Emergency Medicine Residency Program

PGY-1

• Orientation – 1 block
• Emergency Medicine – 4 blocks
• Emergency Medicine* – 1 block
• Pediatric Emergency Medicine – 1 block
• Pediatric Anesthesia/Sedation – 1 block
• Medical Intensive Care Unit – 1 block
• Obstetrics* – 1 block
• Orthopedic Surgery – 1 block
• Anesthesia/Ultrasound* – 1 block
• Trauma/Emergency General Surgery – 1 block

PGY-2

• Emergency Medicine – 6 blocks
• Emergency Medicine* – 2 blocks
• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit – 1 block
• Medical Intensive Care Unit – 1 block
• Trauma Intensive Care Unit – 1 block
• Neurosurgery/Neurocritical Care – 1 block
• Toxicology/Ultrasound* – 1 block

PGY-3

• Emergency Medicine – 6 blocks
• Emergency Medicine at OU Health Edmond Medical Center – 1 block
• Emergency Medicine at OU Health ER & Urgent Care – 1 block
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit – 1 block
• Surgical Intensive Care Unit – 1 block
• Teaching* – 1 block
• Administration/Observation Medicine* – 1 block
• Elective* – 1 block

PGY-4

• Emergency Medicine – 8 blocks
• Emergency Medicine at Edmond Medical Center – 2 blocks
• Teaching* – 1 block
• Electives* – 2 blocks

The academic year consists of 13 four-week blocks. Residents receive three weeks of vacation each academic year, incorporated into designated blocks marked with an asterisk ().*

Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Pediatric Emergency Medicine is intentionally integrated across the PGY-2 through PGY-4 years, providing residents with consistent pediatric emergency care experience throughout training. Residents complete 2–4 dedicated pediatric shifts during each Emergency Medicine block at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, located on the same OU Health campus as our primary adult Emergency Department. This longitudinal structure allows residents to continually build and reinforce their pediatric knowledge and skills alongside their adult emergency medicine training.

Emergency Medical Services

Emergency Medical Services experience is integrated longitudinally throughout residency, giving residents repeated exposure to prehospital medicine and the opportunity to understand emergency care from the field through arrival in the emergency department. Residents will work with multiple EMS agencies and systems, gaining experience with different operational models, patient populations, and approaches to prehospital care while developing skills in medical oversight, communication, and systems-based practice.

Residents are mentored by EMS fellowship-trained emergency medicine faculty who bring expertise in prehospital care, medical direction, disaster response, and EMS education. For residents seeking additional experience, optional opportunities are also available to participate in helicopter EMS, providing exposure to critical care transport, high-acuity field medicine, and the unique operational challenges of aeromedical care. Together, these experiences provide a broad and practical foundation in EMS while allowing residents with a particular interest in prehospital medicine to pursue more advanced opportunities.

Quality and Patient Safety

Quality and Patient Safety is integrated longitudinally throughout residency, giving residents continued exposure to the principles and practice of improving patient care, safety, and healthcare systems.

Ultrasound Education

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is an integral part of emergency medicine training at the University of Oklahoma. Our longitudinal ultrasound curriculum is designed to take residents from foundational image acquisition to confident integration of ultrasound into the care of critically ill and injured patients. Training combines focused didactics, hands-on scanning labs, simulation, and supervised bedside ultrasound throughout residency, as well as dedicated ultrasound rotations. Residents develop skills in the core emergency ultrasound applications while also learning advanced and cutting-edge skills led by faculty with advanced training through the Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship Directors Program (FDP) and fellowship-trained faculty.

A structured portfolio allows residents to follow their development over time while gaining experience with cardiac, lung, abdominal, vascular, ocular, obstetric, musculoskeletal, and procedural ultrasound. Our ultrasound infrastructure also provides opportunities to teach medical students and residents from other specialties, helping residents develop their skills as both sonographers and educators.

Our goal is not simply to help residents meet ultrasound requirements, but to graduate emergency physicians who can confidently incorporate POCUS into everyday clinical decision-making, procedures, and the highest-acuity resuscitations.

Dedicated elective time allows residents to further individualize their training, explore areas of interest, and pursue experiences that support their future career goals. Residents may select from established elective opportunities or work with program leadership and faculty to develop an individualized elective tailored to their interests and goals.

• Advanced Ultrasound
• Acute Pain Service
• Research
• Cardiology
• Medical Intensive Care Unit
• Emergency Medical Services/ Event Medicine
• Medical Toxicology
• Sports Medicine
• Medical Education
• Street Medicine
• Radiology
• Hospice and Palliative Care
• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
• Community Emergency Medicine
• Freestanding/Urgent Care Emergency Medicine

Have another area of interest? Residents can work with program leadership and faculty to develop an individualized elective experience aligned with their goals.

Our core curriculum follows a structured two-year cycle based on the American Board of Emergency Medicine’s Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine. Over four years, residents encounter each major content area twice, allowing foundational concepts to be revisited with increasing depth, complexity, and clinical application as they progress through training.

Content is organized using a systems-based approach and incorporates emergency medicine knowledge, clinical reasoning, procedural skills, and professional development. Small-group Foundations sessions complement the broader curriculum, providing opportunities for focused discussion, active learning, and application of core concepts.

Simulation is an integral part of our curriculum. Residents participate in monthly simulation sessions designed around high-acuity and time-sensitive emergency conditions, with an emphasis on clinical decision-making, communication, team leadership, and crisis resource management.

Procedural education is integrated across training through simulation, task trainers, hands-on instruction, and clinical practice, allowing residents to develop increasing proficiency and independence as they progress through residency.

Journal Club is held monthly and provides dedicated time for residents to develop the skills needed to critically evaluate medical literature and incorporate emerging evidence into clinical practice. Residents learn to assess study design, methodology, statistical interpretation, and potential sources of bias while discussing clinically relevant literature with faculty and peers. As residents progress through training, they take increasing responsibility for leading discussions, evaluating the strengths and limitations of the evidence, and considering how new findings should influence patient care.

Journal Club is intentionally held outside of the hospital, typically in the home of a faculty member. The informal setting creates an opportunity to continue learning beyond the traditional classroom while encouraging thoughtful discussion, mentorship, and connection. These gatherings combine structured education with time to build relationships as a residency community, creating an environment where residents can exchange perspectives and learn from one another.

Educational resources, independent learning, and question-based review complement weekly didactics and help residents identify areas for continued growth and prepare for standardized examinations.

Residents have access to longitudinal educational resources, including Rosh Review and EKG Weekly, to support ongoing knowledge assessment, strengthen ECG interpretation skills, and prepare for the ABEM In-Training Examination and board certification.

We believe that engagement in scholarly activity is an important part of residency education and the development of thoughtful, curious, and engaged emergency physicians. Our goal is to help each resident identify opportunities for scholarship that align with their interests, career goals, and individual strengths.

Residents will work with faculty mentors to develop a personalized approach to scholarly activity. Opportunities may include clinical research, medical education, quality improvement and patient safety, case reports, curriculum development, presentations and publications, as well as leadership and committee involvement within regional and national emergency medicine organizations.

Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, residents will have the flexibility to pursue work in the areas that interest them most. Whether developing an educational innovation, participating in a research project, presenting at a professional meeting, leading a quality improvement initiative, or contributing through professional organizations, residents will have mentorship and institutional resources to help develop their interests into scholarly contributions.

Our department brings together physician faculty actively engaged in scholarly projects with dedicated PhD researchers, creating a rich academic environment for resident scholarship. This combination provides residents with access to methodological expertise and additional resources to develop and advance their academic work.

We will welcome six residents per year to our four-year program. Our intentionally small class size allows us to know each resident as an individual and provide mentorship, educational opportunities, and career development tailored to their interests and goals.

Our primary clinical site is OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center, with pediatric training at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital on the same OU Health campus. Residents will also train at OU Health Edmond Medical Center, approximately 15 miles from the main campus, and our OU Health freestanding Emergency Department/Urgent Care, approximately 12 miles away. All clinical sites are within the Oklahoma City metro area.

Joining a new residency means having a unique level of opportunity, individualized attention, and influence from the very beginning. Residents will have opportunities to develop as leaders early in training and play an important role in establishing the culture and traditions of our program, while program leadership provides the structure and support needed for them to focus on responsibilities appropriate to their stage of training.

Resident feedback will be essential to our continued growth and intentionally built into the residency experience. Residents will have dedicated opportunities during protected educational time, regular meetings with program leadership, and formal program evaluation processes to share feedback and identify opportunities for improvement. Our goal is to create a culture where resident input is a routine part of how we evaluate, refine, and strengthen the program.

Residents will train across several busy OU Health emergency care settings. Our primary Emergency Department at OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center sees more than 65,000 visits annually, while Oklahoma Children’s Hospital sees approximately 45,000 emergency visits, OU Health Edmond Medical Center approximately 12,000, and OU Health ER & Urgent Care approximately 29,000 each year.

Residents will care for a broad and diverse patient population, from common emergency presentations to complex medical illness, critical disease, and major trauma. OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center is the only Level I Trauma Center within 100 miles, caring for approximately 8,000 trauma patients annually, including more than 1,000 Level I trauma activations. Approximately 25% of Emergency Department patients are admitted to the hospital, with 22% of admitted patients requiring ICU-level care, providing substantial exposure to high-acuity and critically ill patients.

Progressive autonomy is a core part of our competency-based approach to training. Residents are evaluated not only on what they know, but on the level of responsibility faculty can confidently entrust to them in clinical practice. As residents demonstrate increasing competence, clinical judgment, and readiness for greater responsibility, supervision and autonomy evolve accordingly. This allows residents to take on progressively greater roles in clinical decision-making, procedures, resuscitations, and Emergency Department leadership as they prepare for independent practice.

Our approach to resident well-being is built around six interconnected pillars: emotional, occupational, physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual well-being. Throughout residency, these areas are supported through mentorship and coaching, fatigue mitigation and schedule protections, retreats and social activities, opportunities for service and reflection, dedicated well-being education, and access to confidential counseling and other support resources. Our goal is to support well-being during training while helping residents develop the skills, connections, and sense of purpose that contribute to a sustainable and fulfilling career in emergency medicine.

Residents interested in fellowship will have the opportunity to build toward that goal throughout their training. Through mentorship, targeted electives, scholarly activity, national involvement, and access to subspecialty expertise across OU, residents can develop meaningful experience in their chosen area. The flexibility of our four-year curriculum allows us to individualize that preparation based on each resident’s interests and future goals.

Yes! We believe involvement in emergency medicine beyond our institution is an important part of professional development. During residency, each resident will be supported to attend the SAEM Annual Meeting, CORD Academic Assembly, and ACEP Scientific Assembly, providing opportunities for education, networking, scholarship, and involvement in the broader emergency medicine community. As an additional opportunity for our inaugural class, residents will attend the SAEM Annual Meeting and Chief Resident Forum during their intern year, supporting early professional development and leadership as they help establish our new program.

We encourage residents to become actively involved in the broader emergency medicine community through committee work, leadership, education, advocacy, and other opportunities aligned with their interests. Residents will receive program-sponsored memberships in SAEM and ACEP/EMRA, along with support for involvement in national emergency medicine organizations. Faculty with experience and leadership in these organizations will help residents identify opportunities, make connections, and find meaningful ways to become involved throughout training.

Yes! Residents will have opportunities to teach medical students and other learners throughout their clinical rotations, as well as through dedicated teaching rotations. These experiences are designed not only to develop effective clinical teachers, but also to build broader skills in medical education, including curriculum development, feedback, assessment, and educational leadership.

Residents interested in academic emergency medicine will have opportunities to intentionally build the skills needed for a career as an educator, scholar, and leader. Through dedicated teaching experiences, mentorship, scholarly activity, curriculum development, research, national committee involvement, and leadership opportunities, residents can begin developing an academic niche during residency. Our four-year curriculum provides the time and flexibility to individualize these experiences, while faculty with backgrounds in medical education and academic leadership can provide mentorship as residents begin building their own careers in academic emergency medicine.

Each resident will have a dedicated faculty mentor who provides longitudinal coaching, career advising, and support throughout residency. Mentorship will evolve with the resident, from navigating the transition to residency early in training to identifying areas of interest, pursuing individualized opportunities, and preparing for the next stage of their career.

Yes. Eligible upper-level residents will have opportunities to moonlight, subject to program approval and applicable institutional and ACGME requirements.

Oklahoma City offers a wide range of neighborhoods and communities to fit different lifestyles. Residents can choose to live closer to the OU Health campus in areas such as Downtown, Midtown, the Paseo Arts District, or the Plaza District, or farther out in communities such as Edmond, Moore, and Norman. Whether you prefer walkable neighborhoods with restaurants and entertainment nearby or more space in a suburban setting, there are many affordable options within the Oklahoma City metro area.

Yes. Parking is provided to residents at no cost at affiliated training sites.

Yes. Residents receive an annual meal allowance loaded directly onto their ID card for use at OU dining facilities. Food is also available 24/7 at affiliated clinical sites, ensuring residents have access to meals while working clinical shifts.

Residents receive a comprehensive benefits package through the University of Oklahoma, including medical and dental insurance, life and disability coverage, professional liability insurance, and retirement savings options. 

Residents also receive paid vacation and medical, parental, and caregiver leave, as well as educational leave for approved professional activities. 

For current salary and detailed benefit information, please visit the OU College of Medicine Graduate Medical Education Benefits page.

• OU College of Medicine GME Benefits