Wellstar Health System-Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center Program

Program Identity & Fit

Wellstar Kennestone is a community-based, ACGME-accredited 3-year EM residency built around one of the highest-volume emergency departments in the country (150,000+ annual visits, 7th nationally) at a Level I trauma center, producing heavy procedural exposure and case complexity typically associated with academic tertiary centers but delivered in a community-hospital culture emphasizing hands-on autonomy and one-on-one teaching. Rotations span adult and pediatric EM, critical care, trauma, EMS, anesthesia, OB/GYN, and ultrasound, with a spaced-repetition block curriculum and simulation center supporting procedural skill-building. Career outcomes lean toward community EM practice, with about 25% pursuing fellowship or academics and a notable pattern of graduates returning to Kennestone as faculty, alongside an in-house ApolloMD administrative fellowship pathway (Executive MBA plus operations/leadership training) for those drawn to ED administration. The program's residents and alumni skew toward community-medicine, EMS, ultrasound, and administrative/operational interests rather than bench research, and many are Georgia-tied osteopathic or regional MD graduates.