Resident life

As the first class of our Emergency Medicine Residency Program, you have the extraordinary opportunity to shape the culture and legacy of a groundbreaking training experience, the first of its kind in the region. Your vision and values will define our program, creating a collaborative, innovative environment that reflects the resilience and grit of physicians trained in this dynamic part of the country. Drawing from the unique challenges and diverse patient populations of our region, our curriculum is designed to forge adaptable, compassionate leaders who thrive under pressure. By joining us, you’ll not only pioneer a new standard for emergency medicine training but also embody the tenacious spirit of a region known for producing physicians who excel in the face of adversity.

How experienced are your faculty as teachers?

Our EM faculty at Sanford USD Medical Center consists of board-certified emergency medicine physicians with extensive teaching experience. For years, they have taught and mentored medical students from the University of South Dakota SSOM and trained residents across multiple specialties. Their expertise in clinical education, combined with a passion for innovative teaching, ensures personalized, hands-on guidance for our inaugural residency class, fostering a dynamic and supportive learning environment. They are excited for the opportunity to transition to EM resident faculty – and we have identified 6 Core Faculty members who are especially invested.
Our ED is staffed by at least 2 attending faculty members 24/7. This means that we can structure the resident shifts to allow for resident education – not resident workforce. Residents will have protected time for didactics, and most off-service rotations will also be structured in a shift model. Our department has always functioned in more of a community model, while the hospital maintains the resources of a larger academic institution. Our faculty have full autonomous practice in our ED and all the procedures in our purview are performed by EM faculty. This means that our residents will perform these procedures and have experience with minimal competition. Meanwhile, being a referral center with an attached medical school leads to the availability of resources found in larger academic settings.

How do you plan to integrate the residency program within the hospital?

The Emergency Medicine Residency Program is fully integrated into Sanford USD Medical Center, the region’s only Level I Trauma Center. Residents will work closely with nursing staff, specialty services, and administration. They will get real life experience in high-acuity patient care, trauma and stroke responses, and hospital-wide quality initiatives. Residents will enhance Sanford Health’s operations while gaining unparalleled clinical experience in a collaborative, interdisciplinary setting. There will be some spaces where our EM residents are the first residents – giving the opportunity for unopposed procedures and learning.

Who are your target applicants?

We seek eager, innovative medical graduates eager to shape the first Emergency Medicine Residency Program in South Dakota. We are especially looking for medical students from the surrounding states, who have not previously had the opportunity to train closer to home. Ideal candidates are adaptable, team-oriented, and inspired to define the program’s culture and legacy. We welcome applicants who reflect the tenacity of our region’s physicians, are committed to serving diverse populations, and thrive in both the environment of a Level I Trauma Center and a more rural setting. We are open to designing experiences that will cultivate the skills for your desired practice. You have an opportunity to “pave the way” for yourself and future residents. While we fully support those who have a rural EM interest – our residents will be prepared to practice anywhere.

What unique opportunities do you provide that aren’t available at other, more established residency programs?

Residents will co-create the program’s culture, leaving a lasting impact on the first Emergency Medicine Residency in a five-state region.
Unique learning opportunities include:
• Hands-on training and flight experience with Sanford AirMed,
• Immersion in telemedicine
• Access to cutting-edge simulation and research programs
• Rural experience in Aberdeen, SD will allow PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents the opportunity to experience rural community medicine with a Board-Certified EM attending, and while being connected to the primary site via telemedicine and with numerous transportation options for patients that need a higher level of care.
• International rotations (Costa Rica and Ghana)
• Flexible elective experiences
Unlike established programs, our close-knit, innovative environment offers unmatched flexibility and mentorship tailored to the needs of our region’s future EM leaders.

What other residencies exist and will they create learning competition?

There are several other residency programs including Peds, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Neurology, Surgery and TY. There are a limited number of fellowships including Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology and GI. Our surgery program boasts some of the highest procedural numbers in the country, as do our Cardiology fellows. Given the high acuity of our patient population, there are plenty of procedures and other learning opportunities for EM residents. Many of the patients who transfer to Sanford USD Medical Center stop in the ED because of the need for stabilization or further imaging not available at the sending facility. Our EM residents will be first line in evaluating these more critical patients.