Program Director Welcome

We work at a true county hospital, located less than two miles away from Mexico. The geographic location is incredible, both from an outdoor enthusiast and medical practice point of view. We are the only Level 1 Trauma Center in a large radius, with a catchment area and variety in pathology unlike any other program. Our residents gain significant exposure to a completely different type of medicine that is practiced across the border. This further expands their EM tool belt and enhances their ability to develop medical Spanish.

The cost of living is very low here, and there are lots of hidden resident salary benefits that are not included in the numbers published: incredible health insurance, food stipend and free parking.

A fun fact is that we are the oldest civilian emergency medicine program in Texas. We offer our students a work/life balance that includes wellness and time off so that our students can pursue their hobbies and enjoy time with loved ones.

We also offer a state-of-the-art simulation center that hosts monthly simulation education. This allows our students to hone in their skills in the highly advanced program.

Though we do not have a hard cutoff, we typically consider candidates whose USMLE/COMLEX scores are within at least one standard deviation of average. However, we evaluate the whole application and value candidates with diverse experiences.

There are multiple opportunities for research; everything from case studies to complex multicenter clinical trials, research in the field of simulation, education and social aspects of EM. Several recent publications have arisen from our participation in the National Emergency Airway Registry. We have faculty members who are dedicated research scientists helping with research and publications. Although we have plenty of opportunities, research experience is not a requirement for residency candidates.

Given our location serving a binational borderland population, we are able to foster an environment where global medicine is embraced and practiced daily.

We have established a relationship with colleagues from Juárez and Monterrey, Mexico, for in-person and virtual didactics and have EM resident rotators who come from other parts of the country to experience our border health opportunities.

Opportunities for involvement are abundant. One of our residents, Dr. Brian Elmore, has been featured on NBC’s Inspiring America and has multiple articles in national news channels. He is a co-founder of Clinica Hope, a clinic that provides care to refugees and practices street medicine.

Follow the links below for more highlights.

• Inspiring America
• The Atlantic

 

Humble, hardworking individuals who have a desire to serve an underserved population and embrace the rich culture of our region.

High-level medical Spanish is a benefit given that monolingual Spanish speaking patients make up a large percentage of our patient population. However, it is not a requirement.