High School: Albertus Magnus class of 2000
Colleges:
Saint Thomas Aquinas College - Honors program, Biology Major/Chemistry Minor, graduated Magna Cum Laude, 2004
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Rockland Community College: Paramedic Program, graduated 2005
New York Medical College: combined MD/MPH, Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, graduated 2011
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For the past 11 years, April has been studying and working her way into one of the most prestigious universities in the country, the Yale School of Medicine sponsored Emergency Medicine Residency training program at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Of the 140 resident applications, only 13 are accepted into the program. April was one of them.
Emergency medicine is a specialty requiring the doctor to care for a patient who requires urgent attention. The goal is to diagnose and stabilize the patient immediately. Seems like a perfect fit for April considering she has seven years experience working as an emergency medical technician (EMT) and a paramedic for Rockland Mobile Care and Rockland Paramedics.
"I worked as a paramedic doing both emergency (911) and non-emergency (inter-facility critical care) work. I worked in the towns of Clarkstown, Ramapo, and Spring Valley. Shifts are 12 hours long, and I worked four days per week. Rockland is a great place to work as a paramedic because we got called to many different places. I have responded to calls on all of the major highways, the Tappan Zee Bridge, Bear Mountain State Park, the Palisades Mall, Harriman State Park, the banks of the Hudson River, hotels, churches, synagogues and restaurants. I was fortunate to work with diverse patient populations and to see some interesting patient presentations. I enjoyed working as a paramedic and was excited to be able to go to medical school to have the chance to advance my career in the field of emergency medicine," said April Tantillo.
While at New York Medical College, she was thrilled to find out that she was eligible to get a Masters in Public Health (MPH) while studying for her MD. She graduated in 2011 with an MD/MPH.
Her residency began in June at Yale-New Haven Hospital and she will finish in 2015.
"My residency program is four years long and at the end, I will be eligible for licensure and will then be able to practice medicine on my own, unsupervised. This year I will be rotating through the ER, labor and delivery, anesthesia, ultrasound, intensive care and orthopedics. The hours are generally 12 hours per day, four to five days per week. Nights, weekends, and holidays are fair game. I will focus on emergency medicine, which is one of the younger specialty fields recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties."
Her dedication to learning is un-relented. As if a MD/MPH and four years of residency isn't enough. April plans to apply for a fellowship when she completes her residency.
"After residency I will most likely pursue a fellowship. Fellowships last anywhere from one to three years for emergency medicine. I am thinking about critical care, pre-hospital emergency medicine (EMS related), pediatric emergency medicine, and global and international health. Luckily, I have four years to narrow down the field."
As busy as she is working long shifts and all hours of the day, night, weekends and holidays, she is still able to enjoy life.
"I am enjoying exploring New Haven in my free time. The shoreline is beautiful and my sister Nicole and I are trying to visit as many state parks and beaches as possible this summer. I enjoy reading—mostly non-fiction—painting, and some very amateur photography. I just finished "Fast Food Nation", "Born to Run" and "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer." I also make it back to Rockland pretty regularly and enjoy seeing my family (Mom, Dad, Nicole and ), frequenting local restaurants and running at Rockland Lake."
Another one of April's interests are cake competition shows on the Food Network. In fact, her sister, Nicole, got her a cake that is the exact replica of her white coat for her graduation from Medical School (see photos). The cake is indeed made from a Food Network cake star.
April continues to accomplish her goals while striving higher. The medical field is fortunate to have her entering their ranks. We will be reading more about this local resident in the future. Best of luck April. Continue to soar!
