Courtney Knieriem

Emergency Medicine Resident at Rutgers Community Medical Center

Congratulations to Courtney Knieriem for matching into her top choice, an Emergency Medicine residency. Courtney graduated from Georgia Southern University with a Biology major, and  a minor in both Chemistry and Music Technology. Capitalizing on these  interests before medical school she both worked in a music store repairing guitars and assisted an eye surgeon as a surgical technician. “I actually functioned as an optometrist in the eye surgeon’s office, and he ended up being a huge mentor and encouraged me to go to medical school.”

Your Saba Experience:

“Saba was a very welcoming environment for me. The anatomy program was tough as it was the first course that I had in med school, but it was awesome and we worked on actual cadavers. My infectious disease professor was one of the best professors I have ever had. She really solidified the concepts for me and was really great. My two roommates are now my best friends.”

Career Goal:

Having the opportunity to see different hospital settings during her clinical rotations, Courtney said “it was worth its weight in gold.” She found the opportunity to network with myriad attending physicians in different hospital settings incredibly valuable. “I saw how different emergency rooms function, with separate hospital policies and practices for each teaching program. They are so varied, and it was a gift to learn from each one.”

About Your Match:

Following her love of the outdoors and emergency medicine, Courtney chose to take a ‘Medicine in the Wild’ elective offered in conjunction with Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency. The elective included both classroom education and a three week backpacking and wilderness expedition in New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness. Loving the experience she also secured a letter of recommendation from one of the Harvard professors teaching the course. She just matched into an Emergency Medicine residency at Rutgers Community Medical Center, her top choice. “It’s right on the ocean too. I couldn’t be happier.”