Junior Resident

PGY1

First and foremost, focus on building a strong clinical foundation in emergency medicine (EM) and get comfortable in your new role as a physician. This should be your priority. Once you feel more settled in and confident in your day-to-day work, you can start looking for opportunities to explore disaster medicine within your program. Some residencies have optional tracks or structured electives in disaster medicine, but many don't. If yours does, now is the time to connect with faculty or senior residents in that space. If your program doesn't have a dedicated track or disaster-trained faculty, don't be discouraged - there are often adjacent mentors. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) faculty, hospital emergency management leads, or even nursing/clinical operations directors may all play important roles in disaster preparedness and can provide mentorship. Disaster medicine attracts a multidisciplinary crowd, so keep your eyes open for leadership beyond physicians.

Finding a good mentor, or a few, is key. Talk to as many people as you can to get a sense of the breadth of the field - academic, operational, prehospital, global, policy-oriented. Take advantage of journal clubs or any local/regional conferences you can attend and start dipping your toes into the national scene when possible. Every conversation helps build your perspective and your network.

PGY2

By now you've found your rhythm as an emergency physician. This is the year to expand your involvement in disaster medicine. Start planning ahead for elective or selective time and think intentionally about how you want to use it. This is also a good stage to start stepping into leadership roles. If your program doesn't already have a disaster medicine interest group, consider starting one with faculty support. You can organize activities like expert talks, journal clubs, or skills workshops that will benefit your peers while growing your own expertise.

This is also the right time to get more involved in research. Look for a project that connects with your particular interests - whether it's preparedness, deployment and humanitarian response, or operational planning and response. If opportunities are limited locally, reach out to the American College of Emergency Physician's (ACEP) Disaster Medicine Interest Group or SAEM's Disaster Medicine Interest Group; both can connect you to faculty, projects, and mentorship.

National conferences are another step forward. If you haven't attended yet, try to go this year. These meetings are invaluable for expanding your network, learning about fellowship options, and connecting with senior residents or fellows who can offer advice and opportunities.

Finally, start layering in formal disaster medicine education. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers a range of free online, self-paced courses that give you foundational knowledge. Once you've completed some of those, you can plan to apply for more advanced, hands-on courses at FEMA training centers for your PGY-3/4 years during elective time.

By the end of your PGY-2 year, you should have a clearer sense of where your interests lie. Start pulling together a list of fellowship programs that fit those interests, and don't hesitate to have informal conversations with fellowship directors. Learning about their niche focus areas now will make your future application process more intentional and tailored.