Massachusetts General Hospital

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), incorporated in 1811, is the third oldest voluntary, not-for-profit hospital in the United States and the oldest in New England. It has a bed capacity of approximately 900, and more than 47,000 patients are admitted every year. The Massachusetts General Hospital is the original teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH is a world-renowned research institution and has been consistently named among the top US hospitals by US News and World Report.

The MGH is a Level I Trauma Center, a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, and a Level I Burn Center – one of the only hospitals in the United States to hold all three designations simultaneously. The MGH Emergency Department (ED) cares for 90,000 patients per year, admitting approximately 25% of its Emergency Department patients. An additional 7% of ED visits are admitted to a 14 bed ED-operated Observation Unit. The main ED contains an Acute Unit of 11 beds, which includes rooms for trauma resuscitation, burn resuscitation, pediatric resuscitation, and cardiac care. The Urgent A area has 17 bays for acute adult illness. There is a 5-bed Pediatric Emergency Unit and a 7-bed Fast Track Unit for walk-in patients. A 7 bed Urgent B Unit serves patients with single system acute illness and admitted patient overflow from the other ED units. The MGH also has an Acute Psychiatry Service (APS) to serve a diverse population in treating all manner of psychiatric emergencies. The Emergency Radiology Suite is also located within the ED, incorporating 3 radiology exam rooms, an ultrasound suite, two dedicated multi-detector helical CT scanners, and a dedicated ED MRI. All ED radiology images are handled electronically and can be accessed within the clinical areas by the Emergency Department Information System (EDIS). In addition, two portable ED bedside ultrasound devices under are used routinely for trauma resuscitations, vascular access, bedside abdominal and vascular imaging, and foreign body identification. The ED also provides 24/7 access to the hyperbaric chamber, which is located next door in the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and several ED attendings are certified to provide Hyperbaric Medicine treatment. A full-weather heliport on the roof of the Blake Building allows two helicopters to access the institution simultaneously. Boston MedFlight operates 2 helicopters and is administered jointly through the MGH and Hanscom Air force Base.

As one of the busiest Level I Trauma Centers in Massachusetts, the MGH provides residents with superb experience in managing blunt and penetrating trauma victims. The experience in Pediatric acute care and trauma resuscitation at the MGH complements the pediatric rotations at Children's Hospital and Mount Auburn Hospital. The MGH holds a reputation and role as an internationally recognized tertiary referral center for trauma, pediatrics, vascular, cardiac, critical care, burns, stroke, and neurosurgical emergencies. Equally important is the MGH role as a local city hospital for many Bostonians in the surrounding city, suburbs, and North Shore residents.