Salary and Benefits
What is the salary for a resident at UAMS?
Salaries for 2024-2025 are: PGY-1 $59,786; PGY-2 $62,088; and PGY-3 $64,490. Chief Residents are given an additional $1000 on top of their PGY-3 salary. You also receive comprehensive medical and dental insurance benefits at no cost. Little Rock enjoys an extremely reasonable cost of living.
Learn more about UAMS GME Benefits.
What are the work hours like?
PGY-1s work 19 nine or ten-hour shifts during a UAMS ED block: shifts are scheduled 6a-3p, noon-9p, 2p-midnight, and 10p-7a, so that there is overlap between shifts to allow residents to wrap up their patient care and work on chart completion.
PGY-2 and PGY-3 typically work eight or nine-hour shifts on weekdays and a mix of nine- and 12-hour shifts on weekends. PGY-2 residents work 18 shifts per ED block, and PGY-3 residents work 17 shifts per ED block. There are no required off-service rotations with overnight call for PGY-3 residents.
How many vacation days will I have?
Every year you will accrue 21 vacation days on July 1. These expire on the following June 30. Vacation is taken during specific rotations, including designated ED blocks, Anesthesiology/Ultrasound, Ultrasound/Pediatric Sedation and OB. PGY-1 residents may not take vacation during July since they participate in orientation during this month.
Each year you will also accrue 12 sick days. Maternity/paternity leave is arranged as needed. If you are in the military, national guard, or reserves you will be granted military leave should you be activated or sent on TDY.
Do I get an expense account?
You are given an allotment of $2,000 continuing medical educational funds that covers your three years of residency. You may use this to pay the expenses of attending a national conference, purchasing a subscription to a test-preparation question bank or online EM FOAM resource, taking an off-campus course (for example, for wilderness medicine certification), buying textbooks, etc.
Speaking of textbooks, what “freebies” do I receive from the department?
Your membership in national societies such as EMRA, ACEP, and SAEM is paid by the department. The certification fees for PALS and ATLS, and your BLS/ACLS recertification fees are also paid by the department. All EM residents receive individual subscriptions to both the Rosh Review and EM Coach question banks to use for their independent study and in-training and board exam preparation. Web-based versions of Rosen’s and Tintinalli’s emergency medicine textbooks, as well as other EM study guides and texts, are provided free of charge through the UAMS Library system via Access Medicine and ClinicalKey. Residents receive free parking at UAMS (in an enclosed garage that is attached to the hospital) and at all other affiliated hospitals as well. You also receive a generous allowance of meal credit money that may be used to purchase food at the hospital during each ED month and most off-service rotations.
Education
What is the curriculum like?
A block-by-block breakdown of our clinical curriculum can be found here.
In addition to our strong clinical curriculum, we take pride in providing an up-to-date and innovative non-clinical curriculum as well. Each week we have four hours of dedicated conference time with topics spanning the entire breadth of EM. This includes one week each month dedicated to simulation and procedure labs. Inter-departmental activities include monthly Trauma M&M session and a quarterly EM/Radiology conference. We are also fortunate to host a number of guest speakers each year as well as having access to experts from other specialties here at UAMS. Prior highlights have included a Wilderness Medicine day, a Dive Medicine workshop with the opportunity to scuba dive, and a live podcast recording with Ken Milne of The Skeptics Guide to Emergency Medicine.
Asynchronous learning resources are provided to supplement conference didactics and allow residents to earn additional conference credit while studying independently.
To round out our didactic curriculum, we hold a monthly journal club, often at a faculty member’s home. Second- and third-year residents work with a faculty mentor to lead this session as we learn EBM concepts while dissecting the literature in an attempt to answer a real-world clinical question. Journal clubs also give us an opportunity to socialize and discuss topics in a more relaxed atmosphere. Take a look at the Journal Club Archives to see summaries of topics we’ve discussed in past years!
How far away are the other clinical sites?
Residents do clinical rotations at UAMS Medical Center, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Baptist Health–Little Rock, and the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital (VA). The VA is directly across the street from UAMS. The other clinical sites are within 15 minutes of UAMS by car.
- Arkansas Children’s Hospital: https://www.archildrens.org/
- Baptist Health: https://www.baptist-health.com/location/baptist-health-medical-center-little-rock/
- Central Arkansas VA: https://www.littlerock.va.gov/index.asp
I don’t know what I’d like to do for my scholarly project. What guidance is available?
Throughout your residency, you may meet with Dr. Mike Wilson and Dr. Theresa Hudson, our residency research directors, to discuss your research project. If you do not have a topic selected by the end of your first year, they can help you identify scholarly activities.
Past resident research projects have included: “Secondary Overtriage to UAMS During the Implementation of the State Trauma System,” “Clinical Scoring System for the Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis,” “The Anion Gap in Patients with Diabetic Ketoacidosis: iSTAT versus Basic Metabolic Panel,” and “Missed Injuries in the Multiply Traumatized Patient.” We are fortunate to have access to a large data repository through the Arkansas Trauma System. Our department also has unique expertise in the study of behavioral emergencies, and we have several research faculty and an active research assistant program involved with ongoing studies.
We recognize that not all residents are interested in research, and believe that scholarship is more than just research. Accordingly, we have developed a scholarly activity guideline with a point system to allow residents to pursue the type of scholarly activities that interest them while receiving appropriate credit for their efforts.
See our department’s Division of Research section for additional information about EBM Education at UAMS.
What is the ultrasound education like at UAMS?
Our department has eight GE machines, purchased new in 2019, as well as three older Zonare machines. We have multiple ultrasound fellowship-trained faculty who provide hands-on instruction during residents’ dedicated ultrasound rotations and also facilitate an Ultrasound Journal Club. These faculty review every ultrasound study through QPath for quality assurance and provide feedback on residents’ scans. Ultrasound education, in the form of “‘Sound Rounds,” also is a recurring part of our didactic conferences; PGY-1 residents have subscriptions to an online resource for asynchronous learning during their intern year as well. Our department hosted the first annual Arkansas Ultrafest in 2018.
See our department’s Division of Ultrasound section for additional information.
Life at UAMS
Tell me about the UAMS Medical Center
- Annual ED Patient Visits: ~60,000
- Admission Rate: ~27%
The medical center provides medical care for patients throughout the state of Arkansas and from some surrounding states as well. UAMS is the only Level 1 trauma center in the state and receives all adult burn patients as well. Other specialty services that UAMS provides uniquely in Arkansas include advanced stroke care (including 24/7 Neurology and Neurosurgery coverage, and access to endovascular thrombectomy), care of vascular emergencies, Orthopedic Hand Surgery for complex hand injuries and treatment of complex eye conditions by Ophthalmology. The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute provides care for all types of oncologic diagnoses and is internationally renowned for multiple myeloma care.
The UAMS Emergency Department is a 35-bed facility. Our ED has approximately 60,000 patient visits per year with ~27% admission rate. The ED includes private rooms for patients, a separate area for patients with behavioral emergencies, and three large medical/trauma resuscitation rooms. X-ray and CT imaging are always available within the emergency department, and MRI is available within the medical center. Epic is used for electronic health record documentation for both UAMS hospital inpatients and outpatient clinic patients. Social workers are available within our emergency department around the clock.
Our department also includes a 16-bed Clinical Decision Unit that provides observation care for patients and overflow capacity for ED. This unit is staffed by EM attending physicians and advanced-practice providers. In FY 2022, we saw 2,218 observation patients.
Can you tell me about diversity at UAMS?
We strongly believe that diversity enhances our residency. We strive to include physicians of diverse backgrounds in our training program so that the emergency physician workforce reflects and respects the diversity of patients we encounter.
We value each member of our department and celebrate their unique qualities, background, and life experiences. Within the Department of Emergency Medicine, we’re proud to have faculty and residents who are diverse with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, religion, geographic origin, socioeconomic background, and training. Our program adheres to all institutional and GME policies on resident recruitment and appointment, anti-discrimination, and affirmative action.
What do you do for resident wellness?
Our resident Social and Wellness Committee plans events and education throughout the year to enhance resident wellness. Hands-on wellness education is incorporated into our didactic conferences with sessions on topics like sleep hygiene, resilience, gratitude, habit formation, goal setting, financial wellness, yoga and nutrition. Our annual Wellderness Day replaces a morning of conference and is held outdoors off-campus and planned by residents: last year’s Wellderness Day focused on wilderness and environmental medicine knowledge and involved a morning spent at a local state park!
We also hold periodic retreats to build community in a non-clinical environment. Residents frequently organize social gatherings—such as trivia nights, river float trips, dinners, and outings at local festivals—outside of work. Additionally, residents, faculty, and their families spend time together at various department events, including pumpkin carving before journal club in October, tailgating at War Memorial Stadium before the Razorbacks’ Little Rock football game, and the department holiday party, among others throughout the year.
In coordination with UAMS and the GME Office, residents have 24/7 access to a full array of mental health services, including confidential psychiatric care and counseling. An innovative program allows residents to contact clinicians anonymously to begin the process of discussing mental health concerns.
Is UAMS involved in emergency medicine nationally?
Yes! We encourage our residents to participate in organized emergency medicine at a national level. Every year, our residents are invited to apply to participate in the ACEP Leadership and Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C. Our residents also participate in EMRA and are members of CORD and SAEM/RAMS committees.
Additionally, our faculty serve on multiple committees within ACEP, CORD, and SAEM. Several of our faculty members are leaders of the Arkansas ACEP chapter, including Dr. Lauren Evans as President, Dr. Brian Hohertz as Immediate Past President and ACEP Councilor, Dr. Christopher Fowler as Secretary/Treasurer, and Dr. Randy Maddox and Dr. Rachael Freeze-Ramsey as members of the Board of Directors.
Our Ultrasound division faculty are also involved with SCUF and SEMPA with Dr. Jason Arthur is the Education Officer for the SAEM Academy of Emergency Ultrasound.
Dr. Joshua Ellis, who is actively involved with SAEM’s Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine (ADIEM), has recently been awarded the Outstanding Early Career Academician Award, recognizing exceptional achievements in the early stages of their academic career.
Where do residency alumni practice?
We have program alumni practicing throughout the U.S.! Many of our graduates work in community emergency medicine, but some pursue fellowship or opt for academic positions.
Alumni Practice Locations:
Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Zealand, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
What is Arkansas like?
Arkansas is a four-season state with mild winters, long springs and autumns, and warm Southern summers. Residents enjoy an abundance of outdoor activities, including biking and hiking trails within minutes of work, climbing, rafting, boating, fishing, and camping. The Ozark mountains in the northwest part of the state are a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Little Rock, and there are plentiful lakes and rivers within central Arkansas. Arkansas boasts one of the only diamond mines that permits the public to search for diamonds. Multiple corporations including Tyson Foods, Walmart, J.B. Hunt, and Dillard’s have headquarters in Arkansas.
Little Rock is the capital city of Arkansas; the population of the metropolitan area exceeds 700,000 residents. Little Rock is home to parks, historical sites, and the Clinton Presidential Library. The city features a variety of neighborhoods, each with unique character, and abundant shopping and dining. Residents often choose to live in Hillcrest–which is a Little Rock neighborhood that is less than five minutes from work–or suburbs that are within 20 minutes of work, like West Little Rock, Maumelle, Benton, Bryant, and North Little Rock. Housing is affordable, and residents and faculty frequently enroll their children in the public-school systems. The Little Rock airport is served by six airlines and has nonstop flights to hub airports throughout the country.
Learn more about Little Rock:
Applying for Residency
What scores are required to apply?
Board scores are an important part of your application but are only one of the many criteria that we use when evaluating applications. As a general rule, all applicants must report a score for the first USMLE or COMLEX exam before submitting their application. We require that you have completed and passed Step 2 and posted this score in ERAS by early February in order to be included on our rank list.
Curious about letters? Like most programs, we prefer letters from emergency physicians as they are best positioned to evaluate your potential success as an EM resident. We generally expect at least one Standardized Letter of Evaluation (SLOE) from an EM residency. If you are already enrolled in a residency program, we would like to review a letter from your current program director, if at all possible.
All students who complete a visiting rotation with us are automatically invited to interview at UAMS during their visiting student rotation. You may apply for an away rotation through VSAS. Because we believe in the importance of a diverse emergency physician workforce, we welcome diverse applicants and offer an Underrepresented in Medicine Visiting Student Scholarship.
What is Interview Day like?
Interviews will be held virtually, in accordance with CORD’s recommendations for the 2024-2025 recruitment season. You will meet with faculty and residents during five 15-minute interviews. You will also have the opportunity to spend time in a more informal setting with the residents during a virtual social hour, which will be scheduled in the evening on various dates. We hope that you utilize the videos available on our website to experience our emergency department and a day in the life of our residents. Additionally, we have information about our beautiful, adventure-filled city on the website.
We will be hosting second-look days to provide you with more opportunities to learn about our program and make an informed decision about your future residency training. Your participation in these events will not affect your position on our rank list. To ensure fairness, we will submit our rank list before any of the second-look events take place, so attending these events will have no impact on your rank.