Atlantic Health System/Goryeb Children’s Hospital Program

The Pediatric Residency Program at Goryeb Children’s Hospital, part of Atlantic Health System, offers a unique blend of university-level training and community hospital experiences. The program is designed to provide comprehensive education and exceptional training to prepare residents for diverse careers in pediatrics, including general practice and subspecialties.

Program Overview

Goryeb Children’s Hospital is recognized for its robust clinical education, managing over 3,000 admissions and conducting more than 95,000 outpatient visits annually. The program enrolls a yearly class of 12 residents, allowing for individualized training and mentorship that surpasses the offerings of many similar-sized institutions 1.

The program fosters a supportive and dynamic learning environment. Residents engage closely with a distinguished faculty of over 100 pediatricians and subspecialists, featuring clinician-educators dedicated to mentoring the next generation of pediatric leaders 1.

Curriculum and Rotations

The curriculum is structured across three years and includes rotations through various pediatric specialties:

First-Year Residents (PGY-1)

PGY-1 residents typically rotate through:

• Inpatient general pediatrics
• Well baby nursery
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
• Private practice experience
• Ambulatory and community medicine
• Adolescent medicine
• Emergency medicine
• Infectious diseases and more

Second-Year Residents (PGY-2)

Residents gain more responsibilities and supervise medical students, while rotating through:

• Inpatient general pediatrics
• Pediatric emergency department
• PICU
• Various ambulatory medicine rotations
• Community practice and individual electives

Third-Year Residents (PGY-3)

PGY-3 residents take on supervisory roles and select electives from a wide range of specialties, including:

• Pediatric emergency medicine
• Hematology-Oncology
• Subspecialty electives tailored to personal interest

A new Boot Camp starting in July 2024 will be integrated into the curriculum to ease the transition to residency 5.

Mentorship and Support

The program emphasizes individual mentorship. Residents are assigned a program director advisor who provides guidance in clinical skills, wellness, and prepares them for board exams. Faculty mentors assist with research and career planning, while peer mentor groups support residents at the same level 6.

Research Opportunities

Residents are required to engage in scholarly activities. The Goryeb Academic Pediatric Support (GAPS) committee connects residents with research mentors to facilitate clinical and quality improvement research projects. Residents participate in presentations at the Annual Pediatric Research Day and Atlantic Health System’s Annual Research Day, receiving funding for conference participation 7.

Global Health and Electives

The program offers unique electives in global health, allowing residents to travel for medical missions. Participating residents can receive funding from the Benjamin H. Josephson Fund 3. Electives also include opportunities in subspecialties such as cardiology, neurology, and endocrinology 8.

Training Sites

Residents train primarily at Goryeb Children’s Hospital at Morristown Medical Center, a state-of-the-art facility recognized as a Level I Regional Trauma Center. They also rotate through the Goryeb Children’s Center at Overlook Medical Center, which offers additional inpatient and outpatient care specialties 9.

Competitiveness and Application Requirements

The program is open to graduates of both U.S. medical schools and ECFMG-eligible international medical graduates. It is competitive, with an emphasis on passing USMLE or COMLEX exams on the first attempt, with minimum scores of 210 for USMLE and 400 for COMLEX 10. The program sponsors J-1 visas only for international applicants 10.

Additional application requirements include:

• A minimum of three letters of recommendation
• A Medical Student Performance Evaluation (Dean’s letter)
• Consideration for graduates within five years of medical school

Overall, the Pediatric Residency Program at Goryeb Children’s Hospital stands out for its commitment to training compassionate pediatricians who are dedicated to community service, advocacy, and research.