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Incoming Residents and Fellows

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Welcome 2024 Incoming Residents and Fellows

Key GME and Dean's Office Staff with whom you will interact:

On March 15, 2024, our Dean, DIO, and Hospital Chief Executive Officer (Dean James Haynes, MD, MBA; DIO Paul Schwartzberg, DO, MBA; and Jim Coleman, MBA) sent a letter welcoming all our incoming Residents and Fellows on March 15, 2024. 

Congratulations on being selected and accepting an appointment into our 2024-2025 GME Programs for July 1 or August 1 (depending on your program). 

We welcome you to the UTHSC College of Medicine-Chattanooga and Erlanger as you enter this next phase of your medical education training. Congratulations on matching into your particular specialty.  We are pleased you have selected our institution as your clinical learning site. As of 2024, UTHSC and Erlanger have forged a strong partnership that spans over 50 years (1974 - 2024). This collaboration enables us to provide a unique balance of clinical care to patients from all walks of life and excellence in medical education. If you have not spent much time in Chattanooga already, you will find our city and region to be a very friendly, welcoming and vibrant community that you can call “home.” 

As you plan for your upcoming arrival to Chattanooga, our institution and respective departments have a plethora of information for you to review and requirements that must be accomplished via our online Onboarding Checklists.  For those of you whose residency or fellowship begins July 1, we ask that you prepare to be moved to Chattanooga no later than Monday, June 10.  If you are entering one of our medicine-related fellowships and are currently finishing another training program, we understand that you may not be able to be in Chattanooga by June 10.  Please let your Program Coordinator know when you will be able to be in Chattanooga.  All incoming Residents/Fellowship will be required to attend a mandatory GME orientation on June 10th from 9 to 11am in the Erlanger Probasco Auditorium. You must contact your Program Coordinator immediately if you are unable to start orientation on June 10th.

You will be receiving your orientation schedule soon and should have already received the first GME Onboarding Checklists with login instructions to access those through our web-based New Innovations Residency Management platform. Please make every effort to complete all pre-arrival assignments and contact your residency/fellowship coordinator if you are unable to complete these requirements on-time. 

We will be deploying the remaining 5-6 Onboarding Checklists before the end of April. 

Also, we will be distributing our overall GME and Program Orientation Schedules soon so you will have a clear picture of expectations you will need to meet.  In-person, required Orientation sessions will begin on June 10 and will continue throughout June. Departments will offer numerous smaller program-level, in-person sessions (e.g., boot camps, team building exercises, etc.).  We will have in-person communication simulation sessions, as well as opportunities for you to complete computerized BLS, ACLS, and PALS (for those rotating in Pediatrics.  Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, and Urology Residents are required to complete ATLS training in a 2-day in-person course on June 13 and 14. 

Please check back via this page frequently for the most current information.   We will distribute a separate schedule for Fellows beginning August 1.

You can begin making appointments now for your immunization screening and pre-employment drug screens, OSHA respirator mask fit tests, etc., at Erlanger Express Care on Market Street) to begin as early as Monday, April 29, 2024.  If you are unable to undergo a physical examination before moving to Chattanooga, you can also call and schedule that at the same Erlanger Express Care visit at a discounted cash rate ($65) if you are not covered by your current health insurance at the time.  A detailed Orientation Schedule will be posted via a green button to the right as soon as it is finalized.

  • You will receive your Erlanger login information prior to our orientation sessions.  Once we have emailed that information to you, we ask that you please stop by your Program Coordinator's office so you can log into your Erlanger email account on a computer connected to the Erlanger network.  You will use you initial credentials and then be able to change your password to something you will remember.  You should be able to set up your access to patient care information from outside the Erlanger network and even be able to access your Erlanger email through a Webmail link.  We will also schedule some time during orientation for you to bring your laptop, tablet, and phone to get help if needed from the Erlanger IT technicians.
  • We have scheduled our GME Institutional Orientations for Thu and Fri, June 27 and 28, 2024 at Erlanger.  We will have your official UT white coats and a professional photographer who will take official photos for our website.  Details will be on our published schedule.
  • In partnership with Erlanger, the UTHSC College of Medicine - Chattanooga has scheduled a welcome event for you and your families at the Tennessee Aquarium on the evening of Tue, June 25, 2024 (probably 6 - 9 pm). You will be able to walk through the Aquarium as well as enjoy dinner.  All Faculty, Residents, Fellows, and Administrative Staff will be invited, you are encouraged to attend!

Tennessee Aquarium - skyline at night

We thank you for all the work you will be doing during April, May, and June to be prepared and ready to begin this next step in your GME training.  

Orientation Schedules and Details

Again, we are excited about the next academic year, and we look forward to setting you up for success in our GME Programs.

Please check back frequently to ensure you are familiar with updates about the GME Orientation Schedule for 2024.

The 2023 GME Orientation Schedule is available below to give you a good idea about what you will be expected to attend.  

Example:  GME Orientation Schedule (from June 2023)GME Fast FactsGME Program LengthsGME Salary/BenefitsErlanger Health  websiteChattanooga Apartment GuideHomes and Land Magazine for Chattanooga and North GeorgiaChattanooga LivingChattanooga VideoVisit Chattanooga:  Spring Events 2024Living in Chattanooga - Training at ErlangerWhy Chattanooga?

Requirements:

All incoming residents and fellows must -- 

  1. Give permission for and pass a Criminal Background Check (online) through a third party company called the "Cora Croup."
  2. Pass a drug screen, mask fit test, 2-TB skin tests, and immunization screening (including necessary titers and immunizations) performed by the Erlanger Employee Health arm of Erlanger Express Care.  Erlanger Health System, your primary clinical training site and our major affiliated partner, requires proof of COVID-19 vaccination (or a request for medical or religious exemption).  Male residents and fellows must be clean- or close shaved in order that the respirator will be able to seal for the OSHA-required mask fit test which would be used in negative pressure patient rooms.
  3. Document a physical exam conducted since January 2024, and have a health statement form stating that the resident/fellow is physically and mentally fit to begin duty in our residency program. The form must be signed by a U.S. licensed physician.  Residents or Fellows may not conduct and sign the physical exam/health statement form for one another.  If you do not have a primary care physician and cannot get the physical exam done prior to July 1, you will be able to contact Erlanger Express Care to schedule a physical exam earlier this upcoming Spring (at your own cost: $65).
  4. You can begin scheduling appointments for your pre-employment drug screen, mask fit-tests, TB skin tests, and immunization screening, as well as physical exams if you cannot get one otherwise as early as April 29, 2024.

You will receive emails to log into our secure, web-based Residency Management Information system (New Innovations) and complete several onboarding checklists and upload required documents during the next few months.  You must complete all checklists and upload all required documentation by June 14, 2023 in order to be eligible for the GME Orientation and Electronic Communication Stipends on your July 2023 paycheck on the last working day of the month (a total of $950).  In addition, you must also attend all required certification training, Department Orientation Sessions, and GME Institutional Orientations Sessions in order to receive those Orientation Stipends as well.

Everyone is working to find creative ways to meet our requirements and ensure a smooth transition to your residency and fellowship programs. We will keep you posted about changes.

Other Key Points to Remember:

You will be an employee of the University of Tennessee and not our affiliated hospital, Erlanger.  Please be aware that your first official day of residency/fellowship training will be Monday, July 1, 2024, unless you have already been given a later start date by your Program Director.   Fellows in Cardiovascular Disease, Emergency Medical Services, Primary Care Sports Medicine, and Gastroenterology also start on July 1, 2024.  Surgical Fellows, including Colon and Rectal Surgery, Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery, and Vascular Surgery, have a start date of August 1, 2024.  

Life support certification: Depending on your specialty, you will need to obtain BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP, ALSO, and/or ATLS certification before you officially begin your residency or fellowship on July 1. If you can obtain the required certifications prior to July 1 at your medical school or current training program, you will just need to send the GME Office a copy of your certification cards denoting dates of certification (email to your Program Coordinator.  

We will send specific information about the certification training each of you are required to complete as soon as plans are finalized.

Please let us know if there is anything else with which we can assist you.  Welcome to Chattanooga, UT, and Erlanger!

Apr 11, 2024