Below, a few of the questions we receive most often about residency and life in our program. If you have a question that isn't covered below, please contact us.
Are residents allowed to “moonlight?”
Yes. We have a long history of allowing our residents to moonlight and there are many opportunities to do so in small ED's outside the Augusta area. To be eligible for moonlighting, a resident must exhibit above average academic and clinical performance and have an independent GA medical license. Our program views moonlighting as a privilege, not a right, and it is limited to 3 12-hour shifts per month.
How does the Army affiliation affect the residency?
The army residents that participate in our program are treated exactly the same as the civilian residents; there is little difference in the didactic or clinical curriculum. The majority of the army residents come to us directly out of medical school, just like our civilian matches. Occasionally, one of our army residents have done a General Medical Officer (GMO) year, prior to beginning our program. The only real difference between the army and civilian residents is that the army residents have a military commitment post graduation.
We feel that the addition of the army residents enhances our program in a number of ways. We are now able to utilize the resources at Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center (DDEAMC), a major military hospital in Augusta, for external rotations. Residents currently rotate at DDEAMC for one month as an EM-3 and may choose to rotate there for other electives, such as Radiology. In addition to the clinical opportunities, we have access to the substantial laboratory resources located at Fort Gordon. Live tissue laboratories using a porcine model are held on a monthly basis at the Fort, providing an excellent opportunity to become skilled at high acuity, low volume procedures.
Do you accept residents outside the match?
Rarely. We only consider applications for our residency via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). All applicants must apply through this system. On a rare occasion, the program has accepted a resident outside the match. However, these have been special circumstances such as a resident in another program at MCG who wanted to switch to Emergency Medicine. Such residents have spent significant time in the ED and are well known to our department.
Do you accept foreign medical graduates?
Occasionally. In the past, we have matched foreign medical graduates into our program. Such residents are usually well known to us through extended, direct observation in our ED. We only consider applications for our residency via ERAS and will consider all applications we receive. Foreign medical graduates must meet all MCG institutional requirements in order to be considered, including being a U.S. citizen or possessing a J-1 Visa.
What do your residents do after graduation?
The majority of our residents pursue careers in private practice. However, nearly
every year we have 1 or 2 residents who wish to pursue a career in academics. Our
program is structured in such a way that seniors are well-trained for any career path.
Our graduates enjoy success in both private practice and academic arenas. We have
residency alumni working in quality private practice jobs across the southeast and
in a number of more distant locations including Oregon, Maine, and Texas. Other more
academically inclined residency alumni are currently enrolled in fellowships or on
staff at a number of teaching institutions including Emory, Johns Hopkins, and the
Mayo Clinic. You will receive the full support of the residency, no matter what your
ultimate goal.
Does your program accept applicants with prior residency training?
We will consider applicants who have prior residency training in another specialty and have accepted some such residents in the past. However, prior training is not applied towards EM residency graduation; all MCG EM residents must complete the full 3-year curriculum. In special circumstances, the completion of prior residency training may allow for some additional rotation flexibility.
Emergency Medicine Residency
Health Sciences Campus
706-721-4467
706-721-9081