FAQs

Over one of every four patients treated in the Parkland emergency department is admitted. Similarly, the acuity of patient care in the Children’s Medical Center Dallas emergency department is very high. Our residents perform resuscitations every shift. The acuity of the Clements University Hospital emergency department nears 35%.  

There are a number of scheduled elective blocks, including an expense-paid two-month rotation in international medicine in New Zealand in the third year (PGY-3). Other global health rotations are available and are partially funded by the Emergency Medicine Alumni Association.

The Williams P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, Parkland Hospital, and Children’s Medical Center Dallas emergency departments form our residents’ broad training base. Together, these EDs triage over 400,000 adults and children annually. Additionally, we train in four community sites, providing our residents with the experience they need to successfully work in any environment.

Nine Emergency Medicine faculty have special interest in this exciting area of Emergency Medicine. We require ground transport sessions. Air transport shifts are available and optional. Residents can teach in nationally-accredited EMS education programs. Residents also participate in disaster response efforts locally. During Hurricane Harvey, our residents and faculty helped serve 3,800 total evacuees at the Dallas Mega-Shelter over 23 days. Our EMS Division receives on an annualized basis over $1.5 million in EMS Medical Direction and Continuing Education contract activities from local area EMS agencies. The Division has also been the recipient of $20,000 in funding to develop the new EMS Educational Standards.

There are multiple opportunities for residents to participate in event medicine, including providing emergency medicine support for the Dallas Cowboys, Mavericks, and Stars, as well as at concert venues and the Texas Motor Speedway.

Our program offers fellowship opportunities in Clinical Ultrasound, Critical Care Medicine, Emergency & Disaster Global Health, Emergency Medical Services, Hyperbaric Medicine, Medical Education in Emergency Medicine, Medical Toxicology, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and Simulation-Based Medical Education. We are lucky to have faculty leaders in each field who provide unparalleled mentorship and resources.

Our department participates in research studies that receive over $20 million of funding. This includes two NIH centers: one focused on resuscitation research and the other on burn research.

Fifteen board-certified or board-prepared toxicology faculty supervise the busy toxicology service, including the very popular Medical Toxicology rotation for our residents. In addition, residents have the opportunity to take calls for the North Texas Poison Control center.

Twenty-nine pediatric emergency medicine board-certified faculty and many of the general emergency medicine faculty supervise all of our resident patient care in one of the busiest pediatric emergency departments in the country, which was the first of three Level 1 pediatric trauma centers in Texas.

What are residents’ compensation and benefits?

Our residents are employed by Parkland Hospital and receive biweekly payments of their house staff salary. Our program salary is benchmarked at the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) 75^th percentile for every PGY level. Combined with an excellent cost of living in Texas and no state income tax, this leads to a comfortable lifestyle for residents of all backgrounds.

In addition, we offer medical/dental/vision plans, as well as a great retirement plan that will match your contributions 1:1 up to a set limit. Specifics on the salary and benefits are available on the Parkland GME homepage.

What are the emergency departments like at Clements University Hospital, Parkland and Children’s Medical Center Dallas?

William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital offers a comprehensive cancer center, active transplant, and advanced heart failure program including LVADs. The hospital exposes UT Southwestern faculty, fellows, and residents to a unique subset of patients which contributes to a diverse learning environment. The Clements University Hospital Emergency Department has a patient volume of about 50,000 with an admission rate that nears 35%.

Both Parkland and Children’s Medical Center Dallas triage well over 110,000 patients annually. By triaging minor and low-risk complaints to clinics in the facility, the emergency departments oversee a large volume of high-acuity patients, providing an excellent educational experience for our residents.

Parkland Hospital’s emergency department, a level 1 trauma center and burn center, encompasses more than 120,000 square feet containing 124 bed spaces, including 14 fully monitored critical care beds. Eighty-six of those beds are handled by our residents. Children’s Medical Center Dallas is a pediatric tertiary care referral center and one of three level 1 pediatric trauma centers in Texas.

These state-of-the-art facilities are dynamic emergency centers that provide our residents with a patient-driven learning experience and a clinical practice that is unparalleled.

Do residents get to evaluate the faculty and rotations?

Residents participate in a “360 degree” evaluation program, both providing and receiving evaluations from faculty, peers, nursing, and support staff. The addition of this constructive feedback program across all levels of the department has been a great success.

How is the pediatric training experience structured?

We offer six weeks of training in the Children’s Medical Center Dallas emergency department during in the PGY-1 year. During the PGY2 and PGY3 years, residents spend approximately 3-4 shifts of each emergency medicine block at Children’s during the PGY-2 (10-hour shifts) and PGY-3 years (nine-hour shifts). Also, PGY-2 residents act as integral team members of the Pediatric ICU for one block and Neonatal ICU for 1/2 block.

Are pre-hospital training opportunities available during residency?

Pre-hospital training is a strength of our program. These training opportunities include but are not limited to:

• UT Southwestern/Parkland BioTel EMS System. This Parkland-based command center provides our residents with online medical control for the Dallas EMS and multiple suburban EMS systems.
• Dallas Fire-Rescue Department. This relationship provides our residents an opportunity to work with paramedics by participating in scheduled ride outs. We also provide the opportunity to be involved in event medicine with staffing numerous sporting and entertainment events at the American Airlines Center – putting our residents right on the sidelines.
• Many other department-based active disaster response, governmental emergency medical security, and tactical medicine programs in partnership with the UT Southwestern Department of Emergency Medicine and Parkland BioTel EMS System.

What research opportunities are available?

UT Southwestern physician-scientists publish multiple original research articles, posters, abstracts, and book chapters per year. For the past few years, small groups of residents have designed research projects together, many of which have been accepted for presentation at statewide and national conferences. Residents have an opportunity to design a research month for an elective and spend time focused on a project led by any one of our department faculty. Emergency Medicine faculty are currently principal investigators on nearly $17 million in grants.

What type of resident does well in our program?

UT Southwestern prides itself on the diverse nature of its residents and staff. Our residents enjoy the challenge of a busy shift and take personal satisfaction in serving a diverse patient population. Self-motivated residents can progress in their learning quickly, while those needing more supervision will find the faculty readily available and always willing to guide. Our current residents take an active role in the recruiting and applicant interview process and value both a strong work ethic and laid-back personality in a co-resident. Some of the characteristics we love most about our residents are:

• Hard working
• Fully invested in the program
• Passionate about caring for the underserved
• Possessing an appreciation for autonomy
• Seeking a large program

What specific roles do different classes of residents take in the emergency department?

First-year residents generally join an upper-level resident on one of four teams staffing the emergency department. However, each resident (intern or upper-level resident) will typically work directly with attending faculty when providing patient care, capitalizing on the ability to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to practice emergency medicine at the resident level.

Second-year residents start focusing on emergency medicine and critical care, generally taking the majority of trauma and medically unstable patients. These residents lead a patient care team in the emergency department. As the year progresses, the resident’s responsibilities for patient care will progress as well.

Third-year residents assume more responsibility for managing patient flow in the emergency department and take on a larger teaching role for interns and medical students. Management techniques and patient care skills are the main focus during this year. The PGY-3 has independent medical command with the UT Southwestern/Parkland BioTel EMS System and accepts transfer calls for patients from other hospitals. In addition, third year residents have multiple community emergency department rotations where they gain exposure to different practice models and patient populations.

What is the emergency department shift structure for residents at Parkland?

The time spent in the emergency department at each of our clinical sites varies based on the year of residency.

• PGY-1: 18-20 shifts per block;11-hour shifts with built-in one hour overlap prior too sign out; shift times are 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and 7 p.m.-6 a.m.
• PGY-2: 17-19 shifts per block
• PGY-3: 15-17 shifts per block
• PGY-2/PGY-3 consist of overlapping 10-hour shifts; shift times are 6 a.m.-4 p.m., 2 p.m.-12 a.m., and 10 p.m.-8 a.m.
• Each year, residents have three weeks of vacation

What social opportunities are there for residents?

• We hold monthly journal club meetings to critically appraise recent journal articles applicable to emergency medicine. These usually take place at a restaurant or faculty member’s house.
• We also host a monthly podcast club at faculty members’ homes where we discuss the most recent EMRAP over dinner and drinks.
• The residents also make Facebook groups where gatherings and events are posted and shared. We are a welcoming family always looking to grow and add more members. Faculty often host get-togethers, including flag football, soccer, cross fit, pool volleyball, bowling, and more.

Note: The majority of these in-person activities have been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic but are still being held virtually.

What teaching opportunities are available for residents?

Teaching is an integral part of our program’s training curriculum.

• First-year residents take on teaching roles through the weekly conference, and this responsibility grows throughout the residency.
• Second-year residents are the senior residents in each “pod” and are responsible for assisting and guiding lower-level residents and students.
• Third-year residents expand upon their leadership in clinical work and have many elective opportunities to become involved in didactics. The residency also offers a very unique rotation: Each third-year resident serves as teaching resident for one block and is responsible for the medical students rotating in the emergency department.
• Additionally, residents may opt to do a medical education selective.

Is ultrasound used in the emergency department?

We employ multiple ultrasound-trained faculty that implement ultrasound labs for hands-on teaching throughout the year. Each pod of 12-14 beds has a dedicated ultrasound machine which sees use every shift. These faculty also work with interns during their one-month ultrasound rotation. Our residents routinely use ultrasound for invasive procedures and diagnostics including:

• Arterial lines
• Central lines
• Ocular ultrasound
• Paracentesis
• Peripheral IVs
• Regional nerve blocks
• RUSH exam

Residents use ultrasound regularly during shifts and receive real-time feedback regarding accuracy of exams.