Resident Life
Diversity and Inclusion
Metropolitan Hospital is proud to have won the award in 2021, of most racially inclusive hospital in the country with Harlem Hospital close by in the top ten! The Metropolitan Harlem Residency Program along with the whole hospital system have a strong commitment to an inclusive environment and prides itself on the diversity of the residents, faculty and staff that reflect the vibrant mosaic of New York City itself. MetHarlem not only strives to champion all residents coming from vastly different ethnic and cultural backgrounds but goes above and beyond to support and sustain them in their daily lives—from single to married with children, those who live near or commute, religious or non-practicing, MetHarlem welcomes you. It is our responsibility and oath as physicians to care for our community and for each other and have our team reflect our community. Every group of residents brings their own personal beliefs and different levels of expressivity. We aim to encourage all of them in the manner they feel comfortable with ongoing support and efforts as we all evolve with the times.
With the new merge with Harlem hospital we hope to recruit an even more diverse group of residents that better represent the Harlem community we serve. Every year we actively recruit underrepresented minority students to our residents and ensure a balanced match list. Who we match largely lies in the applicants hands and many NYC programs attract students from diverse backgrounds as well. Below are some, but not all of our efforts we have done this year and will continue given our commitment to our community
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Balanced interview selection and rank list with a specific focus to underrepresented minorities
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Faculty recruitment (limitations due to limited faculty turnover!)
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Diversity and Inclusion Scholarly Track with high levels of national involvement (EMRA, AAEM, SAEM, ACEP, SNMA)
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Highly selective student-faculty paired mentorship with similar background and career goals as well as residency mentorship programs (e.g. women-in-medicine)
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Medical school, residency, hospital and hospital-system wide responses to current movements (e.g. BLM)
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Hospital committee board positions (e.g. LGBTQ+ committee)
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Religious inclusion efforts (e.g. Shabbos spots, time for prayers)
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Resident and attending driven QI projects, Research and Grants focusing on improving healthcare outcomes for URM patients in collaboration with the healthcare system and medical school
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Community initiatives including pipeline programs at local high school and colleges in collaboration with the medical school to improve admission rates into medicine
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Conference didactics dedicated to important topics (see didactics page)
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Many more...
Salary & Benefits
Annual Salary based on PGY*
PGY-1 $66,247
PGY-2 $68,988
PGY-3 $74,469
*this does not include the $3,500 annual meal stipend and
because CIR is a strong union, though not guaranteed,
usually negotiates a yearly salary increase.
Financial Benefits
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Meal Stipend: $3,500/year
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Annual Educational Fund: $1000
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Federal Holiday Pay: additional $200/shift
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403B Retirement Fund Option (PGY-1 + PGY-2, FICA taxes exempt
from your paycheck and contributed to this account)
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ACEP Conference Reimbursement (PGY-3): $1,500
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Subsidized Parking at Metropolitan Hospital
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Conference Reimbursement (according to hospital for residency wide trips)
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Patient Care Trust Fund > 1 million $
Additional Benefits
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Health Insurance
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Dental Insurance
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Vision Insurance
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Malpractice Insurance
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Two Personal Wellness Days/year (not including requested days off)
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Free Rosetta Stone Access
Reduced Pricing Parking
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$90/month parking at Metropolitan
CIR Benefits
Residents receive benefits from their individual sponsoring institution as well as from The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), a labor union that represents residents in various institutions across the country. Recently, CIR negotiated an increased salary, additional benefits and an allotment of mental health days for the well-being of residents which increases job satisfaction and performance. More CIR benefits include:
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Educational Resources Stipend
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Dental insurance
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Vision insurance
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Death and Disability Insurance
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Legal Assistance
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Wellness
At MetHarlem Residency Program we are highly focused on resident wellness in and out of the work environment. We do everything we can to create an enjoyable, healthy experience for our residents throughout their three years with us.
In the Emergency Department we foster an environment of psychological safety that promotes camaraderie and teamwork. The Helping Healers Heal program is available to provide support to residents and staff around traumatic events commonly experienced in all healthcare settings. On shift we encourage our residents to take frequent breaks and to leave their shifts on time. During conference we have guest lecturers and dedicated small groups on topics such as resiliency, mindfulness and voluntary storytelling. Faculty and leadership also have an open door policy and encourage residents to approach them about anything they may need assistance with.
During orientation, interns have a wellness day usually held at Dr. Chirurgi's home on Lake Mahopac in Upstate New York. Additionally, during the summer our program hosts a wellness day for all residents, nurses, PA's and attendings of the EM department to enjoy water sports and time at the beach as a team.
With the support of CIR and faculty, we are also able to fund an overnight resident wellness retreat once a year dedicated to improving mental health and job satisfaction. This is where we are able to identify key factors contributing to resident burnout and empower residents to bring positive changes to the department. We plan to continue this work and support resident wellness.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How competitive is your Emergency Medicine residency program?
With the many changes to our program over the last few years and being one of the few 3 year residencies in NYC, our program has become increasingly competitive. We only interview about 10% of applicantions received. However, despite this and increasing pressures from the academic society we welcome D.O. applicants and every year hold a few spots for FMG/IMG’s and we do accept H-1B & J-1 Visas. Our priority is onboarding the best people to fit in our program.
Why do you have a different amount of residents in each class?
We recently expanded our residency to 12 residents a year starting with the class of 2023 due to the Metropolitan-Harlem merge.The other classes are uneven due to delayed starts from visa issues or residents having gone on parental leave and not from transfers or termination.
What are some requirements to be considered for an interview?
CORD strongly recommends that every applicant do no more than one home EM rotation and one away rotation, submitting a maximum of two SLOEs. We require a minimum of one SLOE and strongly encourage a minimum STEP 2 score of 230.
How are emergency department shift schedules organized?
All shifts are 12 hours in length. The number of shifts are based on PGY year.
How do residents commute to their off-service rotations at Westchester Medical Center and what's the deal with parking?
While residents commute to Metropolitan and Harlem via public transit or walking, a car is highly recommended for commuting to Westchester Medical Center as commuting there is arduous and inconvenient with the call schedules and shifts. Therefore most residents decide to own a car, carpool with their colleagues at WMC, share a car with their colleagues, or even rent a car when needed, although the latter is a more expensive option. All three hospitals offer monthly parking passes at affordable rates. Street parking is also an option, although less convenient. There are also call rooms at WMC that residents may use in the event that residents need to rest before their commute. All residents find an option that works best for them and develop a love/hate relationship with WMC given how obsessed they are with their experience there, but don't enjoy the car/drive/parking/commute details during the rotation.
Learn more about resident life
I am not from New York. Can I afford living in the city on a resident's salary and what is it like?
Yes you can! Resident salaries have gone up each year and most, if not all of our residents live in the city exclusively on their salary without the need to moonlight, get into credit card debt, or requiring parents financial help. Residency is a good way to teach you how to budget and live within your means. Some residents chose a fancier apartment with a doorman and rooftop, but decide to cook easy meals to save money. Some spend their money on expensive Crossfit memberships (pre-COVID anyway), some save money on having roommates or commuting in from Queens… but ALL afford NYC.
Living in the city is like no other. You usually walk to get your groceries or get them delivered, enjoy dinner and drinks with friends after work, spend your golden weekends going on upstate hiking trips or enjoying NYC's many museums and festivals. Families also find great schools for their kids and fun things to do with them to keep them happy. No matter what type of person you are there is something for you in NY or its surrounding quieter neighborhoods, but be ready for something different!