Does anyone have any reason (excluding location) to pick one over the other for residency training? As far as I can tell, they both seem like very comparable programs, and so the only criteria I'm using to differentiate the two is location.

Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks.

UCSD is generally regarded as a stronger program, on a different level than UCD. However, they are both solid programs. I would say just go where you got the best feel.

I didn't interview at UC Davis, but one thing that impressed me a lot about UCSD (aside from the location and weather) was the sense that they had a lot of resources and were growing a lot, and the university seems very invested and interested in building its reputation as a leader in the scientific community. The facilities were modern and I got the sense that it's big enough that anyone could find their niche there and depending on your interests, if there was something you wanted to do during residency (e.g. a research project, an elective opportunity, etc), that they had the size, resources, and interest to help make it work out for you. that was my general impression. plus they seem pretty fond of their PD....I usually have to buy someone dinner before I feel comfortable enough to call them "brownie".

ok, bad joke.

i realize usnews and other rankings are not liked on many of these forums, but i have to say that the amount of NIH $$$ going to UCSD is seriously impressive. on interview day, they claimed to have the highest NIH funding per PI for internal medicine- (i'm not sure if there's an easy way to figure out how many int med PI's there are in each institution- not on the NIH website). i got the impression a lot of this was going into their VA research programs.

i also got the overall impression that the residents were getting worked! if i remember correctly, ~5 of the recent graduates took an extra year as a hospitalist before beginning onc fellowships, and when i asked about this i was told that many of them wanted a chance to enjoy the area (something that didn't happen that much during residency).

definitely a solid program all in all- will be way up on my list.

<FYI, I'm cutting my old post about this topic (from 2/20/2007) and adding it here to eliminate unnecessary threads.>

Hey everyone,

What are peoples' thoughts about these two residency programs? I'm having a tough time deciding on which to rank higher and I would love to hear your perceptions about them both.

Thanks for any insight you can provide! For the record, here are my views...

UC Davis
Teaching: Teaching is done but on a more case-by-case and "as needed basis." No specific structure outside of conferences/morning reports. One resident suggested that there is not much of a pressure/need to study as frequently as one might hope that a resident should study (that make any sense?)

Residents: Seem like an amazing group of people, generally very happy and work well together. Nice cohort.

Rapport with other services: Uncertain of how different services get along with each other. Not much comment about this.

Program Director: Dr. Henderson is amazing, really cares about the program and his residents. The program is receptive to the resident's concerns/criticisms, and makes positive changes as needed.

Other tidbits: May be starting a "Health Policy" track for residents in their 2nd and 3rd years; May be collaboration with UCSF to increase Global Health resources/projects for the residents.

Sacramento: I grew up here, not that exciting itself but I haven't been back for the past 10 years! Lot more traffic now compared to before. Cost of living is great! Has a lot to offer in regards to proximity of other places (ie, Bay Area, Tahoe, Napa Valley). There is also a good "outdoors" place with bike trails, hiking. And it's the capitol of California, so someone interested in health policy/advocacy can have wonderful exposure to this aspect of health care.

UCSD
Teaching: There is a good amount of teaching conducted at UCSD, regardless of the service and location (VA vs UCSD Hillcrest vs Thornton). Aside from conferences/morning reports, there are structured didactic and lecture sessions with you team attending during call days and some pre-call days.

Residents: Most of the residents seem happy, although there are a few that are tired and just want to take it easy. The residents are all very competent, reading up on disease processes, and seem like a great cohort. Not sure how well they interact with each other outside of the hospital.

Rapport with other services: In general, good rapport with other services. Minimal "dumping" from one service to another.

Program Director: Dr. Schoene is amazing, very energetic and enthusiastic about the program, with teaching, and with maximizing resident training. I heard rumors that he may be stepping down, but I am not sure about this.

Other tidbits: Excellent HIV/AIDS service. Excellent ICU service. International Health exposure abundant. Ancillary services are FANTASTIC at UCSD Hillcrest, okay at the VA.

San Diego: It's beautiful, costly depending on where you want to live, but is amazing for people who like the outdoors. The Night Life is lacking somewhat, although that's okay with me.