Pediatric Residency Frequently Asked Questions

Residency program applications will be accepted and reviewed only via ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service). Click here to access the ERAS website.

All candidates who apply will be considered. Each candidate must be within five years of graduation from medical school at the time of matriculation into the residency program. A passing score on USMLE/COMLEX Step 1 is required for the application and a passing score is required prior to the end of the interview season. An ECFMG Status Report is required for graduates of international medical schools.

Our pediatric residency program is accredited by the  Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). We currently accept 10 categorical residents to participate in the match process.

Applications will continue to be accepted until December 1st, however candidates are encouraged to complete their applications in September. Applications will only be accepted via ERAS.

While we do not have a specific score requirement we do expect an applicant to have passed each licensing examination on the first attempt. Examination scores are considered together with many other aspects of an individual’s application.

Yes, we do accept international graduates.

Yes the applicants need to be certified by ECFMG certified.

Yes the program will sponsor J-1 visa.

Three letters of recommendation from supervising faculty who know you well and can comment in depth on your clinical work, achievement, leadership, personal qualities, and project contributions. At least one of these letters should be written by a faculty member in pediatrics.

U.S. clinical experience is not required but is looked upon highly when applications are reviewed.

A Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE), formerly known as the Dean’s Letter, is required and should be provided by your medical school.

Interviews are held virtually 2x/week starting from the end of October through January. A typical interview day begins at ~ 10:00am and ends by ~ 2:00pm. All applicants invited for an interview will also receive an invitation to attend one of our virtual happy hours. These happy hours are run by our current residents and gives the applicants an opportunity to learn more about the program and our residents in an informal and casual setting.

Candidates who are selected for an interview will be notified by e-mail by the Pediatric Resident Coordinator.

During the day the inpatient floor team is composed of 1 PGY-3, 1 PGY-2, and 2-3 PGY-1 residents. During the night a senior resident and a PGY-1 make up the floor team. A senior resident is in the PICU overnight as well.

Interns spend 5-6 months on the floor, this includes 3-4 months on night float and 1-3 months exclusively on the floor.

The call schedule varies from month-to-month. On average, interns take call 2-3 weekends per month.

On average senior residents are on call 1-2 weekends per month.

Weekend calls for interns as well as senior residents are: Saturday 24 hours and Sunday 12 hours. Friday night call is covered during the night float rotation.

Interns will also generally be scheduled for half-day nursery calls on the weekends in order to facilitate newborn care and discharges to home.

The call schedules are made separately for each class by the elected class representatives. For interns, the initial call schedule for the first 2 months of the year will be made by the chief residents prior to the beginning of the year.

“Night float” at Jersey Shore University Medical Center consists of alternating weeks of days and nights.

Example: NF-1: nights on week # 1 & week #3; days on week #2 & week #4. NF-2: days on week #1 & #3 and nights on week #2 & #4.

Nights are Sunday night - Friday night and days are Monday-Friday.

Yes, residents are required to complete a quality improvement project during their first year of residency. Research projects are optional. Research is introduced to our residents through our "Distinction in Research" program during the second half of their intern year.

Residents can have a research block in 2nd or 3rd year, but will find time during elective blocks to work on research.

We have a very friendly and collegial atmosphere between residents and faculty members. They are easy to approach with questions and concerns and are excellent teachers throughout our rotations. Faculty members work closely with us on our presentations and research and QI projects. They are also very helpful as we apply for fellowships and will go out of their way to help with our applications and interviews.

Our program director has an “open-door” policy which encourages residents to ask questions or voice concerns directly to her if needed. Our associate program director, chief residents and program coordinator are also a great resource for us as we are able to meet with them if we need to discuss any personal or residency-related issues. Once a month we have a chief resident-led “Resident Forum” during Thursday Lecture Series during which our chiefs will go over any new agenda items and will allow residents to speak freely about any issues they may have. Our chief residents work hard to bring resident concerns and ideas to the program leadership to invoke change while maintaining confidentiality and anonymity.

Yes! Our program has undergone tremendous change in the past couple years because of resident ideas and concerns. Our program leadership is definitely interested in hearing what residents have to say and making sure concerns are addressed. Of course there are some things that they may not be able to change, but they are always willing to try if possible.

Absolutely. At the beginning of intern year, each resident is assigned a faculty advisor with whom they will review resident and faculty evaluations, procedure logs, milestones, and learning plans. They will meet at least twice a year and will help residents maneuver through the requirements of residency training. Additionally, residents are able to choose their own “career mentor” who is often a faculty member in a field the resident is interested in pursuing. The mentor will often provide more career-specific guidance as residents determine their post-residency plans.

Yes, we use EPIC for our inpatient and outpatient EMR.

IVs and lab draws are typically done by the nurses but residents are able to do these as well. Patient transport services exist 24/7 to transport patients to and from procedures, radiology, the OR, etc. We have a wonderful child life department with enthusiastic and engaging specialists who provide games, arts and crafts and live music for patients during their admission. They also have multiple patient playrooms stocked with a large variety of games and toys.

We have 2 hospitalist fellows. Since we do not have fellows in other units in the hospital, residents are very hands-on and able to do many procedures. In fact, our residents feel very comfortable doing a variety of procedures including managing difficult airways, placing IVs, and doing lumbar punctures.

There are various opportunities to work with both third and fourth year medical students throughout your residency. Jersey Shore University Medical Center is one of the main core clinical rotation sites for medical students from Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and St. George's University. You will be able to work with students in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.

Fourth year medical students from various medical schools come to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for pediatric Sub-internships, PICU rotations, and rotations in our various pediatric subspecialty departments.

The patient population seen at Jersey Shore University Medical Center is surprisingly diverse for a suburban area of New Jersey. The surrounding areas that we serve have a broad range of ethnicities and socioeconomic classes. Our outpatient clinic at the Jane H. Booker Family Health Center serves primarily the underserved populations of Neptune and Asbury Park.

Residents are provided with a meal card with a monthly allowance to use in the staff-only cafeteria. The allowance is more than enough to carry you through each month and is rarely used up entirely!

There is no hospital-provided housing; however, there are various affordable housing options in the area. There are many great towns to live in, all within short walking or driving distance of restaurants, shops, etc. Most residents live within 10-20 minutes of the hospital.

Yes. Residents receive an educational/book stipend each year. The allowance does not roll over from year-to-year but residents are able to use the money for books, board review materials, and towards conferences.

Yes! Although someone will always be on call, it’s easy for us to get together to celebrate someone’s birthday or simply grab dinner at the end of the work day. Hanging out even involves the nurses, nutritionists, and other team members.

There are several places to visit and activities to do by the Jersey Shore. The Shore covers over 100 miles of beaches and busy boardwalks that are even full of people at night time. There are also up and coming cities such as Asbury Park, where there is an active music scene and new restaurants opening up, and, of course, the famous Atlantic City! There are many local festivals nearby during the summer, such as the Belmar Seafood Festival and Oysterfest in Asbury Park. There are also hiking trails, mountains, parks, and reservoirs nearby for those looking to get in touch with nature. Also, if you have the weekend off you can easily visit NYC and Philadelphia by car, bus or train.

Although we work many hours during the week, there is definitely “free time” at the end of each shift and on the weekends to spend with your family and friends, study, research up-to-date medical science, lay out on the beach, and even catch up on sleep.