Resident Welcome Statement
Welcome to the Loyola EM Residency Resident Life Page!
You can find our bios and emails listed on the Meet the Current Residents page, but on the grand scheme of things, here's who we are: we are a tight-knit bunch (6 per class) of human beings who are hacking our way through new territory together and loving every (well okay, almost every) minute of it. We are MD's and DO's, but also parents, spouses, artists, explorers and carpenters. We are doers, hopers, dreamers and weirdos that are somehow also (for the most part) functioning human beings. Some of us had other lives and other careers before going into medicine while others jumped in without a second thought. We are groundbreakers, leaders and sarcastic ED residents, but also laid-back teammates and friends who help pull each other across the finish line.
Loyola EM is for people who are willing to help create a future program; for people who can be pointed in a direction, but don't mind not having their next few years set in stone. By the time you get here, we will have already done a lot of the "firsts" and ironed some of the kinks out of the program, but don't worry; this program is constantly evolving, and there will still be plenty of opportunities for your voice to be heard and for your own style to shine through. As a newer program, we still have that "anything is possible" feeling, but we are backed by a faculty that has put years of thought into the program and keeps us securely rooted. They will always be in our corner, and will support us through thick, thin, and our wild and crazy endeavors.
If you choose Loyola, bring your sense of adventure along with your stethoscope. These three years may not be quite as fun as a ski trip or a scuba trip or a hike through the woods, but they'll be spent with a team that will make the good days fantastic, the bad days a lot better, and make you feel like you're not alone. And they'll probably be willing to go with you to do all those fun outdoor activities too.
Any residency program will get you the education you need to be an EM physician, but what's just as important is to find your place and your people, both of which will help mold you into the practitioner and human being you want to be. It's not just the destination, but also the journey. And even if your journey is not with us, enjoy the trip and best of luck!
Where Residents Live
Loyola University Medical Center is located in Maywood, IL, just outside of the city of Chicago. Chicago itself is either a straight shot down the I-290 by car or a direct trip on the Blue Line by "L" train, and our residents live both inside and outside of the city. The map below shows the places we live in relation to the main hospital and some of the other locations we train at.
***Note: We are aware that some browsers are showing the map as super zoomed out. None of us live in Antarctica so we're not quite sure why it's doing this, but you're not missing anything if you zoom in. If you click the "expand map to full screen" button on the top right corner of the map, you'll get the zoomed in version.
Things To Do & Places To Go
Loyola University Medical Center is only about 10 miles from the center of Chicago, and there are a variety of different things to do and places to see both in the city and closer to the hospital. And of course, there's room for both Cubs and White Sox fans and plenty of good food and drink everywhere!
Near Loyola University Medical Center:
The "L" Blue Line takes you right into Chicago, where you can check out:
Emergency Medicine Residency Resiliency & Wellness
Resiliency & Wellness is a crucial part of any residency training program. You are of course in training to work hard, study hard, and get as much experience as possible in the short time you are in training. In order for you to be able to maximize your efforts in these areas, you must be able to decompress when outside of work, and you must be able to stay healthy and subsequently happy. Residency is hard – you are going to miss family events, you are going to miss time with friends. It is stressful. To not think about these things when building a residency program would be to miss the importance of balance, the importance of being well, and the positive impact doing so can have on your training.
Things we learned from COVID-19
Even though COVID is over, it is still important to take care of ourselves as well as each other. Whether it's porch-chatting, hiking, Disc Golf, or the ever-present text message therapy session, remember, you're not alone! At work or at home, never be afraid to reach out to others to help or for help.
Wellness Day
The first Tuesday after our ITE exam is our annual program Wellness Day Conference, where we take a break from education and get to relax a bit as a team during protected time.
Week of Wellness
Every year, our GME office arranges a ‘Week of Wellness’ with different activities organized for each weekday. From free treats, to educational sessions, to painting, to massages. The goal is to foster and grow our positive working environment, and ensure you have an eye towards your own wellness.
Baseball Outing
Every year, there is also a Baseball outing for residents & fellows to attend. This allows for further interaction between our different specialties, again fostering the ‘team’ spirit of LUMC.
Loyola Center for Fitness
We also offer access to our state-of-the art gym, the Loyola Center For Fitness, an impressive facility just a few hundred yards from the hospital. Partnering again with the GME office we will offer: Free gym access on the 1st Thursday of every month, and reduced Trainee Dues.
View a photo gallery of the Loyola Center for Fitness
Additional Resources
Loyola EM, along with the GME office at LUMC, is committed to making sure Resiliency & Wellness, and the promotion of these important factors, is present in your training. We will have the following on top of the above-mentioned offerings:
- Annual Emergency Medicine Residency retreats
- Built-In EM conference time dedicated to these core topics
- An integrated Mentoring program
- Monthly GME Resiliency offerings
- Quarterly GME sponsored lunches
- GME Wellness Space
- GME Grand Rounds & Wellness Education
Emergency Medicine Residency Benefits
There are lot of elements within the topic of "Benefits," and many of these have been enquired on during the recruitment season. This page was created to help bring this information together.
A lot of the GME benefits can be found in the document linked within our GME website
GME main benefits document
The benefits document has a huge amount of information on health, dental, vision benefits, and many other topics. it is very comprehensive.
Additional areas that have been asked about include:
- Gym Membership: There are reduced rates for residents.
- Parking: Residents pay $24 per month for parking
- Retreats:
- We have an off-site retreat during the PGY1 Orientation Rotation
- PGY2s are funded to go to SAEM, with elected Chiefs attending the Chief Resident Symposium
- PGY3s are funded to go to ACEP
- For anyone who is part of a committee or presenting at a conference outside of the 2 noted above, we give funding to support these academic endeavors
- STEME: Through the incredible donation from the Keeley family, we fund residents to attend additional conferences and endeavors (e.g. ACEP Teaching Fellowship) as part of their STEME track
Salary per PGY:
Up to date information can also be found in the ‘Benefits’ tab of our GME website.
