Welcome, everyone, to sunny and vibrant Tampa Bay!

On behalf of the University of South Florida’s Emergency Residency Family, we are thrilled to bring you up to speed on all the exciting developments in our program.

As we embark on a new academic cycle, we can’t help but take a stroll down memory lane. In the late summer of 2022, we introduced our inaugural Intern Retreat—a tradition that has now become an annual highlight. This event takes place during our Intern Orientation Month and is designed to foster strong bonds among co-residents right from the start of their residency journey. The retreat has been a resounding success, creating lasting memories for all participants. Over the summer, we also welcomed some new faces to our EM Family. Dr. Jason Wilson became our new Division Chief. Veronica Rodriguez is our new EM Residency Family Program Coordinator, and finally, Dr. John Kiel will lead our EM expansion into the Sports Medicine world!

Moving into the fall, our interview season was a blend of virtual social gatherings and in-person meet-and-greets, featuring events like Friendsgiving and our beloved Gasparilla Pirate Party. We were thrilled to match with a fantastic group of interns who have seamlessly integrated into the fast-paced environment of the Tampa General Emergency Department in 2023.

Beyond the clinical realm, our residents are staying active with exciting extracurricular activities. Whether it’s singing along with Taylor Swift, dancing to Beyonce’s beats, or passionately supporting the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers alongside our event medicine group and Tampa Bay Fire & EMS crews, we’re keeping the energy high. We’ve also been involved with AeroMed and participated in the Hillsborough County Annual Mass Disaster Drill.

On the academic front, our teams have competed in the SAEM SonoGames, and this year we have a team gearing up for ACEP’s SIMwars—a true testament to our residents’ skills and teamwork. Two of our residents took home awards at SAEM too! We’re proud of our residents who continue to contribute to research and attend various conferences, including Symposium by the Sea, SAEM, Life After Residency, and ACEP. Our third-year residents are particularly excited to take on ACEP, which is always a program highlight.

SAEM Resident Awards:

Best Clinical Vignette: Samuel Harris, PGY-3 USF EM Resident; “Esophageal Stent Migration diagnosed with Point of Care Ultrasound”

Best Resident Project: Andrew Rice, PGY-2 USF EM Resident; “Characterization of out-of-hospital and Emergency Department Cardiac Arrests at Tampa General Hospital”

We’re also thrilled to maintain our commitment to International Medicine opportunities in Tanzania and New Zealand. Three of our senior residents participated this past year, and we’re eager to keep this enriching experience available to future residents.

As we transition into late Spring, we look forward to the upcoming In-Training Examination (ITE), followed by our annual Difficult Airway Day at the CAMLS Sim Center, along with our advanced procedures day.

Thank you for being a part of our journey, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for our program and its incredible residents. As we approach the start of the 2023 Interview season, we wish all the applicants the best, and we cannot wait to meet you all!

 Sincerely,

Autumn Bass, DO

USF EM Chief Resident, PGY-3