Residency Life

I often get asked, what made me choose Underwood Memorial Hospital? For me, it was a no brainier; before even going in for my interview I knew UMH was right for me. Located in Woodbury, New Jersey, just ten minutes outside of Philadelphia. It is the best of both worlds a medium sized community hospital and small town feel combined with a big city close by.

Underwood Memorial Hospital offers one residency program, Family Practice, thus providing an ideal environment for individualized and focused residency training. Often times there is only one resident on a rotation, i.e. Cardiology, ICU, GI or OB, resulting in more individualized and direct contact with the attending physician as oppose to many other programs where there may be 5-6 residents per rotation. This individualized structure of many rotations allows each resident to get excellent practice and focused patient care and follow up. All of our attending physicians are very approachable, whether it may be regarding a case, or just to discuss the recent Eagles or Phillies game. Additionally, there are plenty of opportunities to assist and even perform certain procedures, such as, joint injections, mole resections, lipoma resections, vasectomies, and many more. I feel confident that I will be proficient in these procedures as many attending physicians are always thorough and patient with each resident to ensure that the resident knows and is able to perform the procedure inside and out.

Each resident has his or her unique traits which give the program much diversity but yet provides a family feel. Denise Kemp, the residency coordinator, is always available to help and is referred to as the ‘residency mom’. She always has our rotation schedule ready and keeps us on track with scheduled meeting, and up coming events. I remember my first day of my intern year, I was overwhelmed but never did I feel alone, as all the faculty members worked together to make sure that step by step, I became confident and familiar with daily logistics to the point that within a week or so, I felt like I really contributed to the success of the program. Now as an upper level resident, I do the same. In fact this is one of the many strengths of why our residency program is so terrific, strong teamwork and camaraderie.

The residency program superior teaching is evident everyday. Each morning residents meet for one hour of lecture or case review during morning report. Residents share their experiences and seek input from each other and attending physicians. Brain-storming, suggestions, and improvements are always welcome and changes are quickly implemented. There’s a strong team atmosphere among the residents and faculty, we all work hard, but also take time to unwind. Often you’ll catch residents in the cafeteria discussing weekend plans or making a date to meet at local restaurants, or BBQ, with family and friends.

I am currently in my second year of Family Practice Residency here at Underwood Memorial Hospital. I look forward to new rotations this year, and working along side the new interns. I know that by the end of my residency training I will be prepared for practice in family medicine.

I’m here to answer any questions you have about the program, residency life, or the faculty. If you come to visit the program, say hi. Please feel free to email me at dr.g@inbox.com, I look forward to meeting you!

Mark Grzeskowiak M.D.
PGY 2, 2008-2009