Resident Life

The Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine understands the importance of balancing work and a top-notch education with personal time. Our commitment to providing work-life balance and our focus on resident wellness are considered in all aspects of our program. We recently implemented pregnancy policies so those in their first and third trimesters can be protected from night shifts for the health of their pregnancy. Our family scheduling policy assists new parents adapting to family life.

In addition, we work a circadian schedule, allowing residents time to adjust and continue to stay healthy.

Residency expectations

As a PGY1, the expectation is 18-21 nine-hour shifts when on emergency department blocks. Your job as a PGY1 is to see patients, learn strong foundational medicine and take care of critically ill patients. We work to make you a strong physician; we do not force “seeing numbers” or “moving the department” on any of our residents. This allows you to care for critically ill patients and perform procedures as needed in the ED.

As a PGY2, the shift expectation is 17-18 nine-hour shifts when on emergency department blocks. This year focuses on your ability to balance more critically ill patients with an increased number of shifts in the high-acuity areas of the emergency department.

As a PGY3, the shift expectation is 14-16 nine-hour shifts when on emergency department blocks. During this year, you build the finesse of your practice patterns. You gain significant autonomy in the emergency department and work closely with staff. You will also be given the opportunity to staff and teach learners in the emergency department. This builds critical skills in education and will help prepare you for staffing models that are classically seen in academics and the community.

When we are not staffing the emergency department, there is so much to do and enjoy in Indianapolis. Favorite activities include getting out on the Monon Trail, which runs 18 miles through the city, catching an Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Fever or Indiana Pacers game downtown, or venturing out to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for world-class racing. Indianapolis is also home to fabulous restaurants serving everything from traditional American food to cuisine from other cultures.

 

Where we live

It’s important to know that your money goes further here. Indianapolis is well below the national average for cost of living. This leaves you free to travel more, purchase a home or pay off loans faster. The median home price in Indianapolis is $143,000, which is about $100,000 less than the national average. This allows many residents to buy a home for their time in Indianapolis.

• 38% own a house
• 33% rent an apartment
• 19% rent a house
• 8% own a condo

Commuting is a breeze. Traffic is usually good and given the highway system, you can easily get to the hospital from any location in the city. Our residents who reside in the city feel safe and comfortable walking or running in their neighborhoods. Downtown Indianapolis and the Broad Ripple and Fountain Square areas are popular living spots for emergency medicine residents. However, with so many attractive and affordable options, you have lots of residential choices.

Indiana University School of Medicine offers a variety of outstanding and competitive benefits. Health insurance is covered and includes dental. Other benefits include three to four weeks of vacation per year, parking, meal allowance, IU tuition benefit, software and more.

Those are all the things that keep us well! Having a large program allows us to get together more, do various activities, and enjoy our time away from work! 

We understand that in order to provide the best care for our patients and families, we must prioritize the wellness of our residents and faculty. As the foundation of wellness has many factors, we are committed to investigating and addressing all of these components in ways that meaningfully support our team members. To this end, the Department of Emergency Medicine has created a Wellness Task Force made of residents and faculty who gather information, brainstorm ideas and implement changes. Current focus areas include childcare during COVID, maternity scheduling, on-shift wellness tracking, appreciation gifts, wellness research and peer support groups. The Department of Emergency Medicine is excited to continue working together to address the wellness needs of our emergency medicine family.

Mentorship

“Mentoring at IU School of Medicine comes in many different forms and from many different places. While we have a plethora of formal mentoring programs, some of the strongest mentoring bonds I have formed since being here have come from informal connections. The Department of Emergency Medicine has a large faculty team with diverse interests and talents. You are bound to find someone with not only similar clinical and academic interests, but also similar lived experiences. If what you are looking for is not on our team directly, someone has a connection to what you are looking for. One of our goals is to meet people where they are and get them to where they want — and have the potential — to be, and we know that strong mentoring is vital to achieving this goal."

Andreia Alexander MD, PhD

“At IU School of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine we are committed to training and mentoring the next generation of physicians. Our resident mentorship program begins before our interns arrive and continues throughout their years here. In addition to career and scholarly mentorship, we also care about the personal and professional development of our residents and faculty. We have several focused mentorship opportunities, such as the Women’s Mentoring Program, 'PODs,' and academic tracks that allow physicians with similar interests or experiences to benefit from mentoring. We believe in building lasting relationships — after all, our learners are our succession plan!”

Julie Welch, MD