Resident life

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, having mentored medical students from the University of South Dakota SSOM and trained residents across multiple specialties. Their expertise in clinical education and passion for innovative teaching ensure personalized, hands-on guidance, fostering a dynamic and supportive learning environment. Six Core Faculty members are especially invested in resident education.
Our ED is staffed by at least 2 attending faculty members 24/7, allowing us to structure resident shifts around education—not workforce. Residents benefit from protected didactic time, and most off-service rotations follow a similar shift model. Our department has always operated in a community model, while the hospital maintains the resources of a larger academic institution. Faculty have full autonomous practice in our ED, and all procedures within our purview are performed by EM faculty—meaning residents gain procedural experience with minimal competition. As a referral center with an attached medical school, we also offer resources typically 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.

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