Dear Future Highlander,
For over four decades, Highland Emergency Medicine has trained top clinicians,thought leaders, and the fiercest patient advocates in our specialty. We do this through crafting a dynamic curriculum, embracing resident innovation, and being unwavering champions for our residents. The legendary training at Highland allows you to practice in any setting, whether an academic or community institution, and in the altitudes of Bhutan or the coasts of Lima. Our alumni have taken a piece of the shared experience at Highland and brought it to their respective roles in medical education, administration, research, and clinical practice. We ARE Emergency Medicine.Highland EM training is based primarily at Alameda Health System – Highland Hospital, the only adult Level 1 trauma center in Alameda County serving a population of approximately 1 million people. Highland has approximately 70,000 patient visits per year and serves as the public, safety-net medical system for our community. However, our residents excel in any environment because of the diversity of training sites and high level of practice responsibility. Our residents also rotate at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), an academic quaternary care center and leader in medical research. Additional time is spent at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, a nationally renowned pediatric Level 1 trauma and tertiary care center. Kaiser Oakland and Eden Medical Center round out the training for residents as distinct community practice sites. Taken as one, the rotations and training sites provide the perfect experience for resident education.
In addition to clinical excellence, we have been setting the standard for substance use disorders (SUD) treatment, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), and social emergency medicine. With our active Addiction Medicine, Ultrasound, and Research divisions, our residents have opportunities to be a central part of the advancement of Emergency Medicine. Our Addiction Medicine division’s work is a national model for low barrier addiction treatment. Our residents learn cutting edge SUD interventions and systems of care, engage in grant-funded research, and many go on to competitive Addiction Medicine or Pain fellowships. We have a tremendous Ultrasound division with 2 fellows per year, a world-renowned ultrasound faculty, and many national and international teaching opportunities. Our residents master POCUS applications that may not be taught elsewhere. While we are a comparatively small department, our Research division is remarkably prolific and resourced. Opportunities are widely available to residents, particularly in the realm of Social Emergency Medicine. Our residents have been particularly impactful in areas ranging from palliative care for underserved populations, to equitable care of justice-involved patients, to increasing diversity in medicine.
Our department has a culture that puts our residency program and our residents central to its operation in providing world class care to our patients. We aim to ensure that each resident will be nurtured and guided throughout their time here. We take our work very seriously and value the wellness and involvement of our residents. Although we are admittedly biased, we feel our residents are the best-trained and happiest residents in the country. Our long list of amazing residents and devoted alumni attest to this. Four decades of training Emergency Medicine residents gives us tremendous depth and perspective when it comes to what makes a great educational program with graduates who have shaped and influenced our specialty. Please consider joining us and becoming a part of the legend of Highland Emergency Medicine.
Sincerely,
