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Applicants' FAQWhat is the salary for a resident at UAMS? Salaries as of July 2011 are: PGY1 $47,188; PGY2 $48,522; and PGY3 $50,122. Chief Residents are given an additional $1000 on top of their PGY3 salary. You also receive comprehensive medical and dental insurance benefits. Little Rock enjoys an extremely reasonable cost of living climate. What are the hours like? As a PGY1 you will be assigned 18 shifts on an ED month. Residents work one of three 12-hr shifts: 7a-7p, 12p-12a, or 7p-7a. While in the ED you are provided with money to pay for your meals. PGY2 work 18 ED shifts and PGY3 work 17 shifts with the additional 8-hr shift. Chief Residents work 15 shifts. Admin Residents work 15 shifts. What is Interview Day like? Interview Days are held only on Thursdays Nov-Jan. On Wednesday night you will have dinner with ED residents, giving you the opportunity to ask questions about residency and life in Arkansas. Thursday morning begins with our Program Director, Dr. Chris Melton, meeting with you to give you an overview of our program and our new ED. From there, some of you will break away for a Q&A session with residents while the others remain to be interviewed separately by Dr. Melton and other faculty. Then the groups trade places and, after all interviews are over, a resident will give you a tour of the department. Hungry yet? Good! You'll have lunch with the residents during the final hour of Didactics. After that, you'll walk off dessert with a tour of Arkansas Children's Hospital and then you are free to go. Don't forget to have your parking validated by our secretary! What scores are required to apply? UAMS does not accept Comlex scores from DO applicants. All applicants must take USMLE Step 1 before submitting their application and must have completed Step 2 and posted this score in ERAS by mid-February in order to be eligible for ranking. Emergency Medicine is highly competitive and we do expect an applicant to score a minimum of 190 on USMLE Step I. Of course, all applications are reviewed and considered but extra weight is given to those who meet the minimum score. Is the Personal Statement really that important? Yes! Your USMLE scores are an important part of your application but only the Personal Statement reveals what type of person you are. No one wants to interview a student who comes off as being a snob, rude, or, even worse, indifferent. All programs have criteria for an application "making the cut" and the Personal Statement is a part of that. Why should we select YOU? What sets you apart from the hundreds of other applicants? You have one page to sell yourself so make it count! I want to see you guys in action. Got a video? You may want to check this out! http://www.emp.com/video-gallery Scroll down to 2010 Emergency Medicine Video Challenge and see our winning entry! (and yes - there's another one in the works for this year!) Does the ACH transport rotation require that I fly in the helicopter? No. You may request your month be spent on the ground. However, it is recommended that you fly at least once in order to experience this aspect of emergency care. What is the typical first time pass rate for oral and written boards? Over the past five years we have averaged an 96% pass rate. How many vacation days do I get? Every year you will accrue 21 vacation days on July 1. These will expire on June 30 with no carryover so "use or lose". There are certain rotations which do not allow vacation time (ie: VA med wards, ICUs, trauma, Peds, etc) but rotations such as ED, Anesthesiology, Radiology and OB do allow vacation. Each year you will also accrue 12 sick days. Maternity/paternity leave is arranged as needed. If you are in the military, guard, or reserves you will be granted military leave should you be activated or sent on TDY. PGY1 residents are not allowed to take vacation during July to facilitate their learning of the department. All residents are given an additional 5 days off either for Christmas or New Year’s holidays. Do I get an expense account? You are given an allotment of $2000 educational funds to cover your three years of residency. You may use this to pay the expenses of going to a conference, taking an off-campus course (such as wilderness training), buying textbooks or equipment, etc. The only caveat of this allotment is that, should you repeatedly score below 75 on the in-service exam your first two years, you will use part of this money to attend a board review course during your PGY3 year. Speaking of textbooks, what “freebies” do I receive from the department? In your first year you are provided with both the Tintinalli and the Robert/Hedges "Clinical Procedures" textbooks. You will be given the 2-volume Rosen's in your second year and the textbook of your choice in your final year. Your membership in national societies such as EMRA, AAEM, ACEP, and SAEM is paid by the department, as well as your subscription to the on-line CORD testing service and your subscription to eMed. The certification fees for PALS and ATLS, and your BLS/ACLS recertification fees are also paid by the department. Residents park free at UAMS and all affiliated hospitals. Lunch is provided each Thursday after didactics, and you also receive additional money each ED month for your meals. But most importantly, free sodas are kept stocked in the refrigerators and the program manager has a candy bowl! I have never done an administrative project or a research project. Where do I start? Throughout your residency you will meet with Dr. Tal Holmes to discuss your research project. If you do not have a topic selected by the end of your first year he will help you choose something appropriate. Past research projects have included: "Are uninsured trauma patients more likely to die in the ED?", "Clinical scoring system for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis", "The anion gap in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis: iSTAT -v- basic metabolic panel" (also presented at the 2009 SAEM conference), and "Missed injuries in the multiply traumatized patient". Your administrative project is to be completed during your Admin rotation as a PGY3. Any of the faculty can assist you in selecting a topic. Past topics include: "What causes the delay in cath lab wait times - a 3 month study", "Archiving digital US studies for availability by all UAMS physicians", and "Developing a follow-up clinic for ED patients" (which happened as a direct result of this project!). I need money – when can I start moonlighting? First, you must have a valid Arkansas state medical license. Most residents will use the last few months of their PGY1 year to begin the application process so they may begin moonlighting during their second year (you cannot do transport moonlighting until after your PICU rotation). Moonlighting is considered a privilege that must not interfere with your daily performance. Should your performance suffer, or should we receive negative evaluations about you and/or your work, we reserve the right to rescind moonlighting privileges. I feel overwhelmed – where’s my mommy?! Any time you need to rant, cry, blow off steam, or share a laugh go to the program manager. She is there to help keep you sane and will do what she can to make your day run smoother. Don't carry the world on your shoulders - you're not the first person to experience the "freshman blues" and won't be the last. Better to ask for help than to have an entire department angry with you! UAMS
Department of Emergency Medicine
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