For Immediate Release
June 9, 2003
Contact: Robert Cavanaugh
732-632-1586
Life as a Resident At the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute
Edison, NJ - On June 11, 33 year old Maria Ionita, M.D. of Edison will be celebrating the culmination of years of hard work as she completes her neurology residency at the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute (NJNI) of JFK Medical Center. As Chief Resident, Dr. Ionita has earned her leadership position within her graduating class, but she is the first to admit that her medical education is only the beginning of the journey.
The journey is a road paved with hard work that offers great rewards, the greatest of which for Ionita is that she accomplished her dream. She doesn’t claim that she’s always wanted to be a neurologist... it only truly hit her once she began rotations in medical school. But when she did discover it, she knew it was for her... and in the way she describes neurology like a constellation of signs and symptoms, one can sense she has found her calling.
“We all have dreams. This one was mine.” She notes that fulfillment comes not from the dream but from achieving one’s desires, professional or otherwise.
After earning her medical degree from Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in her native Bucharest, Romania, Ionita came to NJNI because it matched her professional intentions and offered solid training. With the perspective of three years behind her, she can now define what constituted that ideal match. Beyond NJNI’s capabilities with its excellent faculty, educational and technical resources…for Ionita, it was an atmosphere that discovered and nurtured her potential. And that educational nurturing is what has prepared her not just for graduation, but also for her professional life. Ionita will be joining a private neurology practice in Delaware soon after graduation.
But when you’re in the midst of that education, it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. People might wonder what life is like as a resident…is it like what you see on E.R. and other TV shows? She describes the frequent long hours, and the nights spent sleeping in the hospital. But she then comments that these hours are fewer than residents worked a decade ago, when one couldn’t even be guaranteed a 24-hour period off in the course of a week. But it remains long days of work and study filled with intense pressure. She laughs at the phrase “personal life” as if to question its existence. “But all the hours, all the effort,” says Ionita, “prepare you for your professional life.”
One accomplishment Ionita is particularly proud of is her presentation at the annual neurophysiology meeting in New Orleans. There she presented to what she calls “some of the biggest minds in the field.” The sense of satisfaction is clear in her voice, the gratitude that her education prepared her well, developing her capabilities to the level they have.
That road is just beginning for a number of new residents at NJNI. Somerset resident Mohammad Sajed, 27 is one of them, having just completed his first year at NJNI. Sajed chose NJNI for its comprehensive education and the ability to work with so many subspecialties. Sajed, who’s chosen to specialize in stroke and neuro-critical care, expected the program to be a challenge. He knew that all the challenges are a necessary part of an education. “Still, it’s been harder than I ever imagined.”
Ionita offers her advice to new residents. “Be prepared to work hard.” She notes that you have to take it seriously to understand why it demands so much of the students. “Learn as much as you can.” It is, after all, a chance to be exposed to a range of interests and an opportunity to learn from the best. “And just remember, it will all be over soon enough,” she adds with a lilt in her voice. And with the end of one road, begins another.
The New Jersey Neuroscience Institute at JFK Medical Center is a comprehensive facility designed exclusively for the diagnosis, treatment, and research of complex neurological disorders in adults and children. Services offered at the Institute include programs in spine and brain tumors, dizziness and balance disorders, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, stroke, and movement disorders. As a department of Seton Hall University's School of Graduate Medical Education, NJNI serves as the clinical setting for SHU's residency training in neurology.
Established in 1996, NJNI’s comprehensive three-year residency program is structured to provide residents with a solid foundation in neurology, with rotations through JFK Medical Center in Edison and St. Francis Hospital in Trenton. The Neurology Residency Program accepts four residents per postgraduate year for a rigorous program that combines clinical, academic and research experiences.
For more information on the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute, call 732-321-7950 or visit the facility online at www.njneuro.org.