Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How do I submit an application?
A. Applications are only accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Applications submitted in any other manner will not be reviewed.
Q. Where will I spend most of my time?
A. All residents will spend time at University Hospital, the VA New Jersey Health Care System, and the Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office. The amount of time spent from site to site varies from resident to resident.
Q. What is the call schedule like?
A. All call for pathology residents is from home. Pathology residents at New Jersey Medical School do not stay over night in the hospital. First year residents are not permitted to take call and therefore work a maximum of 14 hours in house. On the University Hospital AP service, PGY2-4 residents take call every third to every fourth night and generally cover one weekend a month. PGY2-PGY-4 residents rotating at the VA generally do not take weeknight call on the AP service but cover 1 weekend over the course of a month which is cross coverage for the VA. Senior residents may be assigned a night or two of call to cover the UH AP service over the course of a month. Clinical pathology call is pager call from home and issues are usually resolved over the phone with attending back up.
Q. Will the program ensure that duty hour rules are followed.
A. The answer here is an emphatic yes! The program director works with the faculty and chief residents to ensure that we maintain compliance with the duty hour requirements.
Q. What facilities are available to residents?
A. The following are available to all residents:
- Access to computer systems throughout the university as well as computers for each resident in a resident room at each site.
- Electronic medical records available at all training sites.
- Access to a state of the art library open daily as well as internet resources including numerous full text journals and article look up services. Resident libraries are also available in the resident room at each training site.
- Parking: Parking is available at all sites.
- All residents receive white coats with laundry services available.
Q. Is moonlighting allowed for pathology residents?
A. Moonlighting is generally not approved by the program director.
Q. Is there a minimum USMLE score requirement?
A. Scores on the USMLE examinations do represent an important data point in determining whether or not an applicant may receive an interview. However, there are no official score requirements for applying to our program. Each candidate is evaluated on his or her complete body of work.
Q. Does the pathology residency program at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School accept applications from international medical graduates?
A. We welcome applications from graduates of any medical school. These graduates will be subject to the same stringent review process as graduates from American medical schools.
Q. Can I do an observership in your program?
A. Unfortunately we do not offer observerships at this time.
