As part of their onboarding experience, Mount Sinai residents review, via simulation training, how to call a code, how to respond, different roles on the code team, how to manage the hospital patient during a code, and how to communicate efficiently during emergencies.
At 14 sites across the five boroughs of New York City, the Mount Sinai Health System welcomed 950 new residents in late June to its hospital campuses, in addition to Valley Hospital, Elmhurst Hospital, Queens Hospital Center, and the Bronx VA.
“Our incoming class of residents is an extraordinary and talented group of young doctors,” says Michael Leitman, MD, Dean for Graduate Medical Education (GME) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a practicing surgeon.
“We make a big deal out of welcoming them because it is one of the toughest transitions for a medical doctor in training, moving out of the classroom and into the real world. I remember it well because there are so many firsts, including the moment your first patient calls you ‘doctor.’ You realize how much responsibility is on your shoulders,” says Dr. Leitman. First year residents, previously called “interns,” will practice medicine under the guidance of an attending physician for three to seven years, depending on their chosen specialty.
“We make a big deal out of welcoming them because it is one of the toughest transitions for a medical doctor in training, moving out of the classroom and into the real world.” — Michael Leitman, MD, Dean for Graduate Medical Education
The class of 2026 residents are a highly qualified cohort who became residents at Mount Sinai after one of the most competitive years for residency matches, according to Dr. Leitman. The National Resident Matching Program, which oversees the matching of young doctors into residency posts, reported that 53,373 applicants registered for the match this year—competing for 41,126 positions and reflecting a trend of strong growth.
Mount Sinai’s GME program is the largest in the United States, according to Dr. Leitman. Each year, thousands of residents and fellows rotate through its programs, many considered among the best in the country. With more than 250 programs, Mount Sinai provides top-tier educational opportunities in almost every specialty—yet that’s just one of many aspects that makes the Icahn School of Medicine exceptional.
Residents are drawn to Mount Sinai for the wide spectrum of accredited, high-profile GME programs, the opportunity to study in one of more than 350 labs, and to do research in an institution ranked No. 11 for National Institutes of Health funding. The 2026 Doximity Residency Navigator, considered the definitive reference for top residency programs, based on peer nominations, ranks Mount Sinai’s many residency programs at the top.
“I think we’ve created an atmosphere of growth and trust. The residents have each other’s backs, and their faculty mentors really encourage an atmosphere of teamwork, where we all work for each other,” says Michael Leitman, MD.
For Dr. Leitman, much has changed since he began his journey as a medical doctor, including the specialties that future doctors choose.
“When I chose surgery, it was considered an outlier. My colleagues asked, ‘Why surgery, you won’t have enough patients to operate on; medical discoveries are eliminating the need for surgery.’ That couldn’t be farther from the truth,” says Dr. Leitman, who has held several leadership roles in Mount Sinai’s Department of Surgery.
“Radiology was not a draw back then. We all thought of radiology as being isolating, sitting in a dark room and writing reports. It’s now very popular, in large part due to advances in technology, including the introduction of AI,” says Dr. Leitman.
In fact, in addition to Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, Radiology has become one of the most competitive specialties. Mount Sinai offers several top-ranked Radiology specialties, including Interventional Radiology–Integrated, Radiology Nuclear Medicine, and Radiology Diagnostic, all of them top ranked programs.
The culture at Mount Sinai has also changed, and there is now more of an emphasis on physician well-being.
“Since I was a young resident in the 1980s, the opportunities have grown in leaps and bounds. And at Mount Sinai, where we have a robust residency program, the sheer volume of talented residents and fellows means we don’t need to force them to do grueling 24-hour shifts. That was something I grew up with, and I’m glad we were able to move away from that model,” says Dr. Leitman.
“I think we’ve created an atmosphere of growth and trust. The residents have each other’s backs, and their faculty mentors really encourage an atmosphere of teamwork, where we all work for each other,” says Dr. Leitman.
Residents are drawn to Mount Sinai for the wide spectrum of accredited, high-profile GME programs, the opportunity to study in one of more than 350 labs, and to do research in an institution ranked No. 11 for National Institutes of Health funding.
The institution keeps a watchful eye on its residents and faculty and monitors physician wellness through regular surveys, taking corrective steps when the surveys suggest problems, says Dr. Leitman. In fact, Mount Sinai was among the first in the county to publish on post-traumatic stress disorder among graduate medical education trainees. As a result, the program has earned a national reputation for its innovative resources geared toward well-being.
“Physician burnout is a real thing, and we are laser focused on knowing how everyone is doing—from our newest residents to our senior faculty—so we can make changes that will optimize their work life,” says Dr. Leitman. He has found a critical partner in the institution’s Well-Being and Work Experience Core, which runs a robust program geared toward enhancing workplace culture through leadership trainings, coaching efforts, communications tools, and role modeling.
“We will never eliminate all of the challenges of health care, but we can take steps to minimize daily stressors and enhance the lives of our residents so they can focus on their true calling of doctoring,” said Dr. Leitman.