married and few with kids, and live in housing owned by the hospital in the Upper East Side.

Faculty: There are some good names here, as well as some new faces. Dr. Jagoda seems to be one of the most connected people in EM, and both the chairman and research director have held leadership roles in NYC for a long time. The PD, Dr. Shearer, who took over a few years ago, seems nice. Since so much time is spent at Elmhurst Hospital, there are practically two different faculties to work with (although most of the Mt Sinai attendings do a few shifts at Elmhurst each month).

Hospital:
There are two main sites, Mt Sinai University Hospital and Elmhurst Hospital (time is split between the two, if anything, there is more time spent at Elmhurst), as well as a couple months in Jersey City (a more community type place). None of these sites are particularly close to each other – Elmhurst is a solid 45min-1 hour away from the UES, where most residents live. Jersey City could easily be over an hour depending on traffic.

Mount Sinai: 1100 bed tertiary/quaternary medical center internationally known for transplants, psychiatry and cardiology. The hospital is very pretty, and located next to Central Park. It is the hospital for many wealthy VIPs, and the adult side sees about 60,000 patients. The ED is fairly nice, with two sections of curtained rooms and a 3 bed trauma bay. There is on-site X-ray, but CT is down the hall a ways. The ED is totally paperless. The patients are a mix from Spanish Harlem and the UES, with a pretty high acuity – especially due to the transplant patients. There is a small-ish Peds ED here where residents get their Peds exposure (about 20,000 visits)

Elmhurst Hospital: A big county facility located in the heart of Jackson heights, Queens. From what I hear, it sounds like Elmhurst gets a similar patient population to Bellevue in its heyday – immigrant populations from across the globe, inmates from Riker’s, Level 1 trauma (that actually stays busy). The ED gets around 80,000 visits (plus 50,000 Peds visits, but EM residents don’t staff that side). The facility itself is surprisingly nice all things considered – spacious, with many curtained rooms, including a 4-bed trauma bay and a “critical care” section. CT is not located directly on-site here either. Many languages are spoken here, and this hospital allows for more autonomy, so residents seem to like it the most.

Ancillary Stuff: Ancillary is superb at MS, but lacking at Elmhurst (supposedly not so much in the IV and blood drawing capacity, but more with transport to and from radiology and up to other services).

Admitting/Documentation: Not sure if ED has admitting privileges. Documentation is totally computerized at MS, mostly computerized at Elmhurst.

Curriculum: 4-year curriculum with a “senior specialty track” as PGY4’s. To be honest, it is set up sort of like an internship at Elmhurst, then an EM residency at MS + Elmhurst. Interns have an orientation month, and 3 floor months (2 medicine and 1 peds), plus they essentially act as interns during their Ortho month as PGY2’s (carry the floor pager). All 4 critical care blocks are at Elmhurst, which seems a shame since MS sees so many crazy sick patients. They do 2 months of dedicated Ped ED in the first two years, then interspersed shifts for the next two. There is graduated responsibility – interns don’t see the sickest patients, PGY2’s see mostly critical patients, PGY3’s see both at the same time and PGY4’s oversee a section of the ED as “junior faculty”. The PGY4 year is set up with few clinical hours (30hr a week) plus the specialty track – an area of focus where the resident is supposed to get increased exposure to a subspecialty of EM (ultrasound, Peds, Admin, etc). You basically set it up however you want - it seems like you just do some extra months in whatever you’re interested in during your PGY4 elective time, teach the lectures on that subject, and get set up with a faculty mentor. There are 4 total elective months, but 3 are PGY4 – and those are what you are supposed to use for your “specialty track”. PGY1-2s work 18 12’s, PGY3-4s work a mix of 8-12‘s.

Didactics/Research: Standard didactics, one morning a week – plus morning report 4 days a week. They point out that they are the only EM program in NYC with RO1 NIH funded research, and MSSM is internationally known as an excellent research institution. The research director, Dr. Richardson, does mostly public health stuff – ED overcrowding and community consent issues. There is not a lot of basic science research to speak of. Dr. Jagoda is involved with lots of ACEP guidelines and admin stuff, and a bunch of the older faculty hold editorial positions.

City: Mt Sinai is in a pretty cool spot next to the park. The Upper East Side is not my favorite nabe in the city, but in the 90s (where the hospital is located) there is now a thriving post-college bar scene. Most of the residents live here because it’s where the subsidized housing is. Jackson Height’s is a middle-to-lower-income class area in Queens, arguably the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in the country. There are plenty of jewels in the Queens restaurant scene, and the rent is much cheaper than Manhattan, but few if any residents live here. If you’ve read any of my previous reviews you know how I feel about NYC in general.

Extras: Salary is has the typical NYC mark-up, I think it starts at 48,000+. MS owns a bunch of buildings in the upper 90s and pretty much everyone gets subsidized housing. It appears hit-or-miss (some places are great, some a bit shabby), but still a good deal. Residents can moonlight in the department as PGY3-4s, and can work Mets games for extra CME money.

Negatives: I’m not sold on this curriculum. They only very recently switched form a 2-4 format, and some residual issues remain. Aside from the 3 months of floor work (plus intern time as a PGY2 in Ortho!), which I feel unnecessary, the specialty track seems half-hearted. The level of focus doesn’t seem nearly enough to be a “mini-fellowship”, and from what I saw the residents weren’t really getting a lot above and beyond that they do at other programs without the track. Moreover, those really interested in their specialty are still choosing to do fellowships, while those who aren’t are just adding a couple more months of Peds or ultrasound. For me, this doesn’t necessarily justify the 4th year. Additionally, travel between sites eats a lot of time (they down-play it, but on our interview day we spent an hour and a half on a bus going back and forth).

Overall: The combination of sites offers a great overall exposure – a Very academic place and a Very county place, and there are faculty members here that can pull major strings. I’m sure the residents come out well-trained, and I know they get good jobs. Personally, I’m not into their curriculum choices, but that certainly doesn’t mean it doesn’t work; graduates from here are top-notch.

UCLA-Harbor
[+] Excellent reputation for training doctors who are desired in the job market, good trauma exposure, good peds exposure, busy ED, great location (you can live near the beach), good ICU exposure
[-] First year is very heavy in off-service months, with only 2 months in the ED. (The resident leading the tour said you're like a general pre-lim intern your first year) The residents seem happy with this and say that it helps them know other residents and the hospital better. Not great OB exposure (low volume of deliveries) but this may be changing. Some of the residents told me that they learn more on a "trial by fire" method than with upper level supervision. Patient population is mostly hispanic, and thus not very diverse. Technically not allowed to do international electives, but I think there are loop-holes to this.

Mt. Sinai
[+] Great academic institution, outstanding research $, happy residents, opportunity to participate in unique projects, like documenting injuries of torture victems to support their asylum application, support for international electives, good exposure to both an indigent/county-type population and to a tertiary facility population, amazing diversity in patients
[-] Upper east side isn't the most exciting place to live, commuting between two hospitals sounds like a bit of a pain, trauma-light (like all new york programs) although this one apparently sees a bit more at it's elmhurst location

Elmhurst hospital seems like a real gem and has been called Bellevue on steroids because of the bizarre medical problems that the immigrants have plus more trauma than a Manhattan based program. The program for being so rich puts a lot of focus on this county hospital and residents spend 60% of their time here. Surprisingly unlike most county hospitals in NYC it has good staff and electronic medical records

Sinai - known for having demanding and privileged patients but there there is still a lot of great pathology such as transplant complications and complicated comorbidities.

There is a strong focus on critical with some of the leading researchers in the field being on faculty and there is also a dedicated critical care bay at Elmhurst.

Overall: the curriculum feels a lot like Bellevue with scholarly tracks for the PGY3s to declare, good mix of county and tertiary care, and a strong research department. Definitely one of the best NYC programs and in my opinion second to NYU unless you really really love trauma then check out Jacobi.

quicknss said:

Elmhurst hospital seems like a real gem and has been called Bellevue on steroids because of the bizarre medical problems that the immigrants have plus more trauma than a Manhattan based program. The program for being so rich puts a lot of focus on this county hospital and residents spend 60% of their time here. Surprisingly unlike most county hospitals in NYC it has good staff and electronic medical records

Sinai - known for having demanding and privileged patients but there there is still a lot of great pathology such as transplant complications and complicated comorbidities.

There is a strong focus on critical with some of the leading researchers in the field being on faculty and there is also a dedicated critical care bay at Elmhurst.

Overall: the curriculum feels a lot like Bellevue with scholarly tracks for the PGY3s to declare, good mix of county and tertiary care, and a strong research department. Definitely one of the best NYC programs and in my opinion second to NYU unless you really really love trauma then check out Jacobi.

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I have been a resident here for a few years. I have listened to attendings, residents and graduates of the program. I have kept an open mind. What I have to say comes after much thought and reflection:

1) The attendings at Sinai do not teach. That is not the priority of the administration. You are there to do scutwork. Attendings at Elmhurst fare a little better.
2) Dr. Shearer, the program director, is not supportive. He seeks to spite and undermine residents at every turn. He has fired several residents and is always on the lookout for the next "problem resident."
3)Dr. Jagoda, the chair, does not care about resident education or patient care. His priorities are patient throughput, customer service, and metrics. He is nicer to off-service rotaters than his own residents.
4) Dr. Weingart is the greatest asset to the program. He is a superb educator and clinician.
5) Attendings do not respect residents. They see you as work horses and scut monkeys. They will tell you to your face that other residents (from other programs) are better than you and do not accept responsibility for training you to be better.
6) The patients at Sinai are very complex. You will learn to care for very ill patients.
7)Many residents have graduated extremely well-trained. But I would like to add the caveat that this is not due to the administration but rather hands-on experience with critically ill patients, Dr. Weingart's instruction and the diverse experiences at the 2 sites (private vs. county)

Mssmresident said:

I have been a resident here for a few years. I have listened to attendings, residents and graduates of the program. I have kept an open mind. What I have to say comes after much thought and reflection:

1) The attendings at Sinai do not teach. That is not the priority of the administration. You are there to do scutwork. Attendings at Elmhurst fare a little better.
2) Dr. Shearer, the program director, is not supportive. He seeks to spite and undermine residents at every turn. He has fired several residents and is always on the lookout for the next "problem resident."
3)Dr. Jagoda, the chair, does not care about resident education or patient care. His priorities are patient throughput, customer service, and metrics. He is nicer to off-service rotaters than his own residents.
4) Dr. Weingart is the greatest asset to the program. He is a superb educator and clinician.
5) Attendings do not respect residents. They see you as work horses and scut monkeys. They will tell you to your face that other residents (from other programs) are better than you and do not accept responsibility for training you to be better.
6) The patients at Sinai are very complex. You will learn to care for very ill patients.
7)Many residents have graduated extremely well-trained. But I would like to add the caveat that this is not due to the administration but rather hands-on experience with critically ill patients, Dr. Weingart's instruction and the diverse experiences at the 2 sites (private vs. county)

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Wow. This is completely different from the impression that I got during the interview and pre-interview happy hour.

Mssmresident said:

I have been a resident here for a few years. I have listened to attendings, residents and graduates of the program. I have kept an open mind. What I have to say comes after much thought and reflection:

1) The attendings at Sinai do not teach. That is not the priority of the administration. You are there to do scutwork. Attendings at Elmhurst fare a little better.
2) Dr. Shearer, the program director, is not supportive. He seeks to spite and undermine residents at every turn. He has fired several residents and is always on the lookout for the next "problem resident."
3)Dr. Jagoda, the chair, does not care about resident education or patient care. His priorities are patient throughput, customer service, and metrics. He is nicer to off-service rotaters than his own residents.
4) Dr. Weingart is the greatest asset to the program. He is a superb educator and clinician.
5) Attendings do not respect residents. They see you as work horses and scut monkeys. They will tell you to your face that other residents (from other programs) are better than you and do not accept responsibility for training you to be better.
6) The patients at Sinai are very complex. You will learn to care for very ill patients.
7)Many residents have graduated extremely well-trained. But I would like to add the caveat that this is not due to the administration but rather hands-on experience with critically ill patients, Dr. Weingart's instruction and the diverse experiences at the 2 sites (private vs. county)

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Times must change, then. I did prelim IM at Elmhurst, so I was in the ED there a month, and I did a month at MSH in the ED. This was 7 years ago. Scott Weingart was a junior resident when I was there - he said to Shelley Jacobsen that he could work with me every day. Shelley MF'd me because I was an FMG. Peter Shearer was only helpful. Andy Jagoda is one of my heroes in EM - he saw me without an appointment in September when I dropped in; he was just as helpful as he was 7 years ago. When the BI and North Shore residents were there at Elmhurst, I never saw any preferential treatment.

I don't know. I would have given the little finger on my right hand to get an EM spot at MS.

Wow, I definitely didn't get that impression when I was there for an interview. Everyone seemed to be great teachers. Anyone else able to contribute any info?

Mssmresident said:

I have been a resident here for a few years. I have listened to attendings, residents and graduates of the program. I have kept an open mind. What I have to say comes after much thought and reflection:

1) The attendings at Sinai do not teach. That is not the priority of the administration. You are there to do scutwork. Attendings at Elmhurst fare a little better.
2) Dr. Shearer, the program director, is not supportive. He seeks to spite and undermine residents at every turn. He has fired several residents and is always on the lookout for the next "problem resident."
3)Dr. Jagoda, the chair, does not care about resident education or patient care. His priorities are patient throughput, customer service, and metrics. He is nicer to off-service rotaters than his own residents.
4) Dr. Weingart is the greatest asset to the program. He is a superb educator and clinician.
5) Attendings do not respect residents. They see you as work horses and scut monkeys. They will tell you to your face that other residents (from other programs) are better than you and do not accept responsibility for training you to be better.
6) The patients at Sinai are very complex. You will learn to care for very ill patients.
7)Many residents have graduated extremely well-trained. But I would like to add the caveat that this is not due to the administration but rather hands-on experience with critically ill patients, Dr. Weingart's instruction and the diverse experiences at the 2 sites (private vs. county)

Click to expand...

I created an account to offer different perspective to the comments above. I'm a Sinai EM resident as well. It seems that Mssmresident's main gripe is with the administration/attendings, but I've had a very different experience. Many attendings, particularly the younger ones, are very much into teaching. Of course there are a few that are more interested in research or just getting through a shift, but you'll have that anywhere. After a recent journal club, I walked out with a few other residents talking about how lucky we were to be in a program with such well-read and articulate teachers. I don't think I'm in the minority in feeling this way.

I'm being trained well. And I feel that the bulk of the faculty is supportive. If you got a different perspective at the interview day, then follow your gut. It sounds like my alleged co-resident above has had a bad experience at Sinai, but it's not the norm. Given the two (very different) sites, the strength in research/academics, the trauma experience and the teaching, I think it's the strongest NYC program, hands down.

Just my 2 cents.

I'm a PGY-2 in the EM program at Sinai.

I saw the negative review above and feel compelled to dust-off my SDN account from the pre-med days and to offer my own perspective—which is decidedly different. In fact, I would argue that my co-resident's opinions are an outlier and that generally we are a happy, well-taught bunch.

Regarding the statements of my co-resident:

1) The attendings at Sinai do not teach. That is not the priority of the administration. You are there to do scutwork. Attendings at Elmhurst fare a little better.

Sure there is a range in the teaching ability of the attendings, but for the most part I think they are excellent and one of the strengths of the program. Whatever your area of interest-- critical care, research, ultrasound, informatics, pre-hospital-- you can find a mentor who is willing and eager to work with you. Furthermore, the program has made several very strong hires recently, most notably Drs. David Newman and Kaushal Shah, both very strong educators and clinicians.

2) Dr. Shearer, the program director, is not supportive. He seeks to spite and undermine residents at every turn. He has fired several residents and is always on the lookout for the next "problem resident."

I have had the opposite experience with Dr. Shearer, whom many of the residents call Peter. In my experience he has been nothing but supportive and often checks in to see how things are going. He is on your side in any conflict and gives residents the benefit of the doubt.

3)Dr. Jagoda, the chair, does not care about resident education or patient care. His priorities are patient throughput, customer service, and metrics. He is nicer to off-service rotaters than his own residents.

When he is working clinically, Dr. Jagoda teaches far more than most, and gives residents a lot of leeway in making plans for their patients.

4) Dr. Weingart is the greatest asset to the program. He is a superb educator and clinician.

I agree, Dr. Weingart is a superb educator and clinician, but he is certainly not alone.

5) Attendings do not respect residents. They see you as work horses and scut monkeys. They will tell you to your face that other residents (from other programs) are better than you and do not accept responsibility for training you to be better.

I have not had this experience.


Personally, I think the MSSM EM residency offers the broadest training experience of any program in NYC. My highlights.

1- Our two hospital system of Elmhurst and Sinai offers basically two residencies in one package. Graduates can manage the incredibly complicated sub-sub-specialty patients of a quaternary care center and the underserved, poor-access, high-trauma population of the city hospital.

2- The four year curriculum gives a great deal of flexibility for electives, mini-fellowship tracks, and the opportunity to run a side of ED with some minimal supervision. It also allows for some more gentle rotations that allow us to see our friends and families and actually have a chance to enjoy NYC.

3- Easy and affordable (for NYC) housing options.

4-Strong faculty and tons of opportunities for research and finding your niche.

5- Happy (generally) residents.

I'd be happy to speak with anyone who has specific questions. Feel free to be in touch.

I too am a Sinai resident and would like to speak up against the previous poster who bashed our program. I would have to say that our residents are one of the happiest and tight knit group of residents you will ever find. Applicants that meet us at our dinners always remark how happy we all seem, and I can assure you we're not faking it.

We are extremely well trained because of the experience that we are given at Sinai. I know its been said before but just to reiterate:

1. Great attendings- approachable, friendly, pretty much all on a first name basis. They DO teach. I have learned an immense amount since I've been at Sinai and it has not been through my own self teaching.
2. Elmhurst/Sinai- offers a unique mix and allows residents to become well trained in 2 polar opposite environments- a city hospital with underpriveledged population versus a private tertiary care center. This really is a big deal and you wont find this at a lot of other programs.
3. Critical care experience- we have got to have the best critical care experience in NYC- and agreed- Dr Weingart is an amazing educator and probably the smartest person alive. We also probably see more trauma than most other programs in NYC.
4. Academic experience- Mt Sinai is a big name in the academic world. We have some of the top academicians in the country- Dr Jagoda, Dr Newman, Dr Shah, Dr Richardson, etc. The list goes on and on. While academics are not for everyone, you will become well trained in research and are required to produce a scholarly project in your time here. You have so many resources and there is always a project that you can join (but you are never pressured to do so) This is an advantage which will help you when you are looking for a job. And as previously stated, you can do ANYTHING you want here- ultrasound, critical care, global health, informatics, simulation, geriatrics, palliative care, pediatrics, administration, etc.
5. Residents- we ARE a tight knit bunch and all spend time together
outside of work. But even when we are at work, we love working together. Anyone who has come to any of our "famous" interview dinners would know this first hand.

I also would like to point out that this resident who wrote the previous review IS an outlier. Consider all of the people stepping up to defend our program. I think most of us feel really surprised and shocked that somebody would publicly bash our program on such a national forum, especially since 99.9% of our residents do NOT feel this way. I am sorry this resident had such a bad experience but they should be careful to make such a bold statement on such a public forum, especially since its a complete misrepresentation of how the remainder of our residents feel.

Lastly, its just unfair to bash Dr Jagoda and Dr Shearer in this post. Dr Jagoda is a very strong educator and a national leader in emergency medicine. He is the chair of our department- so it's his JOB to manage throughput, customer service, etc. But that is not at the expense of teaching residents and helping us get some of the most desired jobs in the country. And anyone who is looking to be a leader in the field of emergency medicine can learn A LOT from him.
Dr Shearer cares about his residents and always has our backs. We do call him Peter and not only are we on a first name basis with him, but if we ever needed anything, we even feel comfortable texting/calling his cell phone and he always responds. Again, I would have to disagree with the previous poster who bashed him in his/her post. Its just wrong...

Im not sure who mssmresident is but he/she must just be having a bad day because my experience has been similar to Jake's

Although we are worked hard, we are treated like colleagues by the attendings. In fact, I am accustomed to calling my superiors formally by Mr. or Dr., but every attending thus far has asked me to call them by their first name because of this mentality.

As far as Jagoda and Shearer.
Dr. Jagoda is at every EM conference at Sinai, bringing in renowned speakers such as Rosen. He also heads the publishing of EB medicine and recruits residents to write and edit for it. He cares very much for our education.
We also had our inaugural ping pong tournament involving attendings and residents for which Dr. Jagoda talked the most smack, but which was ultimately won by one of our PGY-2's.
Dr. Shearer, or should I say Peter, is a good friend of mine and has been nothing but supportive. At the beginning of intern year, there was a death in my family and I had to miss a month worth of shifts. Not only did he tell me to take my time in coming back, he did not make me pay back any shifts.

Other notable attendings including some new additions this year:
Dr. Haru Okuda - director of sim, now of the entire state
Dr. Rob Arntfield - former intensivist, board certification in ultrasound
Dr. David Newman - ever hear of the website thennt.com? check it out (I can't present a case to him without him summarizing a few evidence based studies for me)
Dr. Kaushal Shah - Chief editor of Essential Emergency Procedures as well as some other book

And they all like to teach!

Its also Ironic to see that posting after Peter just sent an email which included an excerpt from a rotating applicant who stated how Sinai residents appear to be the most happy residents of any program and that the entire department seemed to be a family.

Btw, I played poker with a few of the attendings last month and took most of their money...I'm enjoying my time at Sinai

Sinai was my was #1 choice and it still is.

As a Sinai PGY3; the above post does not reflect my experience in the program or my opinion of our attendings.

First and foremost; Dr.Jagoda; is amazing and charismatic individual; he is quite literally the backbone of the program; and has put together and kept a dynamic group of attendings. Anybody who actually takes a minute to think of what he has accomplished for Emergency Medicine and Mount Sinai can't help but be in awe. Not only this, but 1) he still takes on very challenging and busy clinical shifts in our resus bay where he discusses and negotiates cases with us. 2) he always makes time; and I mean always; if you need to talk to him; he'll listen…pretty amazing for a guy with the weight of a whole department on his back. 3) he will throw amazing opportunities your way…

With regards to Dr.Shearer; this commentary is ridiculous. I have never witnessed or experienced any undermining/spiting/looking out for bad residents. Peter is kind; and approachable; and in my experience open to discuss any issues regarding the residency; and will make changes as necessary.

The attendings are dynamic and literally cover most (if not all) of the subspecialties/niches available in EM. When you walk into work; and you see your attending…you know you have the specialist in crit care, informatics, ID, Cards, GH, US, Sim, EMS, Admin, research, academics, Public Health etc…if you tap them for info, you are in a goldmine…And its not only academics; they are quite personable too if you take the time to get to know them.

All that being said, residency in New York is tough – we have incredibly diverse populations in both locations, tough economy closing 2 NY hospitals recently resulting in increasing ED visits. Universally, the onus is on the individual resident to 1) foster the collegial relationship and friendship with the attendings 2) carve out the personal time during a shift to learn, to ask questions. Of course there is variability of teaching; but I feel we are on the better half of the curve; and you will see this everywhere you go. I don't think we are scutted; nurses get the IVs and bloods for us at both places; we are asked by attendings to see certain patients (not off-service rotators) most of the time because our attendings know us, trust us, we are more efficient; can do procedures easier. Last but not least, just to tack it on here…I just have to say; we have a great bunch of residents; academically and personally…

For all you applicants out there…if you base your decision based on that post; your loss, someone else's gain…Sinai's 4 years are tough, but you will learn, you will have amazing opportunities; and you will make great friends and connections.

Hey guys,

I recently overheard a change in the shift schedule to all 9s in the first two years. Can any interviewees or residents comment on this?

Also, in regards to subsidized housing, just how affordable is it living by Mount Sinai's campus?

Thanks!

jojovxx said:

Also, in regards to subsidized housing, just how affordable is it living by Mount Sinai's campus?

Click to expand...

A friend who interviewed at MSSM for residency this year mentioned $1200/month.

jojovxx said:

Hey guys,

I recently overheard a change in the shift schedule to all 9s in the first two years. Can any interviewees or residents comment on this?

Also, in regards to subsidized housing, just how affordable is it living by Mount Sinai's campus?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Actually 1st years still work mostly 12 hour shifts. The switch involved 2nd and 3rd years doing mostly 9 hour shifts during weekdays. This is only when rotating at Sinai - Elmhurst rotations are still 12's (unless working in the Resus/'cardiac' room where it's mostly 8h shifts).

Regarding housing, 1200 is on the lower end, for studios on lower floors (these are all doormen/elevator buildings). You could probably also share a 2br apt and pay around 1200. Manhattan housing is expensive; there's no way around it, but the subsidized housing is a perk, and probably a must for any Manhattan program...

Hello all, I interviewed at Sinai recently and really loved it. I was wondering if any current residents had any updates info/reviews?

Wanted to post some info on the Sinai program since it has been awhile, and I need to put thoughts down for my ROL. I did an away here.

Basics:
4 year program, expanding in size to 21 residents per class for 2017. Strong emphasis on critical care (Weingart while not here, is still here), research, and to a lesser extent ultrasound. The two main sites are Elmhurst and Mount Sinai Medical Center, with equivalent ED time at each throughout residency (also split evenly during away rotation). Interns work 12x18 per month, with a one shift per month decrease each year following.
Dr. Shah is an amazing PD and universally loved by the residents and students. He is a leader in the field and stands up for his residents.
Conference on Wednesdays is generally given by specialists in the field who are brought in by Sinai from other programs. Very informative and not at all boring. M&M conference isn't malignant. Usually there is free lunch for all. The conferences are located at Elmhurst every other week and are generally more laid back.

Elmhurst - two acute care areas, fast track area, resus area, and trauma bay. Peds ED and psych ED on site but not staffed by residents at all.
Pros - County level I trauma center that see's >100k patients from the world's most diverse patient population (seriously). >150 languages spoken within the zip code of the hospital. This is the site that makes the residents tick. They are encouraged to be as autonomous as possible by their attendings (most of whom exclusively practice at Elmhurst), without the politics and prestige of Mount Sinai Medical Center looking over their shoulders. Vast majority of patients are in general acute areas, and the sick patients head to the "cardiac room" which is managed by a G2 or G3. Critical care all day. This is where the residents say they grow up.
The trauma is good as well as consistent. Penetrating from stabs and GSWs, blunt from decent MVCs in Queens, and plenty of pedestrians struck and bad falls. G1 does lines (but they have also done chest tubes and other procedures), G2 gets airway, G3/G4 runs the show. Chest tubes and ED thoracotomies are done by EM or surgery on alternating days. Nobody leaves this residency without feeling comfortable around trauma.
Have to mention the insanely delicious Thai, Latin American, and Chinese food in this area. Incredible.
Cons - The ancillary staff are too few, in general. Very friendly and helpful, just too many patients for them to take care of. Sometimes residents draw their own labs or roll their patients to radiology just so they can get dispo'd faster. This doesn't seem to be a huge issue though, and generally these things DO get done by nurses or techs. The hospital is in Queens, which is obviously not close to the resident housing on the Upper East Side. A free shuttle runs between Sinai and Elmhurst during weekdays only, and not at night or on holidays. And it's about a 30-40 minute ride each way. Getting there by subway takes around 50 minutes to an hour (the area is generally safe though).

Mount Sinai Medical Center - two acute care areas, one resus area, fast track, Peds ED and Geri ED staffed by residents.
Pros - Quarternary facility with very sick and complicated patients that require sub-specialists for their care that come to the ED regularly. A mix of wealthy and well connected patients who live in the UES as well as poorer patients from Harlem. Sits up right next to central park which is sweet. >100k visits per year as well. Residents learn to manage patients with complex medical problems, as well as a good amount of medical patients who require immediate resuscitation. The resus area is staffed by a G2-G4 who stays there the entire shift. Fast track area for low acuity patients. Peds ED on site that residents do shifts in every ED month. Geri ED on site as well for lower acuity geriatric patients. Good ancillary staff. The attendings are very knowledgeable and take ownership of their patients. ED residents also respond to code blue's in certain areas of the building, which happen not infrequently.
Cons - This ED is packed at almost all times. The department leadership decided not too long ago to send everyone right into the ED instead of having anyone sit in the waiting room. This results in patients, at times, waiting a long time to be seen while still taking up space in the ED. This can result in intense overcrowding. The large number of sick patients who come here results in many ICU admission. However there aren't enough ICU beds. This results in some boarding issues, which seems to be a part of the NYC EM experience. Many many consultants and PCPs to get in touch with for the patients here.

In summary:
- I enjoyed my time rotating here. The residents work incredibly hard and are prepared for anything when they leave. At times they seem tired, which is to be expected with such a rigorous schedule. But they still seem to have time to enjoy themselves and spend a good amount of time with each other. The feeling I got here was less cozy and warm than some other programs, but by no means was anyone rude, mean, or overly run down. I will rank this program in the top 3.

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