A medical residency program is a stage of graduate medical training that physicians undertake after completing medical school. It provides hands-on, supervised training in a specific medical specialty or subspecialty. Emergency Care Partners’ (ECP) New York-based partner group Progressive Emergency Physicians (PEP) manages two emergency medicine residency programs at Good Samaritan University Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital in Long Island.
The ACGME-accredited Emergency Medicine (EM) Residency Program at Good Samaritan University Hospital, established in 2005, has built a strong reputation for excellence over the years. Based on the success at Good Samaritain University Hospital, in 2023, Catholic Health partnered with Progressive Emergency Physicians to launch a second ACGME-accredited EM Residency Program at St. Joseph Hospital. This new program is led by Dr. Robert Gekle, who serves as the Program Director.
The 3-year residency program at St. Joseph Hospital currently trains six residents and just had a successful match of six more residents for the next academic year. The residency is designed to accommodate a total of 18 residents at full capacity. The sponsoring institution for the EM residency program is the Good Samaritan University Education Department.
Residents are continually engaged in clinical rotations, working in the emergency department for all shifts except Wednesdays, which are reserved for classroom-based learning, simulation training, and procedural skills workshops. Emergency Medicine physicians from PEP deliver the classroom curriculum, which is meticulously designed by Dr. Gekle and the associate director, Dr. Michael Poulose, at the start of each year.
The Emergency Medicine residency program at St. Joseph Hospital is highly competitive and widely sought after. Last year, it received almost 900 applications, with only six candidates ultimately selected and matched into the program on Match Day. To be accepted into the St. Joseph Hospital EM residency program, candidates submit their test scores, transcripts, research projects and presentations, a synopsis of their meaningful contributions to their communities, and letters of recommendation. The rigorous academic program with the feel of a “community hospital” in the NY area is highly sought after.
