Letter from the Residency Program Director

Welcome to Emergency Medicine at Maricopa Medical Center. Choosing the location for your specialty training is one of the most difficult decisions you will undertake, with many factors entering into the process. We have worked diligently to develop a website that we feel is reflective of our residency environment. All the tools required to teach and learn Emergency Medicine are found at Maricopa Medical Center.

The following are reasons you should consider training at Maricopa Medical Center:

1. A heterogeneously trained faculty that are all board certified in Emergency Medicine, and includes nationally recognized leaders in Emergency Medicine. The faculty is committed to a work environment that is challenging, yet is supportive and fun.
2. Residents originate from all areas of the United States, and cannot in any way be described as "cloned" personalities. This melding of differing characteristics and temperaments provides one of the greatest strengths of the program.
3. A patient population that will allow you to learn all aspects of Emergency Medicine. Maricopa Medical Center is a Level One Trauma Center, and is the only Level One Burn Unit in Arizona. We are the “county” hospital for Phoenix and the surrounding area, and there are roughly 60,000 visits to the ED annually (20,000 of these are pediatric). You will be exposed to differing patient populations and demographics through Emergency Medicine rotations at Scottsdale-Osborne Hospital and Thunderbird Samaritan Hospital. You’ll have pediatric ED rotations at two different hospitals (Maricopa and Phoenix Children’s Hospital) as well as Pediatric Intensive Care Unit time at Phoenix Chilren’s..
4. A mix of eight and ten hour shifts. We believe that you should have personal time after a shift for family, a workout, or personal time, and still have energy to read and study.
5. Strong Emergency Medicine attending physician presence. The ED faculty are a dedicated group who chose Maricopa because of the residency and the opportunity to work with a strong group of residents.
6. Outstanding trauma experience. All trauma (pediatric and adult) and trauma/burn resuscitations are seen in the Emergency Department resuscitation area. The "trauma team" consists of a combination of Emergency Medicine and Surgery residents working in the ED on that day. Therefore, every day an Emergency Department resident works in the ED, they comprise a portion of the trauma team. Responsibilities for the positions of Trauma Captain and Procedures alternates between Emergency Medicine and Surgery on a strict rotating basis. Emergency Medicine residents, under the supervision of EM attending physicians, are responsible for all trauma airways. As an EM 1, the month of General Surgery is spent with the inpatient Trauma Service, which cares for trauma admissions, performs all emergent surgical cases, and responds to Emergency Department consultations.
7. Excellent offservice rotations, as judged by exit interviews of our graduating residents and surveys of alumni. We are continuing to strengthen our rotations with the addition of selectives in toxicology, pediatric EM, and radiology.
8. An emphasis on Intensive Care Unit rotations. Residents are given high degrees of autonomy and responsibility for large numbers of critically ill and unstable patients.
9. The didactic, administrative and clinical curricula will prepare you for whatever aspects of Emergency Medicine you wish to practice: clinical, administrative, research, or academics.
10. Opportunities to participate in relevant research, academics and medical writing. A full staff of research nurses and assistants are available to assist with projects. An academic project is a program requirement, and can be fulfilled in any number of ways: a clinical research project, book chapter, review article, series of case reports, or community project.
11. Three ultrasound machines in the ED – one for trauma and two for general use. In addition, we have 24-hour a day ultrasound techs in the hospital and ready access to these studies at all hours! You always have a confirmatory test available, without needing a consultant or approval.
12. Superb EMS exposure. The experience is primarily a combination of ride-alongs with the Phoenix Fire Department, monthly didactic conferences in conjunction with both ground and air units, and opportunities to teach the many prehospital personnel in and around Phoenix. There is an opportunity for aeromedical experience should one be interested, as we serve as medical control (and education) for LifeNet, one of the air rescue units in the area. The aeromedical portion is not required.
13. Living in the Southwest! Phoenix is now the fifth largest city in the country, and Maricopa County is the one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S. Job growth has been in the top 5 nationally for over five years. All professional athletics are represented, as are Broadway shows, the Phoenix Symphony, theater troupes, art walks through the Scottsdale galleries, Arizona State University and all the amenities associated with a PAC 10 university, several community colleges, the Heard Museum (world renowned Native American artifacts), and so on. The state of Arizona is an almost overwhelming geographic array. The Sonoran Desert, alpine peaks over 10,000 feet, the high plateau of the Mogollon Rim with its mountain lakes and trout streams, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and the turbulent Colorado and Salt Rivers are only the most well known examples of the vast and varying topography. If you enjoy any type of outdoor activity, you will be attracted to Arizona.

The residents, faculty, and I are exceptionally proud of our program and the accomplishments achieved. We are, however, constantly striving to evolve and improve the learning, working, and living environment. Thank you for your interest in our program, and good luck with your residency selection process.

Sincerely,

Eric D. Katz, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Program Director, Emergency Medicine Residency
Maricopa Medical Center
Phoenix, Arizona