Family Medicine

HackensackUMC Mountainside Family Medicine Residency Program is exactly what I need to be a competent and successful Family Medicine physician. As early as my interview I recognized that I connected deeply with the program because of the diversity of the residents in each class and the culture of collegiality, good fellowship, and support. As a resident, I now get to experience this first-hand. I also appreciate the guidance and goal-oriented collaboration each resident receives from every faculty member, senior and co-resident.

What appeals to me about the specialty of Family Medicine is the emphasis on caring for patients holistically. To care for a patient is to understand the person: who they are, where they come from, what’s important to them. That’s what it means to truly care. HackensackUMC Mountainside Family Medicine Residency Program stands out to me because it is a program that truly cares. Everyone in the program cares deeply about their patients, and equally as important, they care about each other.

Having been born and raised in NY my entire life, I knew I wanted to stay close to home. But after my interview with HackensackUMC Mountainside Family Medicine Residency Program, I immediately knew this would become a second home. Despite the challenges of virtual interviews, I could instantly appreciate how supportive and welcoming the staff, faculty and senior residents were and that support only became more apparent after starting my residency.

From online research and word of mouth, I knew Mountainside had a lot to offer in terms of medical and professional training. Additionally, during my time there as a medical student, I saw that in addition to excellent training they had genuinely supportive attendings, residents, and staff who truly wanted to see everyone succeed. I am also glad to be close to my family and friends in NJ for these next 3 years, and happy to have found a new family in the HackensackUMC Mountainside Family Medicine Residency Program.

Although the interview was virtual, choosing the HackensackUMC Mountainside Family Medicine Residency Program was very easy. It is one thing to know the amount of knowledge and experience of the faculty, but quite another to realize their level of commitment to the residents’ training and growth. This was obvious when I spoke with the current residents who were genuinely very happy with their training at Mountainside. I was impressed by this well-organized program, and how it incorporated the residents’ wellness into its curriculum.