Maine Medical Center
Jordan pond in the summer

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will I be doing any teaching? 

A: Yes. Third year Emergency Medicine residents are responsible for teaching medical students and PGY-I residents from throughout the hospital who rotate through the Emergency Department. Senior Emergency Medicine residents are responsible for day-to-day, bedside teaching and instruction of more junior residents especially in procedural competency.

Emergency Medicine residents also have responsibilities for giving lectures including, Grand Rounds, Trauma Conference, EMS Conference, Toxicology conference, and core content lectures.

The graduating Emergency Medicine residents will function at the attending level by the time of their graduation from the residency program. This includes the ability to direct all resuscitations in the Emergency Department as well as be responsible for patient flow, administrative issues, providing on-line medical control, and interfacing with nursing. Senior Emergency Medicine residents will also routinely be expected to actively engage teaching junior residents and medical students.

Q: How often will I be on call?

A: When on off service rotations (i.e. Pediatrics, OB, and Critical Care) you will have approximately five days of consecutive night float per month, with some additional weekend day or night call. During your trauma months, you will have 2-4 shifts of weekend day or night call. MMC is very progressive with scheduling to create well-rested residents.

Q: Do you have regularly scheduled didactic conferences?


A: Every Wednesday, from 8 AM – 1 PM, we have conferences. Regularly scheduled conferences are:

  • Grand Rounds (4 per month)
  • Critical Case Conference (3 per month)
  • Morbidity & Mortality Chief Resident Conference (2 per month)
  • Patient Care Follow-Up Conference
  • EMS/Wilderness Medicine Conference
  • Pediatric Mock Code - monthly
  • Trauma Conference
  • Radiology Conference
  • High Fidelity Simulation
  • Core Content Lecture (2 per month)
  • Toxicology Conference
  • Chief's Conference
  • Program Director Conference
  • Ultrasound Conference
  • Women's Health Lecture
  • Journal Club - this is held during the evening, once a month, at a faculty member's home.

Q: How do our benefits & vacations compare?

A: Our residents' salaries have consistently been above the 75th percentile. On top of this is a benefit package including medical, dental and disability care, malpractice insurance and life insurance. Vacation time is 21 working days per year. The department also provides educational funds for our residents so they can attend meetings and/or buy textbooks or journals. This amounts to $400 for each first year, $800 for each second year, and $1,000 for each third year resident. We also have a very good child care referral service.

Q: What about resident housing?

A: Portland is both a delightful and safe city in which to live. The hospital is located in a residential district and many of the residents live in apartments within walking distance of the hospital. Rural and smaller coastal communities with affordable housing are only 15-20 minutes away for those who like to live outside the city.

Q: Where do our residents come from and where do they go after completing their residency?

A: Our residents have come from great medical schools from across the country. Averages of 2-3 residents per year have chosen to stay in Maine or New England. Click here to see a list of where our graduates have gone.

Q: Will I get feedback on my performance?

A: Feedback is frequent and regular, including formal monthly evaluations written on each resident. Twice a year each resident meets with the Program Director so that he can provide an overview of the resident's progress. Our residents discuss the evaluation individually with the program director. We expect our faculty to provide verbal feedback during rotations addressing expectations and ways to improve.Residents also complete evaluations of the faculty and of the different rotations, which we take very seriously in our ongoing program development.

Q: Do the residents have input into the program?

A: We actively solicit our residents' opinions about their training. These opinions can be anonymous or direct. On an annual basis our residents evaluate each attending faculty member. These anonymous evaluations are shared with the program director, chief, and each faculty member. We feel we have a great training program and want to improve it as best we can. The best insights often come from our residents. There are formal lines of communication, but primarily we rely on open dialogue between faculty, residents, and support staff. Residents also choose faculty advisors to mentor them through the myriad of decisions facing us all today.

Q: What academic interests do your faculty have?


A: We have dedicated faculty interested in and often fellowship trained in ultrasound, international medicine, wilderness, EMS, administration, critical care, airway, simulation, pediatrics and geriatrics, to name just a few. Our faculty are active teachers on both regional and national levels. We have a rapidly expanding ultrasound program in our ED with two ultrasound machines, dedicated ultrasound teaching, and a rigorous QA initiative. We have faculty who travel to Africa, run the state EMS program, teach a wilderness elective, ensure that we have exposure to the best airway technology, run the only pediatric emergency department in Maine, and do routine community outreach to our local elderly population. Our residents benefit from having every opportunity to be involved in these endeavors.

Q: Are you concerned about resident stress?


A: You bet we are. Almost all off service rotations have gone to a night float system. We have addressed this by having an annual two-day retreat for the resident’s off-campus, and by having regular resident support meetings. We have a closely knit group of residents and faculty, and we consciously encourage this relationship. We also provide for the residents' free membership to Planet Fitness and World's Gym.

Q: Are the residents happy?

A: Why not find out by visiting us for an interview, during which time each applicant will meet with both faculty and residents. Although our residents work hard, they learn a lot because the Emergency Department serves as both a community hospital for Portland and a tertiary referral center for Maine. Our hospital is located in one of the most beautiful small cities in the country, offering unparalleled access to outdoor activities year-round.

Q: What about Portland?

A: Portland and its neighboring towns are great places to live. The city is multi-cultural with more restaurants per capita than all but a few areas in the country. The city has attracted many artists and professionals who are happy to call it home. The hospital is located in a residential district and many of the residents live in apartments within walking distance. Rural and smaller coastal communities with affordable housing are only 15 - 20 minutes away for those who like to live outside of the city.

Q: What is the bottom line?

A: We truly believe that in our Emergency Medicine Residency Program we have been able to develop a great training program that will put you in a position to go anywhere and exercise your career choices. Our hospital is located in one of the most beautiful small cities in the country offering unparalleled access to outdoor activities year round. Our community also offers cultural opportunities and a very safe environment. Come and check us out!