TRAUMA

Training to manage major trauma takes place at Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, a Level-1 trauma center situated in a rough Brooklyn neighborhood about 30 minutes by train to the east of Park Slope. For a total of 5 rotations over 3 years, residents receive exposure to significant numbers of both penetrating and blunt trauma and hone their skills in resuscitation, intubation, chest tube placement, central venous access, FAST ultrasound exams, and everything else that a rough urban trauma center offers. On average, Brookdale Hospital sees some of the largest numbers of major traumas of any hospital in the city.

During trauma rotations residents work an equivalent number of 12-hour shifts to a month in the Methodist ED (18 in the first year, 17 in the second, 16 in the third) and are the only residents in the trauma bay. Further, there is little competition for procedures at Brookdale as the trauma surgical team is a consult service, and as such, EM resident are always the first physicians to initiate care for the patient under the guidance of an EM attending. This creates a situation allowing Methodist EM residents both ample procedures and valuable autonomy. Residents speak very highly of these rotations and all come away with incredible experience that prepares them for whatever may come through their doors in the future.