About the Program

Located in an urban hospital setting, VCU’s Emergency Medicine Residency offers the opportunity to work alongside some of the brightest medical minds in the country.

VCU Medical Center is home to Virginia’s only Level 1 trauma center certified in adult, pediatric and burn care, which sees more than 100,000 patients each year. Residents develop resuscitation and critical care skills from training in the emergency department and rotating in multiple intensive care units. The program provides focused education in the multiple subspecialty areas of emergency medicibe.

Faculty and staff are readily available to help residents reach their full potential as physicians, and we seek to instill the highest professional standards so that graduates go on to provide top-quality and equitable care in hospitals across the country and advance the specialty of emergency medicine through scholarly activity and innovative research.  

Program Aims

1. Recruitment and retainment of a diverse and inclusive residency in every sense

2. Graduate exceptionally well trained physicians in the clinical practice of emergency medicine

3. Provide exposure and education so residents are competent and comfortable to care for patients from a variety of backgrounds/demographics and from minor to complex life-threatening complaints

4. Develop and graduate residents who are lifelong learners in emergency medicine

5. Support residents in developing and pursuing individual goals in EM training relating to aspects of emergency care and domains of emergency medicine

Curriculum

Designed to maximize residents’ proficiency and comfort in treating a broad spectrum of patients, our curriculum relies heavily on educational experiences within the emergency department (ED) and focused training in subspecialty areas.

Longitudinal Tracks

We provide our second- and third-year residents the optional opportunity to choose a longitudinal track for additional training in a niche within emergency medicine. Residents focus on one topic and follow a defined curriculum over the course of the academic year, with reduced shift requirements to contribute time toward this pursuit. 

Residents may choose from a variety of tracks already available or assist us in the creation of a new track. Longitudinal tracks currently include:

• Administration 
• Education 
• EMS 
• Evidence-based medicine 
• Global health 
• Pediatric emergency medicine 
• Psychiatric emergencies
• Quality improvement
• Research 
• Sports medicine 
• Toxicology
• Ultrasound
• Wilderness medicine  

Resident Life

Residency is both exciting and challenging. Having graduated from medical school and chosen a specialty, residents are finally doctors, making crucial decisions that affect patients’ lives every day. It is both an immense honor and a huge responsibility, and we do everything we can to help residents navigate the demanding landscape of emergency medicine. 

Our program requires hard work, personal growth and career development, but it wouldn’t be complete without activities outside of work that foster community, promote balance and prevent burnout. 

Each year, emergency medicine residents participate in the following activities outside their clinical and academic duties: 

• An overnight retreat at a location chosen by our resident wellness committee 
• Weekly conferences and journal clubs where residents are able to interact with a variety of faculty
• Challenge Discovery, a teambuilding and leadership development program that includes a high ropes course and other boundary-pushing activities  
• Multiple activities supported by residency combining education and wellness in emergency medicine 

Salary and Benefits

VCU is proud to offer competitive salaries compared to housestaff across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Cost of living adjustments occur each year.

How to Apply

We adhere to VCU’s statement of nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action, and welcome and encourage a diverse, inclusive residency program.

The VCU Department of Emergency Medicine participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), and prospective residents can apply using the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) offered by the Association of American Medical Colleges. 

Each year we accept 12 residents through the match, plus two residents from the Air Force. Air Force applicants may apply through the Medical Operational Data System, which is only accessible from computers on a military network. We also accept two residents annually for the combined Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine (EM-IM) Residency. Learn more about our EM-IM program here. 

Focus on Inclusion and Equity

VCU Emergency Medicine residency welcomes everyone. A major focus and goal of the program is to embrace and celebrate the diversity of humanity that we care for every day in our ED, and to be inclusive of all providers and learners so we can better understand and reflect our community.  Through increasing diversity and inclusion, we hope to teach and deliver more equitable care to those that entrust us with their health.