Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How much night call will I have to do?
A. We have a night float system which helps decrease the number of extra night calls you will have to take.
The breakdown is as follows:
Night Float Schedule:
PGY 1 & 2 Night Float consists of 5 days per week of night shift (7p-7a) for 3 wks
PGY3 Night Float consists of 5 days per week of night shift (7p-7a) for 7 wks broken out into 3wks, 2wks, and 2wks.
Extra Call:
PGY 1 you will have 5-6 twelve-hour-in-house Friday night calls and 5-6 sixteen hour Saturday night calls.
Q. How many hours a week on average do residents work?
A. 57 hours per week is the average
Q. Is the cost of living in Utica, NY high?
A. The cost of living in Utica, NY as of December 2009 is 17.83% lower than the US National average.
Q. Do you/ would you consider sponsoring H1B Visas?
A. No, we sponsor J-1 Visas only.
Q. Does the program complete the Visa paperwork or do I?
A. Once you have been offered and accepted a position, it is the program’s responsibility to submit your on-line application through EVNET (Exchange Visitor Network). Once submitted it is then your responsibility to complete the sponsorship process through OASIS (On-line Applicant Status and Information System).
Q. Will the program coordinate housing for incoming residents?
A. No, it is your responsibility to find housing. However, to assist you we have added a page to our website providing contacts for area real estate agents and suggestions of temporary housing utilized by many residents.
Q. How are residents evaluated?
A. We have a 360 degree evaluation process whereby residents are evaluated on each of the core competencies: Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, System-Based Practice, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Professionalism Your attendings will complete evaluations based on these categories after each of your rotations and also by preceptors after each Family Medicine Center session. Your supervising residents and residents who were supervised by you will complete these evaluations after working with you on the inpatient service.
Support staff will rate your performance on a quarterly basis, and patient satisfaction surveys are distributed bi-annually. Attendings will also be reviewing your charts and records for timeliness, completeness, and accuracy.
You will be receiving feedback about your performance daily from your rotation attendings and preceptors, monthly from your advisor, and quarterly from the Program Director.
Q. Do residents evaluate faculty?
A. Yes, residents complete evaluations on all rotation attendings and faculty after each rotation and once a month on all preceptors at the Family Medicine Center using anonymous evaluations online via New Innovations Residency Management Suite. You will also be evaluating your supervising residents when applicable and the program annually.
Q. Are the attendings approachable?
A. Absolutely, this is one of the perks of coming to an unopposed community based program. Your education is the focus of the attendings. Another wonderful aspect is that many of our faculty actually completed residency training right here, so they come from a unique perspective of truly understanding your position, which has a positive effect on the flow of communication.
