Ryan Sugarman, MD ’13

Specialty: Internal Medicine

Hometown: Stony Brook, NY

Ryan Sugarman, MD ’13, was drawn to Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine because of its innovative model and the enthusiasm from the leadership he had not experienced in any other interview while choosing a medical school.

Dr. Sugarman matched at his first choice, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Hospital, NY, specializing in internal medicine. According to Dr. Sugarman, “A typical workload for a first-year resident includes covering a list of 10 patients and cross-covering 70 patients, all the while continuing medical education through conferences and teaching rounds. This requires not only intimate knowledge of each patient, a focused plan of care and adequate foresight to determine the patient’s treatment goals (i.e. home, nursing home, rehabilitation facility, etc.), but also triaging and rushing to care for the sickest patients and keeping the others stable while their primary team is not in the hospital.”

Early on, Dr. Sugarman received praise for his effort from his program’s chiefs and social workers, who are pleased with his discharge plans and instructions for continued outpatient care. When asked how he felt his Geisinger Commonwealth education prepared him for this experience, he replied, “I attribute this success to the Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) of Geisinger Commonwealth, which stressed importance of continuity of care in a patient-centered model.”

His advice to current students: “I would encourage future alumni to embrace the unique curriculum of Geisinger Commonwealth as an opportunity to gain experiences no other third- or fourth-year medical student can. This includes deep connections made by directly working with medical attending physicians early on and following a family’s medical care plan from their home." He adds, “If you are organized, can prioritize tasks and have a positive attitude, you will find success in residency. So practice these skills any chance you get as a medical student.”