The official urology program at Hackensack University Medical Center may be relatively new, but we have been teaching rotating residents from surrounding institutions for over 20 years. And we found it so rewarding that the natural next step was to build our own program. That dream became a reality in 2018, and we graduated our first matched resident this past July.

Uniquely situated in a bustling small city just outside of New York City, our hospital boasts a diverse patient population, a large surgical volume, and some of the nation’s most experienced robotic surgeons. Our geographical area is affordable, convenient, and safe, offering quick access to New York City, major airports, beaches, and mountains.

The program itself provides many benefits, including frequent conference travel for our residents, robust wellness initiatives, tech allowance, representation of all specialties, and strong faculty support. Our residents enjoy being part of a busy service and are always open to answering questions about life as a Hackensack resident; feel free to contact them via Twitter/X!

But the benefits don’t end there.

Onsite at the main campus, you will find a brand new surgical tower filled with the latest in robotic technology, a spa (ooh la la), and our hidden secret—a gem of a cafeteria. Day after day, our cafeteria workers put out some pretty serious culinary specials. You may believe that your beloved hospital cafeteria may rival ours, but we are confident ours is the best.

While we are exceptionally proud of all that our cafeteria offers, nothing on the menu is as beloved as the oatmeal.

Granted, oatmeal may not sound exciting, but the oatmeal at Hackensack Hospital has inspired a devoted following. New employees are asked, “Are you an oatmeal person? No? Try it anyway.” The local police department frequently sends a squad car around and tasks one of the deputies with acquiring enough for the morning shift. New moms in the maternity ward are encouraged to order it. Does it look special? No. Is it amazing, and is everyone here pretty much obsessed with it? Yes.

Nobody knows what makes it tastes so good or what our cafeteria does that is different than the hundreds of others that make oatmeal every morning, but we accept our good fortune.

Figure. Residents Katerina Lembrikova (postgraduate year 2) and Ji Whae Choi (postgraduate year 1) enjoy some of the beloved cafeteria oatmeal.

It leads me to wonder… Is there an item in every hospital that commands such affection? Does one claim to have the best burrito in America? Perfect pizza? The most tantalizing tostones? Delectable donuts? Amazing apple pie? What amazing dishes could be hiding in hospital cafeterias across this great nation? I’m sure you may be thinking, “No, our cafeteria is the best. How could their amazing oatmeal be better than our special dish?”

Well, there is only one way to find out. Send us a pic of the food that drives everyone in your hospital wild. What does your cafeteria do better than any other? Tell us a bit about your program too, but don’t forget to include that one special item your cafeteria has created or even perfected.

We may soon have a food fight on our hands…