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Welcome to the Office of

Graduate Medical Education at

The Western Pennsylvania Hospital/

Temple University School of Medicine

Clinical Campus


 

Welcome to the Office of Graduate Medical Education at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital/Temple University School of Medicine Clinical Campus!

Please click on one of the following for additional information:

Institutional Commitment to Graduate Medical Education
Medical education is a major component of the mission of West Penn Hospital. It is our commitment that the conduct of graduate medical education programs furthers the Hospital's mission of providing the highest quality medical care and service to our patients and supports our mission of educating future generations of physicians to serve our community.

We hereby commit ourselves to offer graduate medical education programs in which physicians in training develop personal, clinical, and professional competence under the guidance and careful supervision of the faculty and staff. The programs will assure the safe, appropriate, and humane care of patients and the progression of resident physician responsibility consistent with each trainee’s demonstrated clinical experience, knowledge, and skill. The Western Pennsylvania Hospital will encourage scholarly activity by its faculty and residents, and will facilitate biomedical and clinical research by its staff.

Graduate medical education programs at West Penn Hospital emphasize coordinated delivery of care with community orientation and take advantage of cooperative opportunities to work with other educational institutions to fulfill mutual educational roles.

 About the Office of Graduate Medical Education at West Penn Hospital
The staff of the Office of Graduate Medical Education at West Penn Hospital is responsible for the oversight of all residency and fellowship programs at the Hospital to ensure compliance with accreditation standards set by the Accreditation Council on Graduation Medical Education (ACGME), Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME), and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). In addition to our oversight responsibilities, we facilitate the graduate training licenses, visas and orientation requirements for all house staff (residents and fellows).

Although we do not have daily interaction with house staff members, we work very closely with the residency and fellowship program directors and coordinators to ensure that house staff are compliant with ACGME, CPME, AOA, and Hospital regulations. Please feel free to telephone or e-mail us or stop by our office if you have any concerns or problems or just to visit:

 Office of Graduate Medical Education Contact Information
The Office of Graduate Medical Education is located on the second (2nd) floor of the North Tower of The Western Pennsylvania Hospital.

The Office's hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Office's mailing address and telephone and fax numbers are as follows:

The Western Pennsylvania Hospital
Office of Graduate Medical Education
4800 Friendship Avenue, N-2
Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Telephone number: 412-578-6924
Fax number: 412-578-6779

Contact information for the Office of Graduate Medical Education manager and assistant are as follows:

Joanne Maier, Manager
Graduate Medical Education and
Temple University School of Medicine Clinical Campus at West Penn
Telephone: 412-578-6922
E-mail: jmaier@wpahs.org

Dianne Ofcharik, Assistant
Graduate Medical Education
Telephone: 412-578-6924
E-mail: dmofchar@wpahs.org


House Staff Orientation 2008
The staff of the Office of Graduate Medical Education would like to welcome you to The Western Pennsylvania Hospital. In preparation for the start of your residency/fellowship training, you must complete a number of procedures and forms.

A few of the documents must be mailed to your residence; therefore, please immediately notify our office of your current mailing address and telephone number by e-mailing this information to Dianne Ofcharik. Also, please contact Dianne if you are unable to print out any of the forms described.


On-Campus Orientation

House Staff Orientation

Friday, June 27, 2008 (full day)

Attendance is Mandatory!

Watch for e-mails with additional information


You will not be permitted to begin training until you have completed all orientation requirements, including:

  • return of forms (described next) and
  • on-campus orientation June 27.

 

Procedures and Forms


You must complete a number of procedures and return a number of forms – no later than April 4, 2008. Please follow the instructions for each of the following procedures/forms:

Residency Agreement
J1 Visa Sponsorship (if applicable)
H-1B Visa Sponsorship (if applicable)
Pennsylvania State Graduate Training License
Mandatory Health Screening

Parking Permit Application
Lab Coat Order Form
Demographics Form
BCLS and ACLS Certification Form
Authorization to Obtain Consumer Report & Release of Liability (Form Authorizing Criminal Background Check)

You will need Adobe Reader to open the PDF documents.  You can download a free copy at 

Residency Agreement

A residency agreement will be mailed to your residence; therefore, it is very important that you provide the Office of Graduate Medical Education with your current mailing address. Please e-mail your current address to Dianne Ofcharick. After receiving your agreement, read the document, sign page 8 and return the entire signed agreement to the Office of Graduate Medical Education. You will be provided with a copy after all of the administrative signatures have been secured.
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J1 Visa Sponsorship

If you are seeking a J1 visa, you must secure sponsorship through the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). Please contact Dianne if you are planning to apply for a J1 visa.

Initial sponsorship applications can be downloaded from the ECFMG’s website at http://www.ecfmg.org. From the ECFMG homepage, click on “EVSP-ECFMG J-1 Visa Sponsorship,” which will link you to the Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program page.   Then:

  • Locate and click on “J1 Visa Sponsorship Application Materials"
  • Select the link, "Initial Application Materials for ACGME - Accredited Clinical Training Programs"
  • Download a copy of the application.
  • It is highly recommended that you download a copy of the "Reference Guide: that is also available on this site.

J-1 visa applicants are responsible for all expenses incurred as a result of applying for and maintaining their visa status.

After completing all applicable sections, return the application along with all required supporting documents to:

    Dianne Ofcharick, Office of Graduate Medical Education

    The Western Pennsylvania Hospital

    4800 Friendship Avenue

    Pittsburgh, PA 15224.
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H-1B Visa Sponsorship

If you are planning to apply for an H-1B visa, you must currently possess a valid, unexpired ECFMG certificate, as well as passing results on the USMLE Step 1, Step 2 (Step 2CK and Step 2CS, as applicable), and Step 3. Please contact Joanne at jmaier@wpahs.org or by calling 412-578-6922, to discuss your eligibility.
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Pennsylvania Graduate Training License

The Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine regulations do not permit posting the application for the graduate training license on-line; so, an application will be mailed to your residence. Be sure to e-mail Dianne in the Office of Graduate Medical Education at dmofchar@wpahs.org with your current mailing address. A Graduate Training License can take several months to be approved and issued. It is of the utmost importance that you complete the application and all of its corresponding components immediately on receipt. Incoming house staff (residents and fellows) are responsible for payment of license application fees during their first year at West Penn Hospital.

If you are currently a resident training in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, please contact your residency program coordinator or the Office of Graduate Medical Education to secure your training license renewal form. Renewal forms are usually mailed to training institutions in late March/early April. You will need to answer all of the questions on the form, sign it, provide the required fee, and mail it to the Office of Graduate Medical Education at West Penn.

If you do not currently have a Pennsylvania Graduate Training License but have been issued one in the past for prior training, please e-mail Dianne Ofcharick and include the dates of issue as well as the training license number. We will then request a renewal form from the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine and mail it to you for completion.
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Mandatory Health Screening

Under the terms of the residency agreement, all new house staff are required to have a health screening examination, including but not limited to a drug and alcohol screen as well as various lab tests, prior to the start of training at West Penn Hospital. Please read the Mandatory Health Screening document. This document explains the types of testing and the processes for meeting these requirements.
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Parking Permit Application

The Western Pennsylvania Hospital provides free parking to all house staff for the duration of their agreement. A parking permit will be issued to you at the on-site orientation session in June. To expedite the process, please click to download the Parking Permit Application, print it out, complete it, and return it to the Office of Graduate Medical Education by April 4, 2008.
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Lab Coat Order Form

The Office of Graduate Medical Education at West Penn Hospital provides each new resident or fellow with two lab coats. The lab coats are embroidered with the trainee’s name and program. Please access and print a copy of the appropriate order form – Men’s Lab Coat Order Form  or Women’s Lab Coat Order Form, complete the form, and return it to the Office of Graduate Medical Education by April 4, 2008.
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Demographics Form

Information you provide on the Demographics Form will be entered in West Penn's residency database tracking system (maintained by the Office of Graduate Medical Education) as well as the Human Resources Department's database of newly hired employees. Please print a copy of the form, provide the information requested, and mail the completed form to the Office of Graduate Medical Education no later than April 4, 2008.
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BCLS and ACLS Certification Form

All house staff must maintain valid/unexpired Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification status throughout the duration of their training. To help ensure compliance, the Hospital sponsors BCLS and ACLS courses. Please print a copy of the BCLS/ACLS Certification form, respond to the questions, and return the form to the Office of Graduate Medical Education no later than April 4, 2008.

You will receive an email in the future alerting you to check this Web site for additional BCLS/ACLS course details.
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Criminal Background Check

Under the terms of the residency agreement, all new house staff are required to complete and pass all aspects of the Hospital’s employment screening procedures, including but not limited to reference checks and criminal background check. Please print and complete the Authorization to Obtain Consumer Report & Release of Liability form. Return the form to the Office of Graduate Medical Education no later than April 4, 2008.
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