University of Michigan Health-West Program

Program Identity & Fit

University of Michigan Health-West's EM residency is a community-based, osteopathic-heavy program in suburban Grand Rapids, built around a high-volume (58,000 annual visits), Level II trauma/stroke-center ED with no advanced practice providers, meaning residents work directly alongside board-certified/eligible attendings in a low resident-to-attending ratio that maximizes procedural and decision-making autonomy. The 36-month curriculum leans heavily on ED time supplemented by ICU, trauma, and pediatric EM blocks at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital and Butterworth Hospital, with a strong internal-faculty pipeline (13 of 15 attendings trained at this same program), reflecting a "grow your own" community-teaching culture rather than a research-driven identity. Research infrastructure exists at the institutional level (IRB, clinical trials consortium, oncology/neurology trials) but is not woven into the EM curriculum itself, indicating research is available rather than central to resident training. Graduates go on to community practice, academic Level I trauma centers, rural practice, and fellowships, suggesting the program values broadly competent, self-directed clinicians over subspecialty-track researchers.