Frequently Asked Questions
Where do residents live?
Residents live all over the city because NYC has such great public transportation. The Upper Westside is a popular choice as it has easy access to both campuses, but residents live throughout the five boroughs. Currently, there are residents living in Washington Heights, Harlem, Upper Eastside, Upper Westside, Nolita, West Village, East Village, Lower East Side, and Brooklyn.
In addition, there is hospital housing available for residents near both campuses at a subsidized rate. Information is available from NewYork-Presbyterian Real Estate.
Will I be able to go to national conferences?
Yes, we actually send all the PGY-2s to SAEM annually. In addition, if you are presenting at a conference, the residency helps fund your expenses.
The campuses are kind of far apart, how will I get to both?
There is campus shuttle that runs from both campuses to each other every hour from 6:15AM to 7:15PM daily during the week. There is an extra shuttle that leaves from Columbia at 5:45 AM.
Additionally, the Columbia campus is located directly off the A, C, and 1 trains at 168th Street, and Cornell is a short walk off the 6 train at 68th Street and the Q line that recently opened on the east side of Manhattan. There is also the M15 bus that runs north and south on the east side of Manhattan and several cross-town buses running from the west side to east side with the M72 and M66 dropping off right at the hospital.
How do the roles differ from PGY-1 through PGY-4?
During the PGY-1 and PGY-2 year, you will be seeing patients and managing their care under the supervision of the PGY-4 or attending.
As a PGY-3, you are responsible for seeing all the critically ill patients in the department and guiding PGY-1, 2s through procedures.
PGY-4 year is a pre-attending year. You will oversee an area of the emergency department. This means evaluating all the patients, hearing all cases from the junior residents, and supervising their care.
*As a highlight to this program, first attempt at procedures is usually given to our interns and second years. This gives early proficiency and confidence in critical emergency medicine procedures.
Is there a meal card?
Yes, residents are provided a monthly allowance of $100 that can be used in multiple locations on both campuses (including the new 24-hour Starbucks in the Columbia Millstein Hospital lobby).