Interview experiences

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Hey,

About Cornell: first off, absolutely gorgeous IM office, and they actually provide affordable housing in NYC. The interviews were really laid back--I had one of the old guard who had gone to my med school, then one with the program director (who comes off as slightly aloof during the lunch talk, but then was quite nice during my interview). The faculty were terrific. And if you're interested in oncology, they seem to match most of their residents who're interested at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

The only drawback--it did seem like a few of their patients were private patients, in the full sense of the word (call every morning to find out what the attending wants, then carry it out without question or learning opps).

On the whole, seems like a terrific place! Good luck!

Members don't see this ad.
 
Anthony328 said:
Encourage you all to come see what Univ of Arizona has to offer.


can you give us some insight? are you at Arizona?
 
I agree with Loopo Henle's comments earlier in the thread - Duke is a very impressive program. I was not expecting to like it as much as I did.

The interview day is very well-organized and informative, and I got a chance to talk with residents, interns, and chiefs throughout the day. Had a 30-minute interview with the PD (who is amazing) and a 60-minute interview with a faculty member (who had a strange affect and never really seemed that engaged in the conversation). Between the 2 interviews I was asked maybe 3 questions, none of them difficult to answer.

Stuff I liked: Residents were very happy & seemed like the type of people I would choose for friends & colleagues. A large program, but residents see a lot of one another so they are close-knit. The PD is one of the best I've encountered thus far and I could go on about her all day. The Chair reportedly plays an active role in teaching and helping to obtain fellowships and research funding. Very academic setting. Morning report was one of the best I've seen - residents were expected to know all relevant data, pathophysiology, etc. to back up their statements. High expectations, but in a very supportive environment. The PD told me that some interns take longer to excel in this setting, because everyone's learning curve is different, but she tries to provide the right kind of support for each of them, knowing that eventually they all will rise to the challenge. She said even those who take awhile to adjust are successful in post-residency training and gave me some examples. Fellowship placement is great, most do cards but those who don't seem to have no trouble going where they want. Cost of living is great, weather is temperate (nice change from upstate NY), and I could buy a nice house. The program supplies many perks such as free parking, meals, etc.

Stuff I didn't like: Not sure if it's too hierarchical/traditional for my taste. Would prefer to be in a larger metropolitan area. Would rather there was an ICU rotation as an intern, but that's not a deal-breaker for me.

BTW, dukeblue, I think I figured out who you were unless there was someone else from your school there. We were in the same VA tour group. What did you think of the program?
 
Members don't see this ad :)
BigBadBix said:
I agree with Loopo Henle's comments earlier in the thread - Duke is a very impressive program. I was not expecting to like it as much as I did.

The interview day is very well-organized and informative, and I got a chance to talk with residents, interns, and chiefs throughout the day. Had a 30-minute interview with the PD (who is amazing) and a 60-minute interview with a faculty member (who had a strange affect and never really seemed that engaged in the conversation). Between the 2 interviews I was asked maybe 3 questions, none of them difficult to answer.

Stuff I liked: Residents were very happy & seemed like the type of people I would choose for friends & colleagues. A large program, but residents see a lot of one another so they are close-knit. The PD is one of the best I've encountered thus far and I could go on about her all day. The Chair reportedly plays an active role in teaching and helping to obtain fellowships and research funding. Very academic setting. Morning report was one of the best I've seen - residents were expected to know all relevant data, pathophysiology, etc. to back up their statements. High expectations, but in a very supportive environment. The PD told me that some interns take longer to excel in this setting, because everyone's learning curve is different, but she tries to provide the right kind of support for each of them, knowing that eventually they all will rise to the challenge. She said even those who take awhile to adjust are successful in post-residency training and gave me some examples. Fellowship placement is great, most do cards but those who don't seem to have no trouble going where they want. Cost of living is great, weather is temperate (nice change from upstate NY), and I could buy a nice house. The program supplies many perks such as free parking, meals, etc.

Stuff I didn't like: Not sure if it's too hierarchical/traditional for my taste. Would prefer to be in a larger metropolitan area. Would rather there was an ICU rotation as an intern, but that's not a deal-breaker for me.

BTW, dukeblue, I think I figured out who you were unless there was someone else from your school there. We were in the same VA tour group. What did you think of the program?

I've had a wonderful experience with Duke as well, and it skyrocketed to the top of my list :love: I hope I get in...I'm so excited
 
BigBadBix said:
BTW, dukeblue, I think I figured out who you were unless there was someone else from your school there. We were in the same VA tour group. What did you think of the program?


Ah, to be mistaken for my brother Mr. Dukeblue. Dukeblue is a close homey, but alas, it was none other than Picky Bicky who marched over to the scope to take a gander at the tear drops and spherocytes. Sent you a PM just before reading your full post. Apparently, we agree on many of the Pros/Cons of Duke. Too funny that we sat next to one another at the VA rounds. I had no idea.

I gotta say, being interested in Heme/Onc, the VA service (at least when we were there) was almost entirely Onc patients! Saw alot of Onc at our local VA, but nothing like that.

-PB.
 
yobabydoc said:
can you give us some insight? are you at Arizona?
yes I am finishing up at UA.
Very friendly environment.
Intern year, 9months on call, 1 month vacation, 2wks hospitalist/2 weeks anesthesia, 1month elective
2nd/3rd year 5months on call(including ICU/CCU).
Plenty of opportunities for research in all fields and time to do it.
Three hospitals: university, va, private (may incorporate county hospital by next year)
Strong fellowships, all fields except endocrine.
Location, Tucson: :thumbup:
[Surrounded by mountains and the high Sonoran desert, Tucson boasts a distinctive southwestern look and enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine each year. Close proximity to Mexico, SoCal, Vegas, not to mention other beutiful locations in AZ ie Sedona]
Other questions?
 

Attachments

  • tucson_catalina_mountain.jpg
    tucson_catalina_mountain.jpg
    13.5 KB · Views: 112
Another couple of places..

Hopkins: A very impressive, approachable group of folks, the PD was responsive, personable, and interactive with the applicants during the interview day. 2 morning interviews (which is great the afternoon food coma always kills me!), 30 mins. long, the first was really laid back and conversational (attending) the second a bit more adversarial (didn't want to know about me as much as have me justify why I was there) but nothing like med school interviews. Overall left VERY impressed.

+'s large underserved population, Firm system, large degree of intern autonomy, the tradition that is Hopkins med. (I interviewed there on a Friday- everyone had on their housestaff ties!). Nice comp. order entry/ records system w/ plenty of workspace on the floors. Can't argue w/ fellow placement!

-'s social issues abound, very frontloaded, the area- the hospital itself seemed pretty secure- one of my interviews told me that they brought in a former member of the secret service to run security a few years ago, and things have drastically improved.


UVA:
Cannot say enough great things about this program, was able to check the place out as a visiting student and as an applicant. The day is structured with 2 30min. AM interviews, both were the most relaxed and bi-directional that I have had so far (one w/ the PD). Thrown in w/ AM report and Noon Conf. Out by around 2:30-3:00 w/ tour mixed in.
The PD and the chief resident stress the "esprit de corps" at the program- and I have to say having been there that this is not just a happy face that they put on for interviews. Everyone DOES work together, hang out together, and help eachother share the workload. The PD is very involved with the program and ensuring quality conferences and learining exp. on the wards (again, not just present on interview days!). They only work out of the 1 hosp. in Charlottesville for inpt. w/ no VA affiliate, which could be either +/-, the residents did seem to have ownership and independence in decision making over the patients on the floor (something more stressed in VA hosp.) and were responsible for their own procedures.

And yes, Charlottesville is smaller, but with an amazing amount of restaraunts for the size as well as a lot of cultural opp. with UVA right there. Innumerable outdoor activities, about 10 wineries within a 45 min radius. Housing is exp. for a smaller city, but the area is affordable on a resident's salary (maybe not downtown cville) and turnaround on the market is quick

+'s: great housestaff, PD, Nice facilities, good fellow placement, strong AM report and Noon Conference. Large referral center w/ wide cachment area.

-'s: comp order entry system is a bit archaic, pt. population a bit more homogenous and rural (less HIV, IVDA but they do get them). Chair retiring at end of July- new chair from UCLA's Pulm/CC division.
 
Anyone been to the University of Louisville? What did you think?
 
Pros:
1. Dr. Casper seems like a terrific PD.
2. Easy work hours- gives you time to do your own thing. Told by a third year that he was accustomed to leaving ICU rotation at 11:00 AM??!! Didn't seem like anyone ever pulled >50 hour work week. Kind of works out for both the ambitious and non-ambitious.
3. They put you up in a sweet hotel room before the interview.

Cons:
1. Seemed pretty regional. Everyone else in my interview group was from the south, and married. Didn't get a sense that people hang out a whole lot.
2. Rotating at multiple hospitals could be a possible hassle even though it's touted as a strength
 
When I interview, I assume every program is on its best behavior. If I'm left unimpressed on my interview day (as in WashU, for example), I have ZERO confidence that things would get better once I'm there. Chill all ye WashU people, this is not a slam against the program or an assassination on its reputation. WashU is just not the right place for me. There, the dead horse is beaten to a pulp now. :p

Fermi, as you might imagine the money and power issues involved in a major hospital project resulted in some infighting and a few people left/got sacked. The PD is not so much being replaced as he's decreasing his involvement and one of the assistant PD's is stepping up.

UW:
The most freakin' boring interview day EVER. Hours upon hours of different people asking "do you have any questions?" The program is okay. My morning report had one chief, four residents, and eight appliants. No interns (who apparently rarely make it to noon conferences too) and no med students. Oh, and no attendings in my morning report either. Plus the whole probation thing. On the upside, there are certainly great exposures (huge patient area, Harborview Medic One) that could make for a good residency for a very self-directed learner.

OHSU:
Nice place, happy residents, good teaching, great PD, deserves a closer look than most people give it.

Northwestern:
Fabulous location and facilities, residents couldn't stop talking about how much they love the PD, perhaps the most humane call schedule in the nation. Some personal preference dislikes -- 8 am morning report (brain asleep until 10), no prerounding (yes, I LIKE prerounding), a vague feeling that while there's plenty of independence, there's a touch too much hand-holding too. Overall, I would be very happy to end up there.

UMich-Ann Arbor:
Very impressive, great leadership, great teaching (if a touch too formal for my taste), really nothing that I disliked, I would be very happy to end up there. It is a VERY front-loaded program which apparently makes it "malignant" for what it's worth. Not a problem for me. Oh, and U of M was the only place other than my home program to provide an interviewer in my area of interest (my personal statement clearly states my career goals, having someone a mile off (cough*WashU*cough) was a mark against the program).

So I'm done with my interviews now! Yay! :horns:
 
I'm about halfway through now and must say that everyone says "oh, after a few places the programs all start to look the same." Nah. Lots of differences. My wife and I have decided to go on a more visceral "feel" basis(as in, what was the general feel of the program/residents--were these "our people") rather than call schedules, night float vs. overnight call etc. For us I guess it's more important to be with people we like on overnight call than to be with unhappy people on night float. That's why the night before is so money. So just so y'all know where I'm coming from, here's the quick and dirty: (any opinions expressed by the author do not represent the opinions of the programs, SDN, or is affiliates, all rights reserved)

Emory--agree with many of the above posts. Really enjoyed this program, much to my surprise. If fellowships are your bag, they'll make sure that you get 'em. If not, hey that's fine too. Program director was really nice and seemed very active in the program. Residents did not deny that they worked hard, but said that they were all 80 hours compliant and felt incredibly competent in terms of managing difficult patients by the middle of their first year. Many certified in procedures before halfway through the intern year. Grady is immense and sometimes does not work in the way you would like (eg spending 15 minutes looking for guaiac card and developer), but is to them a great learning experience. As one resident put it, "if you can do Grady, then you can practice anywhere in the world". Since there is a social worker for each floor, if your patient moves from the floor to the unit, then back to another floor, he/she changes social workers a few times--residents thus end up doing some social work there. Night float exists for all hospitals but Emory Hospital, which is a big-time referral center. Computer system is there, but supposedly a bit confusing. It is the largest program in the country, so if a smaller, more intimate program is your thing it may be a little overwhelming. Lots of training sites (Emory, Grady, VA, Crawford Long, Geriatrics Hospital), which can be a pro or a con depending on what you like. Atlanta's a great town and while the housing market is on the rise, is still more affordable than most big cities.

New Mexico - Great night before meet 'n greet in a jazz bar--more residents than applicants (a good sign). Even a couple of attendings showed up--many are young and hang out with the residents. All folks were very engaging, coming from all over the country. As the PD put it, "Albuquerque tends to attract unique individuals interested in something different." As the only academic medical center in the state, they cater to a largely poor population. Diverse pathology, both social and medical. The VA is about 5 miles away from the main campus and I imagine it looks like a VA. As for "feel", it felt like there was more of an emphasis on how great the program was because of the area and the people in the program rather than fellowships and academics. I'm sure that the board pass rates are just fine and that people do well for fellowships, but it was not the emphasis of the interview day--amazingly nice PD who very much cares abut the program and her residents. As for Albuquerque, it's a manageable town, big city stuff is there but is not the reason folks go there--surrounded by mountains, TONS of outdoorsy stuff to do. Santa Fe is less than 1hr away. Housing is relatively cheap (again, mind the real estate boom) and many residents own houses.

Case - Missed the night before (which I mentioned is money for me), so had a hard time getting a feel for the camaraderie. It seemed that folks got along at morning report, which was resident run and quite nice--lots of participation. The PD is a very nice gent who's been doing this for a long time--very responsive to concerns and works with the chiefs to make sure that necessary changes happen. University Hospital was quite nice aesthetically and seemed to function well in terms of ancillary services--little to no scut. I have no beef in that other Case discussion, and those folks seem to know more what they're talking about than a guy who went for one visit, but fellowship placements seemed solid and I think they had 100% pass the ABIM last year. They hand out a list of where folks went for what fellowships in your folder. As for Cleveland, we had a great time there--great food in town, jazz bars if you like that shtuff, people really in to sports (LeBron and co, etc), and public transport (which we used to get around despite the gasps around the room). It's cold, but it's warm inside the hospital. All in all a solid program that will train you well.
 
Cleveland Clinic - Absolutely beautiful facilities. Housestaff from all over the world, all incredibly bright folks. Morning report was very interesting and generated some lively discussion. While folks were quite nice, I must say that they were pretty serious and took the training quite seriously. They said that they go out as a group for socials and such, but seemed like the type to end up in a discussion of warfarin vs. aspirin vs. both rather than playing the "who farted" game over beer and peanuts. Not a con at all, just depends on who you get on with. The clinical training is overtly superb--they consistently remarked that you will "see everything at least once here" and allayed our fears about any lack "bread and butter" stuff--they see plenty. I also felt much better about the "fellow-run" vs. "resident-run" question--while fellows abound at CCF, they told us that residents run the show and contrary to popular opinion, there is a great deal of autonomy (especially at night when fellows ain't there). Good support from fellow residents, and a lot of teaching--very heavy on the evidence based medicine if that's your bag. Research is a required part of the curriculum and they will hook you up with the appropriate faculty. All in all, it gave me the impression that if you want to do something unique, research or clinical, they will help you out to help you do it. To most residents we spoke with, the CCF was part of the "life plan"--a residency not for residency's sake, but as a stepping stone to something else. I'll stop now, but one last bit of advice: stay away from the fish dip.

UI-Chicago - Fantastic program. First off, the residents were out in full force for the night before, which was held at a resto-bar in little Italy. They often socialize as a group and have wonderful camaraderie. The PD is energetic, responsive, compassionate, and a model educator--he made it clear that the program was about becoming a solid physician and thus revolved around resident education. Many mechanisms have been put into place to "lower the hurdes," as he put it--a solid computer system for the hospital, PDF files of all important landmark articles that are not available online, procedures practice dummies, good conferences for which you are excused. I learned something in morning report that day--pretty cool. I was confused about the whole UIC-Rush-Cook County axis. Basically, as I understand it, Cook County sees pretty much all uninsured patients. Rush is mostly private. UIC sees mostly Medicaid, medicare, some private, and some uninsured. There are no private attendings at UIC--all patients become UIC patients and follow up with you in your clinic--I guess it's like a "firm" system. If an MPH is your thing, then they'll pay for you to get one while you're there at UIC. Overall, very supportive of education with an emphasis on autonomy--as the PD said, "you learn from your good decisions and from your bad ones," but there is sufficient supervision such that you don't kill anyone. It's not as hard-core academic as I'm sure many would prefer, but if you want to do research it's there. Fellowship placement is solid. Chicago as a town speaks for itself--many residents lived close to the hospital, but others would come in from downtown where they were renting apartments. There is an "L" stop right at UIC, so that's convenient.

I have a couple more, but need to gather my thoughts. Hope this helps! Best of luck to all on the trail...

DS
 
UMich:

I missed the dinner before and therefore only met 2 residents. Obviously a great name program with a long history that they are very proud of. One thing I was disappointed to see was that they took us to a basic science grand rounds (which very few to no residents attended). I felt like the day was very superficial (all programs probably are a very superficial view, but this one seemed more so than others). Concerned about diversity of patient population in Ann Arbor and then concerned about the town itself.

University of Pittsburgh:

I wish that someone had told me not to go. Let me give you 3 reasons to save 300 bucks next year (or this). First, they have a terrible time recruiting people to Pittsburgh because of the city's reputation. Out of my interview group, I got the impression no one was terrifically happy to be there. They get a lot of FMGs in the end because of this. Second, the fellowship match list from last year was >75% straight to Pittsburgh programs. You can't tell if that's due to personal reasons or to people being unable to leave but either way, I don't think it is good. Third, there was an awful interaction during my interview day during morning report in which one resident humiliated the presenting resident. Not one mean comment, but the same mean comment mentioned 10 times or so. The funny thing is I think the education is probably great, I even like the city (or the part that the university is in) but I don't have personal reasons that force me to go there.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Okay, seeing as there is a high view to post ratio, and I'm not really doing anything, here goes:

UAB
Solid large academic medical center with good fellowship placement. Most residents stay at UAB for fellowship, but others go on to top tier or second tier fellowships nationally. Most of the residents come from the Southeast. The hospital facilities were very impressive. The place is huge! 1100 beds! Very well maintained. The residents were friendly and say they are definitely work hours compliant. Program is largely front-loaded, with 10 months of inpatient care and no electives first year. There are three hospitals in the system- UAB, the VA, and Cooper Green, which is a county hospital. I went on the bus tour, but didn't get a good sense for Birmingham. They took us mostly through the surrounding areas where many residents live. I didn't see downtown Birmingham except for the hospital. The Five Points area, which is supposedly a great place for going out, was underwhelming.

Arizona
Good second tier program. The U of A was alot smaller than I thought it would be, as was Tucson. Graduates have decent fellowship placement, and many choose to stay at Arizona. The residents seemed laid-back and pretty happy. Residents rotate at the University Medical Center, Tucson Medical Center, and the VA. Tucson Medical Center is a private hospital where you only see the patients on the teaching service. However, residents go to all of the codes at TMC. Reportedly the TMC didactics are improving.
Things are kind of spread out in Tucson, and downtown Tucson isn't that great for shopping or going out. It was beautiful, warm, and sunny for my visit, and I hear it's that way all year!

Cedars-Sinai/VA Greater Los Angeles
Our incoming class will be the first class with the combined Cedars/VA program. They will be taking 41 categorical and 13 prelim residents, making it quite a large program. The Cedars residents I talked to weren't too enthusiastic about the merger, and aren't looking forward to scut at the VA. The program emphasized the increased diversity of the patient population, and increased fellowship connections. Cedars presents itself as an academic community program. The entire interview day was conducted at Cedars. I wasn't too impressed with the Cedars residents that I met. They seemed primarily focused on working the least number of hours, getting out early, and talking about their excellent ancillary staff and the fact that they can get a stat MRI done in the middle of the night. With Cedars being in Beverly Hills, I thought their facilities would be alot nicer than they were. Noon conference was pretty bad. Participation from the residents was like pulling teeth. I don't know if I just caught a bad day. There was no fellowship match list available at the time of my interview.

University of Colorado
I was very impressed with my visit to Colorado. I agree with most of the things the other posters have said. It's a large university program with great fellowship placement. Denver has great outdoor activities. The program has a five hospital system, with the University, VA, Denver Health (county), Rose, and St. Lukes- Presbyterian (Rose and St. Lukes are private.) They are changing the curriculum so that interns won't rotate at Rose, but seniors will. The University of Colorado plans to move to the new Fitzsimons Hospital in Aurora in 4/07. We drove by the campus on the bus tour, and it looks beautiful. There did seem to be alot of uncertainty in the program, for example, what is going to happen to the old hospital after the move, and how having a new PD will affect the program. Residents I met seemed smart and friendly, and quite outdoorsy. Apparently one intern spent a record 41 days on the slopes a couple of years ago. One thing I didn't like about the program was that the residents, although friendly, didn't seem to know each other very well. A couple of interns I was talking to had met each other only three times before, in six months! You meet someone three times on a night on call together! I'm guessing it has alot to do with the residents being spread out at the five hospitals.

Harbor-UCLA
I was very impressed by Harbor. I didn't think I would like a county hospital program this much. I walked out of Harbor with a smile on my face. The residents work hard (interns with a census of 5-12), but there is minimal scutwork. You don't draw blood, do EKG's, or transport patients (except for unit patients). All rotations are at Harbor except for an optional 2nd year rotation at UCLA and a month at Kaiser. The residents seemed like a very cohesive group. Also, the place seems to attract idealists- people who want to work hard, and serve everyone. Morning report was impressive. The residents were very involved in the discussion. Learning by doing seems to be key at Harbor. Interns admitted that they don't really have time to read. The physical facilities were adequate. It was definitely different to walk through a metal detector to get into the hospital. Something else that is different- the barracks. Harbor used to be a military hospital in the 1940's, and many of the research labs are in the barracks, which basically look like trailers. As a county hospital, Harbor lacks tertiary care. Residents don't see many transpant patients. However, they do see cases of advanced disease where people have let things go way too long before seeking care. Graduates have good fellowship placement, mostly in the LA area, but also nationally. About 25% of the patient population speaks Spanish, so knowing some medical Spanish is helpful but not required. Harbor will be high on my rank list.

University of Maryland
Good 2nd tier program. The residents were friendly and smart. Morning report was good- Wegener's granulomatosis presenting as hemoptysis- with good resident participation, and great attendance. I have never seen that many people attend morning report. It seems like they make teaching a priority. Graduates get the fellowships they want, mostly at Maryland or 2nd/3rd tier programs. As far as the physical plant goes, the new Weinberg building is beautiful, and supposedly some medicine floors will be moving in there. The rest of the hospital and the VA is kind of old and ragged. Not run-down, though. All of the residents seemed truly happy with the program. There is some new construction, and it looks like Maryland is trying to increase its focus on research. See lots of HIV patients at Maryland.

University of Washington
Top-notch university program. I was very impressed by the interview day. There are four hospitals in the system- the University of Washington Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center (county), the VA, and Providence (private). I toured the UWMC, which was beautiful. Residents admit there is less autonomy at Providence, but that it's good to see how private hospitals are run, and they only spend a couple of months there in the entire residency. Great mix of tertiary care from throughout the WWAMI region, and bread and butter medicine. The program is on probation, and they gave us a detailed written response to the ACGME citations. The main violation was work hours, particularly the 24+6 rule. There have been several changes made in response to this. They will post any updates as to the accredidation status on their website. I did notice a relative paucity of interns at the social and recruitment functions- I met mostly 2nd and 3rd years, who seemed happy. Graduates match into top fellowships at UW and throughout the country. Seattle is awesome. UW will be high on my list.

Virginia Mason Medical Center
I liked this community program alot more than I thought I would. It's a small program, with 10 (categorical + primary care track) and 5 prelim residents per year. Their residents were friendly and seem very happy. They take minimal overnight call, about twice per month on inpatient. Overnight admissions are handled by the night float, who hands the patients off in the morning. One downside to this is that you are admitting every other day. However, this is just during the day. The physical facilities are beautiful. Records are completely computerized, and there is computerized order entry. Ancillary staff are excellent. The hospital is also just a short walk to downtown Seattle. Interns cap at three admissions per call, and 8 total patient interactions (census). Most residents rent unless their s.o. has a large income. 80% of graduates go on to do general internal medicine. Graduates reportedly don't have a hard time matching for fellowships, but they do go to 2nd tier programs. My concern with the program is that it seems a little "too cush" for me. I'm sure the current interns would disagree, and I do realize they are working long and hard days. However, I learn so much on call that I can't imagine not taking overnight call as a resident. I just don't think I would learn as much.
 
Here's a quick comp. of NW and Uchicago

UChicago
I have to stay up front that I liked this program more than NW and that it has jumped to the top of my list! Very personable interview day. BEST BREAKFAST so far- helps in making up for no dinner the night before. Get several opportuinites to speak one on one with the PD at the beginning and end of the day. AM report was well- attended and well done (small clin. ? followed by case pres- Rheum. Heart Dz. the day I was there) in a new, gorgeous conference room w/ resident work space. Ward areas are older, but well taken care of, new posh outpt. clinic areas, and new ICU in the works. New chair from Hopkins spec. in Pulm- I remember on my JHU interview my tour guide lamenting on seeing this guy go! You get a chance to interact with the smaller (31ish, on the small side for the "top tier" programs) intern, resident class during lunch, good group, very down to earth people. Some -'s : hand wtitten order entry, the residents and one interviewer did say that things tend to be a little less efficent here as far as radiology and testing. Crossing my fingers for this one!!

NW
Much has been said on this forum for Northwestern's facilites, and I can only echo previous sentiments in saying that they have a very posh hospital- from personal rooms for pts. to one of the nicest ER's I've ever seen. Unlike Mumpu, I actually prefer the earlier AM report (gets me going in the AM) but would like a little prerounding as well. Most of the residents I met had lives outside of work, in fact almost seemed to have a little too much... I ran into a lot of nightclubbers and singles scene people on my interview - it's great that they have the time to do this stuff, but.... I'm one of those people who learns through his work, so I need the workload (then again, perhaps I'm getting more of a "work hard / play hard " vibe). No privates on the wards, although apparently this is new, one of my interviewers expressed a desire to tweak the system back towards some private attending involvement - not to say that this will happen. For future Heme/Onc. peeps, this dept. seemed very strong, with NCI site designation and a lot going on to dedicate NW's 2 required research blocks to.
One note to future interviewers: The PD is awesome, but get in a bathroom break, get some more coffee, or walk around before her talk, b/c between her and the chair, you are looking at a LONG time looking at Power Point slides (90mins. +) !!
All in all a positive exp. - heavy emphasis on research, non-malignant env., you have the feeling that the dept. has a lot of forward momentum.
 
Anthony328 said:
yes I am finishing up at UA.
Very friendly environment.
Intern year, 9months on call, 1 month vacation, 2wks hospitalist/2 weeks anesthesia, 1month elective
2nd/3rd year 5months on call(including ICU/CCU).
Plenty of opportunities for research in all fields and time to do it.
Three hospitals: university, va, private (may incorporate county hospital by next year)
Strong fellowships, all fields except endocrine.
Location, Tucson: :thumbup:
[Surrounded by mountains and the high Sonoran desert, Tucson boasts a distinctive southwestern look and enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine each year. Close proximity to Mexico, SoCal, Vegas, not to mention other beutiful locations in AZ ie Sedona]
Other questions?

Any insight on the Phoenix program?
 
I would love to hear more opinions from people regarding the following programs: columbia, cornell, mt sinai (NYC), penn, bidmc, brigham, mgh, hopkins and yale...these programs are ones that I am considering very seriously, and I find they all have their own faults...I am having trouble with ordering them as such...I would love to hear what other people think, just to get opinions...thanks in advance...
 
DrJ-Bond said:
I would love to hear more opinions from people regarding the following programs: columbia, cornell, mt sinai (NYC), penn, bidmc, brigham, mgh, hopkins and yale...these programs are ones that I am considering very seriously, and I find they all have their own faults...I am having trouble with ordering them as such...I would love to hear what other people think, just to get opinions...thanks in advance...

I can only help with Sinai and Yale right now. Most say that wherever you go amongst these, you'll get an equivalent education and get your fellowship of choice (I think they all are 100% or near that in terms of their residents matching).

Sinai - I know they have very good GI (I think #7 in the country) and cards (Fuster - Hurst's and president-elect of World Heart to just name 2 and Halperin - of stroke in afib fame). Of course you can find HUGE names in any of those schools. However, I repeatedly heard about how *great* Dr. Babyatsky was on the interview trail. Friends from my school who did residency there said the same and said that being with him and the chair was, simply, "wonderful." I heard the same from students I know who went through Sinai about how willing he was to make phone calls for you and support you. The residents actually hang out together quite often outside the hospital from what I understand, but are also very serious, especially the ones who know what they want to do (cards/GI/etc). Also a tightly knit group - somehow anybody whos trained at Sinai at any point seems to know everybody else regardless of where they are and are also very very supportive of one another. I also heard from the cardiology dept that they have plans to build a heart hospital if thats your thing. They are also very supportive fellowship-wise beyond the PD level (they'll make sure the right phone calls are made based on where you want to go, though seems like many prefer to stay in NYC when I spoke to the residents).

Yale - I'm not sure on this one personally. Residents seemed just as strong as at Sinai. Downside for me is I want to do cards and they are currently without a chair. However, they still got plenty of great fellowships (2 at cleveland clinic, 1 was a chief). The PD was amazing. He literally knew something about everybody. Everybody was very open and welcoming. The residents state, of course, that things are very hard and you'll work VERY hard but that's true anywhere with minor differences between programs. They have a lot of cool programs (great intl health opportunities, the writers workshop , etc.). It also has the Yale name. Also New Haven isn't a horrible place to live. It's not a Boston or a NYC or a Philadelphia, but it's still nice.

I think if you don't have a preference in terms of location, you may have some hard choices ahead. I know I entered this preferring Boston then Philly then NYC so it makes my life a bit easier. Places like Baltimore, New Haven, etc. are further down.

Hope this was of SOME help.
 
thanks raph for your review...location is tricky for me since I would prefer NY, but dont want to lose out on some great training in other schools because I am restricting myself locationally...I am trying to keep an open mind...I will place my review of penn, hopkins and NYU soon...afterall I should offer up some reviews if I am getting them back in return...
 
I preface this by saying I am using "fellowship match" to mean "cardiology fellowship match"

Jefferson: Great program...probably second best in philly by reputation (though temple people may refute that)...have a great heart transplant center, actually rivaling Penn's...PD is very responsive to change, and seems approachable...residents do well with fellowship match, and last year I was told everyone who applied to cardio got a spot...have a great new translational research division coming into place (not a big deal for residents directly, but definitely will give the program a research spin and thus more respect in academic community)...clinical training is diverse, with a three hospital system...this could be a plus or minus depending on who u are, esp because three hospitals are like 20-30 mins apart, and would either require a car or someone with a car to drop u off...location is best in philly, right in heart of downtown...housing is available but is dorm style, and most residents rent, since it is comparable or cheaper in price for better living...program seems fairly strong...we did not get a good opportunity to evaluate resident's fund of knowledge (FOK), but still, they seemed intelligent...the biggest negative for me about it was that autonomy is graded...research opportunities are still not as good as the bigger and more research monster like penn...tju does get a big referral base though...overall a good program, with nice housestaff...btw...no dinner night before for whoever was asking

Penn: Wow...total powerhouse...huge research budget which = good reputation in academic world...fellowship match rivals any one of the other top name programs...very academic...great multihospital system with va and presby within walking distance of hospital...great residents, very friendly, and supportive, hang out a lot...PD seemed distant, but people I talked to said that she's awesome, and that she REALLY helps people out and listens to residents, even yelling at them if they are going over work limits...they really try to stay within the rules for the workweek and everything, but will keep with the overnight call system...which could be a positive or negative...everyone takes call as a team, which means no orphan interns...autonomy is still pretty high though....HUGE opportunities for research...once again great program...probably best in philly for overall bang for the buck.

Hopkins: PD is probably one of the craziest characters...very blunt, but seemingly helpful...hopkins general attitude is they know they are one of the best, and they expect their resident to act that way...which means no one gets kicked out if they stay late, and often are encouraged to do so...very hardcore program with AWESOME fellowship match and incomparably research opportunities...great public health school at which you can take classes if thats your bag...nice firm system for support...interns do take call completely alone as of november as seniors and juniors are taking callf rom home...people say help is available but interns are supposed to take care of p[atients fairly proficiently on their own...every resident was excited there...interns were hidden quite a bit from us though, so never really met one...overall people came their knowing the expectations of the program, which is you work hard, but you gain training...thus they were happy...if you too know that you will enjoy it...baltimore...well the PD tells everyone that "people don't come to hopkins to live in baltimore, they come to baltimore to work at hopkins" which is probably true...with that said, I didnt think baltimore was AS bad as my friends told me it was...it may not be a NY or boston of philly, but its still not that bad, with lots of activities...afterall, there are bars, restaurants and clubs in every part of the country, so if thats your scene, it doesnt really matter where right?? Overall, I was very impressed with the housestaff there, and noticed that interns were exceptionally capable...oh yeah...11 months of q 4/q 3 overnight call in intern year...chairman is a big guy in cardiology...myron weisfeldt, and I am sure his friends can place people in some very impressive places...they had lots and lots go to cleveland clinic for cardio...

NYU: Great location in downtown NY, minimal housing available usually for out of staters...PD was probably one of the friendliest PDs I have met...really nice...very supportive of housestaff...these guys work, but not so hard where they are slammed every day...residents say scut is variable and is improving every day...their call schedule is evolving so I cant really say much about it except it might change by the time we matriculate so watch for that...chairman is a big guy in H.Pylori research...residents are very friendly with each other, with almost no separation between years...they are all congenial, and hang out with each other on weekends and everything...great active social life in area...also a multihospital system with a private, bellvue (public - huge public) and a va...all within walking distance of each other...what impressed me most was the "jungle medicine" attitude at bellvue...the residents definitely made it seem like if you can practice at bellvue, you can rule the world...which judging by the patient population and diversity of experiences, may even be true...=) only bads might be that their fellowship match may not be as impressive as other NYC programs (i.e. columbia, cornell and sinai)...I sensed a little rivalry of NYU with the other programs in nyc...their match is still pretty good...I believe either 100% or close to 100% for cardio last year, but not to extremely prestigious institutions...research experiences are lacking, and not as easy to obtain or do as compared to more research hungy institutions...but still, if clinical training is what you are after this is probably one of the best in the city (maybe in competition with columbia, but considerably better area by NYU to live in though)...overall once again, very strong programs. as of right now no overnight calls or orphan interns, and the hospital is spending a lot of money hiring moonlighters to help the team out to get them out on time...which means extra cash for third years who want to work during electives and such...

I would appreciate more people posting their reviews on different programs...especially ones I have outlined two posts above...thanks a lot
 
hello everyone, here are my two cents:

Penn: basically, want to echo everything JBond said. Fantastic program with great match in every specialty, great research opportunities and incredibly strong academic environment. Biggest downside I saw was physical plant, but that seems to be a theme in big hospitals anyway. They are building beautiful new building... may or may not be done when we're there. PD is raved about by residents, who seem happy and well supported.

Sinai: disclaimer, I go to sinai. That may "out" who i am to fellow classmates, but whatever. Sinai is hands down one of the happiest places I know. Residents work hard, but are great colleagues to each other. Dr. Babyatsky is *AMAZING*. He loves the residents, works hard to make sure they are learning everything they need to learn, supports their decision making and goes to bat for them if things go wrong. Also, although Sinai is not a top 5 program (a la MGH, BWH, UCSF, whoever), the program really goes to bat for it's fellowship applicants and they've had 100% match in GI and Cardiology for the past few years at great places. Really nice people, truly.

Hopkins: PD is like an aging frat boy, but once you get past that he's pretty nice. Hospital is not pretty, but research facilities are amazing. They are building new ICU towers that will be done probably after we finish residency. Agree with JBond that they know they're one of the best programs and encourage their residents to act that way (not just with arrogance, but with confidence). Definitely a sink or swim sort of attitude with interns, but get the feeling help is there IF you seek it out. Current ICUs are awful, the rest of the hospital is pretty standard large hospital stuff. Cardiology is amazing. No one from Hopkins applied to or matched in GI last year, which I found a little strange... apparently just less dynamic faculty in GI so fewer people are interested. Baltimore is cheap, which is great. Bottom Line, I don't think the Hopkins attitude suits everyone but if it feels like a good fit, then it's a great program and worth the three year stint in Balt. Personally, not a great personality fit with me (I'm more of a penn/bwh kind of person) but I could never really knock the program. Just one thing worth mentioning... at the lunch report there was not a single female faculty member. Coming from the northeast, that just feels strange.

Yale: Lots of recent change in the program recently (new PD, interim chair, etc). Residents seem +/- happy. At the dinner one of the applicants (not me) asked if any of the residents had ranked Yale as their first choice and no one raised their hand. So I think some residents have a bit of a chip on their shoulder about ending up there, which is strange because it's still a great program. Well-rounded in terms of specialty with a lot of people, it seems, interested in pulm/cc. Overall, a fine program but nothing jumped out at me as being exceptional... and it does require living in New Haven, which is close to NYC but still a pretty small city centered around academic life.

One last note about the New York schools: Columbia obviously has the best reputation and if you're sure that you want to do cardiology, you should go there. But residents work really f'ing hard and it's a very formal and slightly less supportive environment than some other top programs. Horrible reputation within new york for being malignant, but I don't think it's still that bad. NYU, for my money, is a less good program than some other new york programs and has a lot of unhappy residents. But if you're devoted to being in new york, it will still put you toward a good fellowship. Cornell seems to fall somewhere around Sinai range, unless you want to do oncology and then the Sloan connection makes all the difference. Less opportunity to work with a "city hospital" population than at Sinai or Columbia, but that may not be important to everyone. Good research, but for clinical training I would pick Sinai over cornell (again, I have an obvious bias but I do LOVE sinai).
 
Hey all....has anyone interviewed at SUNY-Downstate recently? If they have, could you please leave a review of that place either here or on scutwork...

Thanks!!!
 
I felt this was a strong program that is improving thanks to hard work by new (in past 2-4 yrs) Dept Chair & Program Director brought in from UW. I interviewed with the PD and he was great - down-to-earth, dedicated, approachable. Residents work with hospitalist attendings who are dedicated to teaching and emphasize resident autonomy. There is a very good 1.5 hour teaching conference 4 mornings a week, with both a physician-scientist attending and hospitalist involved, and the Chair and PD often attend as well. Between the 3 hospitals you see a diverse patient population - private patients, the underserved, and veterans, though I don't think the "county" feel is as strong here as at some places (Harborview, Bellevue, etc.). Research opportunities seemed adequate, although some residents felt their 2 month research block wasn't quite enough time to complete quality projects. Ancillary services are excellent at all 3 hospitals, including the VA(!). Residents seem very happy and feel like their concerns are heard by the program leadership. And of course San Diego is a great place to live!

The major weaknesses of this program (in my view) are its overall reputation and fellowship placement, which appear to be less impressive than some other programs out west. Residents do get fellowships in all specialties, though the vast majority stay at UCSD, with a few going to other university or community hospitals in California. It's difficult to know whether this indicates trouble obtaining fellowships outside of UCSD or a desire to stay local. (For my own situation this isn't too big of a deal since pulm/cc placement is good, esp in past couple years - new PD is in that field & has great contacts.) A minor concern of mine is that the call schedule is in flux right now and so it's hard to know what other changes might take place before our intern year begins. I like to know what I'm getting into. :)

More detailed reviews are on the way later this week. J-bond, I've got stuff to say about Sinai, Cornell, and NYU that I'll try to do next, and after this weekend's trip to Boston would be happy to discuss BID and MGH as well. I write such long reviews that I am falling very far behind!! So here's a preview: Sinai (OK but no "spark" for me), Cornell (strongly disliked), NYU (LOVED), UW (continue to love it), OHSU (unimpressed), UCLA (good on paper, not sure it's for me).
 
Just briefly

Baylor, Houston
Liked - great research, 3 hospital system, cardiology, Houston
Disliked - med center is too big for me. Hot weather during the summer.

Emory
Liked - Atlanta, good cardiology, Grady, diverse group of housestaffs (very large)
Disliked - fellowship placement (most people stay at Emory)

Brown
Liked - Providence, very friendly environment, great ancillary service, my alma mater :)
Disliked - there were two residents (from the same school in NY area) trying to sell Brown by disparaging their med school. I thought it was quite annoying.

Northwestern
Liked - Magnificent Mile, very laid back, friendly housestaffs, awesome hospital, a rising star in Chicago as some say
Disliked - fellowship placement (though trying hard to get housestaffs fellowship of choice), a little too expensive.

Mayo Clinic, Rochester
Liked - absolutely impressed. I doubt I will see any program better than this. absolutely dedicated to education. great place to do translational research. excellent fellowship placement (just stay at Mayo for cards or GI :) )
Disliked - my subjective conclusion on how Mayo is able to train such dedicated academicians: there is nothing else to do there. Also it was - 18 degrees F !!! in the morning of my interview. Rochester = south pole without penguins.

NYU
Liked - loved it. Located in my favorite part of Manhattan. Bellevue is so unique. Cool residents (I was boozing with them till about midnight before my interview). Having done a rotation at Columbia I could appreciate NYU more.
Disliked - ~$2000/month for one bed? too much distraction from the neighborhood. Potential Stage I malignancy during some months.


Above was my first half of interviews.
Currently on a ~4 week vacation in Korea after cancelling a bunch of interviews. Will write again after completing the rest of my interviews last week of January.
 
Anyone interviewed at Georgetown or Gainsville? please share your experience.
 
Did anyone who interviewed at UCSF get an email from the program director afterwards? I got an email, but it sounded like a form letter that went out to everyone. Just curious.
 
Legend said:
Northwestern
Liked - Magnificent Mile, very laid back, friendly housestaffs, awesome hospital, a rising star in Chicago as some say
Disliked - fellowship placement (though trying hard to get housestaffs fellowship of choice), a little too expensive.

what did you find wrong with the fellowship placement at Northwestern? it seemed pretty good to me....
 
oliviakler99 said:
I know it's a little early for this, but it would be great to get a thread going on interview experiences and impressions. I don't start interviewing until mid-December, but I know some people start interviewing soon....

Good luck to everyone!

Here are my next batch of reviews:

UCSD
Pros: Very nice city with plenty of sun and outdoor things to do. Dr. Kaushansky is well-liked by the residents and renowned as a physician-scientist. Morning report is unique here that it consists of a basic science combined with clinical teaching lecture. Residents seemed pretty happy and were able to afford the housing. Hillcrest (public), VA and Thornton (private) seemed to be located in pretty nice areas compared to other medical centers.
Cons: Fellowship placement was a little hard to figure out in that the handouts they give out are for combined years rather than breaking down placement by year. Cost of living here is more expensive than the midwest or the south.

Northwestern
Pros: Good fellowship placement, nice area to live, lots of ancillary services so you can focus on the patient and learning medicine. PD very supportive of residents, met lots of happy housestaff. Hospital is immaculate and the food is really good (the best I have tested for hospital food). Private attendings seem to teach quite a bit relative to other programs.
Cons: Personally for me I felt like there was a lot of exposure to private attendings, less urban population, least amount of autonomy here relative to other programs I visited (but depending on your learning style this can be a good thing not a negative).

UCSF
Pros: Well-known reputation for academics and research. Three hospital system consisting of a VA, private and county with a very large diverse patient population. Residents seemed quite strong academically and fellowship placement is extremely good. PD is supportive of those pursuing basic science/clinical careers and very strong primary care track.
Cons: Cost of living is the highest here of all the programs visited (they recently added a housing stipend, but some residents were still grumbling about the UC system in how it deals with financial matters). Saw very few to no house staff during the interview (other than the chief residents); I assume everyone is pretty busy here. SFGH probably has the least amount of ancillary services of any hospital I have visited (sort of the anti-Northwestern hospital), but this is to be expected based on the diversity and nature of the hospital. Some people like/dislike the open ICU format.

Stanford
Pros: Very happy residents, treated well by faculty and very strong emphasis on academics. Three hospital system and the VA is pretty new in Palo Alto. Despite the high cost of living, Stanford supports their residents financially so many rent townhouses or houses so quality of living is pretty good. Many stay here for fellowship since they seem to like the institution. Morning report was very focused on teaching by the chief resident.
Cons: Some residents mentioned that the med students are often focused on doing research and less on clinical training (the Stanford med students seemed fine to me). They are actively looking for a formal chairperson (I don't know what this really means), but the PD seemed like he really emphasized teaching.

I am still in CA so I will try to post more when I finish up my interviews.
 
Zolpidem25 said:
what did you find wrong with the fellowship placement at Northwestern? it seemed pretty good to me....

Hehe... I was being really picky here. They seem to match well but rarely at top tier programs. And I got the sense that UChicago had better fellowship placement.
 
If what NW people are saying (and UChicago people vehemently denying, of course) is true, tables for NW vs UC may turn very significantly in the next few years. NW is supposed to be turning into the dominant institution in Chicago.
 
This isn't actually an interview experience question. I just didn't know where to post it. If anyone has interviewed at Cedars, did you get any info before the interview like where to go. I've been trying to figure it out. I didn't get anything via mail or e-mail about location just time. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
phatfarm said:
Did anyone who interviewed at UCSF get an email from the program director afterwards? I got an email, but it sounded like a form letter that went out to everyone. Just curious.

I received an email from the program director for the UCPC program that sounded very much like a form letter.
 
pirdy said:
This isn't actually an interview experience question. I just didn't know where to post it. If anyone has interviewed at Cedars, did you get any info before the interview like where to go. I've been trying to figure it out. I didn't get anything via mail or e-mail about location just time. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Park at the Spielberg Parking structure next to the North Medical Tower of the hospital (the hospital is divided into two towers). Then make your entrance and head up to the Plaza floor (I believe fourth floor which connects both towers), and then make you way to the lobby where you'll see the rest of the applicants at 8am. Feel free to pick up some coffee at the starbucks right around the corner. GL.

-Q
 
Very happy, close-knit residents. Heavy workload, but residents don't typically go over 80 hours a week. Those on less-busy services frequently help out those who are overwhelmed - this supportive attitude was emphasized by all the residents as one of their favorite things about the program. Energetic and supportive chair of medicine who makes calls to help residents obtain fellowships. Program director is less dynamic than chair and seemed to have some awkward social interactions with both residents and applicants during the day. I thought maybe she was just shy, but she also made some odd comments like: "We encourage you to come for a 2nd look to learn more about our program, and don't worry, it won't affect your rank on our list...well, unless you act strangely during your visit. That might affect your ranking." While that may be the truth, it stood out in stark contrast to the PD's I've seen at other programs, who are constantly trying to make us all feel comfortable. On the other hand, the residents insist she is responsive to their concerns and a strong advocate. Fellowship placement is quite impressive, many going into GI, Cards, Heme/Onc. Those that do Pulm/CC go to great places. A formal program is in place to help residents become involved in research and find strong mentors. SUPERB computerized records and order-entry system. Ancillary services and facilities excellent at BID (but very bad at VA, though very little time is spent there). Conferences and teaching are given high priority. Boston is a great city with a strong medical community.

I have 2 major concerns: (1) Possible lack of patient diversity since most time is spent at one hospital, and (2) multiple attendings (a hospitalist plus several different privates) working with each team - checking in with all attendings daily sounds time-consuming. This is also concerning to me b/c in my opinion, working with private attendings has the potential to limit autonomy. However, the residents say they are happy w/the level of autonomy, so I'm not sure whether this is truly an issue or not.
 
I had mixed feelings about UCLA, so I'll throw it all out there (I have a feelign this will be a long one) and see what others think of my observations...

Stuff I liked: Fun residents with great camaraderie. Met many interns & upper levels who were all positive and excited about the program, while also being honest about the stuff they didn't think was perfect. Housestaff emphasized that the leadership is very responsive and gave concrete examples of changes that had been made in response to their gripes. Residents feel that they can manage anything once they are done. Q6 call schedule is great, though they still work very hard b/c non-call days are pretty long. Curriculum is front-loaded w/9+ months of call intern year. The R2 curriculum is divided into 8-week blocks, alternating ambulatory subspecialty experiences with ward months - nice for both lifestyle and career decision-making. Strong rep, tons of research opportunities. Nurses are extremely skilled, happy, and nice, and residents love working with them (they talked about this a lot). They'll be moving to a new state-of-the-art building across the street in early 2007. Westwood is in a great area of LA and the weather is awesome, though the the compensation is not adequate for the cost of living.

Stuff I didn't like:
(1) I got a bit of an arrogant vibe from the faculty and program leadership. The PD was nice enough but her presentation seemed to consist mainly of bragging about the hospital's NIH funding and US News ranking. It seemed like they didn't care much about getting to know the applicants, but rather just wanted to tell us how great they were. There was only one interview, and mine was with someone who was late, unfriendly, and told me point blank that she had not even bothered to look at my file because she was "too busy." She didn't even know whether I was applying for medicine or med-peds! She also didn't ask if I had any questions about the program (a first for me). This was after all the housestaff told me how nice she was! Since this was my only interaction with anyone except for residents, I was left with a very negative impression of the faculty. Maybe I just caught her on a bad day, but if that is "nice" to them, then I would not be happy at this program.

(2) Patient variety is sorely lacking. Almost all of your time is spent at UCLA (only 5-6 months total at other hospitals during the entire 3 years) and so you get very little bread-and-butter. Residents say that almost every pt has had a transplant or severe illness of some kind in the past, even if the current admission is something relatively simple. Another big negative for me is that they see very little HIV at this hospital (e.g., <5 patients in 7 months for one intern I met).

(3) Autonomy also seems to be lacking. Residents call consults on most ward pts b/c they are so complicated. Some said this is no big deal b/c only the ward team can write orders, but to me it seems like you would just end up transcribing the orders given to you by the consult team. Would you really tell the pulm fellow that you're not going to do what he/she suggests for management of the lung transplant pt with pneumonia? Another hindrance to autonomy is the fact that there are multiple attendings covering each team, some of whom micromanage according to the residents.

(4) Getting procedures can be problematic, especially compared to a county training setting. You can do them, but there are more obstacles and you have to be very proactive.
 
Hopkins:
great autonomy, Program director is approachable (apparently knows everyone's first names), excellent fellowship placement, loved their rounds with the assistant chiefs of service (very low-key, great teaching). Firm system is a plus for me, the firms are very close, ACS' were all very pleasant and because they are Hopkins trained seemed very "tuned in" to their interns and their needs. Firms also work well for patient continuity (admitted each time to same firm). Lots of call, 10.5 months q4/q3hrs. Jar/SAR years are quite nice. Not sure if I am ready to be sent into the fire during intern year, but this program really surprised me I expected a more malignant program. overall, loved it!

Cornell:
Great program! Not for everyone especially with the orphan intern and numerous subspecialty services (only one month of gen med). Also, there are private patients which the program downplays, not sure what the true % of private patients are. Dinner the evening prior was key, loved the residents, met several who were fun, outgoing, hardworking and intelligent. Stayed with a resident and the apartments are as nice as everyone says. Saw GI rounds, attending was very low-key, taught but did not pimp. Overall, great impression.

Mt Sinai: suprising! Great international health program, rotations at Elmhurst are intriguing. Program director was extremly friendly and spent most of the day hanging out with interviewees. Nice fellowship placement. Great location in NY, nice hospital. Overall, good strong program!

Columbia/NYU: offered interviews, will not go. Would love to hear opinions of others on these as well.

Yale: Strong program. Not sure New Haven is for me. During the early am session faculty members from different programs spoke (ie international health, traidational program, etc). Nice hospital, good well-attended resident report. Overall, nothing really stood out for me, good program. oh, they are still searching for a dept chief, the program director is extremely polite and a sweetheart (wanted to make sure I got back to my hotel, etc, etc).

Upenn: Great program (have i said that enough already). Loved the rigorous, top-notch but friendly attitude. Interviewed with a resident (2 interviews, everyone interviews with resident/faculty member). Resident noted that attendings are great teachers but also very responsive to the needs of the interns (will send interns home early post call, low-key non-pimping rounds). Hospital is constantly building and growing. There are 3 new institutes (penn CV institute, diabetes, obesity and metabolism, translational medicine). The goal is a multidisciplinary approach to medicine (pts may see CT surgeon, then cardiologist, etc all in same building). Great computerized system. automated sign out system. 7 months on wards, 2 icu, 2 moths ambulatory/elective, 1 month vacation. q4hr call on wards, 4 days off on wards (includes one weekend).

That's all for now. Hope that helps.

Mango.
 
It looks like I had a very different impression of Cornell than some others on this forum...I guess maybe I caught them on a bad day or something. Or maybe I'm looking for something different than most? Anyway, here goes:

Positives: The program has strong, talented residents and great fellowship placement. The facilities, ancillary services, and nurses are great. Both of my faculty interviewers were interesting, friendly, down-to-earth, and proud of Cornell.

Negatives: Some interns told me they were "unhappy and overworked." Others said they were micromanaged by their residents and attendings. During the ICU rounds I observed, I did not see residents taking an active role in making the plan for the day. One attending told residents "here is what we are doing today" for each patient, and then another proceeded to run a code while the rest of the team just stood and watched. This seemed at odds with the program director's repeated claims that Cornell is a "resident-run institution." My overall impression was that interns are primarily doing scut work (on a very large census of patients) while someone else formulates management plans. The program director did not seem friendly and even dropped a door in my face rather than saying hello. And it's not like he didn't know I was an applicant - I would think the suit & nametag would be a good tip-off! To be fair, he wrote me a nice, personal note after the interview, so perhaps he is just shy. During both morning report and M&M most of the time was devoted to higher-level debates between specialist attendings, who were confrontational and defensive with one another. It didn't seem like they were interested in actually teaching residents. I also saw some hostility between attendings during rounds.

Overall, I thought this would be a great place to work as a fellow or attending, where you have ownership of your patients and can work with so many impressive faculty members & researchers, but that it might not provide strong clinical internal medicine training.
 
Very interesting and descriptive post! Your day seemed nothing like mine. Maybe they were on their best behavior for my interview day. Thanks for the info!
 
I didn't get to meet too many residents and almost no interns. Those I met seemed quite happy, though I personally didn't really "click" with them during our limited conversations. It sounded like most residents are single and tend to party together a lot. Sounds fun, but I'm not sure what it would be like to be married in this social scene. The program director and chair are VERY supportive. Both go to morning report daily and have residents over to their homes for wine tastings, etc. The chair is very funny and outspoken. I appreciated his openness but felt some comments bordered on inappropriate. I also felt that his personality was so strong that he dominated the quieter PD - not sure how that would play out in terms of program leadership. The 3 hospital system (county, university, VA) provides great patient diversity. Autonomy seems to be adequate at all three hospitals. You do have some private attendings at Mt. Sinai, but reportedly they are usually willing to let the resident run the show. The chair makes calls to help you get the fellowship you want and placement is solid, esp in cards & GI, though not many do pulm/cc. I wonder if this is b/c there's no ICU time as an intern, but who knows. Scholarly activity is required, and it seems like people find projects easily enough with help from the formal mentoring program. Humanistic focus, including a required home visit program. Ambulatory curriculum also impressive - you follow your patients both in & out of hospital and share a "practice" with 5 other residents. Ancillary services and nursing could be better (it's NYC after all). Housing is not subsidized. Nice location by Central Park, but not as exciting as midtown.

Overall, this seemed to be a strong, well-rounded program. It will probably not end up that high on my list because I didn't mesh too well with the residents and there are a few cities I'd prefer to Manhattan, but I'd be happy if I ended up there and I'd definitely recommend it highly to others.
 
BigBadBix said:
I had mixed feelings about UCLA, so I'll throw it all out there (I have a feelign this will be a long one) and see what others think of my observations...

Pros: Very nice part of town, beautiful campus (maybe 2nd behind UCSD in terms of scenic surroundings). Fellowship placement is very good in California. Good mix of single/married residents. Well-read residents in terms of EBM. The surgeons and internists seemed to get along exceptionally well here (rather than medicine being the traditional dumping ground for patients). My interviewer seemed genuinely interested in my application and read my personal statement. Special tracks for those interested in either clinical or basic science research and many residents stay in academics.

Cons: Very little exposure to patients with HIV (HCV/HBV via GI liver transplantation services); ID is more of the non-HIV type (i.e. chemotherapy, organ transplantation etc.). Less exposure to indigent patients and procedures than other programs I have visited. Cost of living is pretty high in the area and many residents either commute or have a spouse that helps pay the rent. Residents seemed to have less autonomy compared to the other California schools such as UCSF and UCSD; nonetheless they make up for it by being well-read in journal articles.
 
CWRU- University Hospitals of Cleveland
I really liked this program. The preinterview dinner was well-attended by residents, who were friendly, down-to-earth, and seemed genuinely satisfied with their experience at Case. Residents rotate at the University Hospitals and the VA. They see a good mix of general medicine and tertiary care. Graduates match into the fellowships they want, and many choose to stay at Case. Physical facilities are overall decent- the new tower is awesome, but the Lakeside area seemed a little old and shabby. There is a computerized order entry system. Progress notes are typed in the computer, then printed and placed in the chart. They admitted there is some instability in the department of cardiology- they have lost several faculty members recently. My interviewer put the "rebuilding" spin on it.

Cleveland Clinic Foundation
My general impression of CCF is that they receive too much tertiary/quaternary care to receive good general IM training. Residents and faculty told me there is plenty of bread-and-butter medicine to learn from, but then a resident told me that a third to a half of his patients are complicated referrals. The facilities were very, very nice. The whole place looked like the Hilton. The computerized medical record has reports, labs, and radiology, and they are transitioning to having H&P's and progress notes on the computer. The fellowship match is good. However, only 1-2 out of 13 cardiology spots at the CCF generally go to CCF graduates. The residents seem pretty satisfied. I asked about the "fellow-run" vs. "resident-run" issue, and residents feel that they have lots of autonomy, with the possible exception of months in the CICU, where the cardiology fellows have a more active role.
 
BigBadBix said:
I had mixed feelings about UCLA, so I'll throw it all out there (I have a feelign this will be a long one) and see what others think of my observations...

Stuff I liked: Fun residents with great camaraderie. Met many interns & upper levels who were all positive and excited about the program, while also being honest about the stuff they didn't think was perfect. Housestaff emphasized that the leadership is very responsive and gave concrete examples of changes that had been made in response to their gripes. Residents feel that they can manage anything once they are done. Q6 call schedule is great, though they still work very hard b/c non-call days are pretty long. Curriculum is front-loaded w/9+ months of call intern year. The R2 curriculum is divided into 8-week blocks, alternating ambulatory subspecialty experiences with ward months - nice for both lifestyle and career decision-making. Strong rep, tons of research opportunities. Nurses are extremely skilled, happy, and nice, and residents love working with them (they talked about this a lot). They'll be moving to a new state-of-the-art building across the street in early 2007. Westwood is in a great area of LA and the weather is awesome, though the the compensation is not adequate for the cost of living.

Stuff I didn't like:
(1) I got a bit of an arrogant vibe from the faculty and program leadership. The PD was nice enough but her presentation seemed to consist mainly of bragging about the hospital's NIH funding and US News ranking. It seemed like they didn't care much about getting to know the applicants, but rather just wanted to tell us how great they were. There was only one interview, and mine was with someone who was late, unfriendly, and told me point blank that she had not even bothered to look at my file because she was "too busy." She didn't even know whether I was applying for medicine or med-peds! She also didn't ask if I had any questions about the program (a first for me). This was after all the housestaff told me how nice she was! Since this was my only interaction with anyone except for residents, I was left with a very negative impression of the faculty. Maybe I just caught her on a bad day, but if that is "nice" to them, then I would not be happy at this program.

(2) Patient variety is sorely lacking. Almost all of your time is spent at UCLA (only 5-6 months total at other hospitals during the entire 3 years) and so you get very little bread-and-butter. Residents say that almost every pt has had a transplant or severe illness of some kind in the past, even if the current admission is something relatively simple. Another big negative for me is that they see very little HIV at this hospital (e.g., <5 patients in 7 months for one intern I met).

(3) Autonomy also seems to be lacking. Residents call consults on most ward pts b/c they are so complicated. Some said this is no big deal b/c only the ward team can write orders, but to me it seems like you would just end up transcribing the orders given to you by the consult team. Would you really tell the pulm fellow that you're not going to do what he/she suggests for management of the lung transplant pt with pneumonia? Another hindrance to autonomy is the fact that there are multiple attendings covering each team, some of whom micromanage according to the residents.

(4) Getting procedures can be problematic, especially compared to a county training setting. You can do them, but there are more obstacles and you have to be very proactive.

I think your assessment is fair and accurate. I still think the training is good, but it is a bit to tertiary/quatenary focused. If you are at all considering UCLA, you may want to take a 2nd look, I thought rounding was a better representation of UCLA than the interview day, and the teaching, environment was great. Their morning report is particularly strong, and the residents their are super sharp. However, their interview day is less than spectacular and left me w/ the same doubts about all the tertiary care patients. My intervewer was also late...sounds like a trend. I think the faculty are hit and miss, just like most places. Hopefully more hit, but its hard to tell based on a couple of interactions. Location asside, I think overall its hard to say UCLA's training is on par with any of the top 4 programs (MGH,BWH,UCSF,JHU) but they definitely are a good choice among the rest of the the top 15 where personal preferences play a bigger role than the actual reputation and training quality differences. For whatever reason, UCLA's interview day has consistently been less than amazing, and I honestly believe it misrepresents the heart of this program.
 
ucla2usc said:
I think your assessment is fair and accurate. I still think the training is good, but it is a bit to tertiary/quatenary focused. If you are at all considering UCLA, you may want to take a 2nd look, I thought rounding was a better representation of UCLA than the interview day, and the teaching, environment was great. Their morning report is particularly strong, and the residents their are super sharp. However, their interview day is less than spectacular and left me w/ the same doubts about all the tertiary care patients. My intervewer was also late...sounds like a trend. I think the faculty are hit and miss, just like most places. Hopefully more hit, but its hard to tell based on a couple of interactions. Location asside, I think overall its hard to say UCLA's training is on par with any of the top 4 programs (MGH,BWH,UCSF,JHU) but they definitely are a good choice among the rest of the the top 15 where personal preferences play a bigger role than the actual reputation and training quality differences. For whatever reason, UCLA's interview day has consistently been less than amazing, and I honestly believe it misrepresents the heart of this program.

Thanks for the insight! That info is very helpful. It is nice to hear more about some of the aspects of the program that we didn't see. They should really try to include more of that in the interview day! Frankly, I think patient population and autonomy will be among the biggest factors in my decision, thus pushing UCLA down the list a bit, but as you mentioned that is personal preference and I agree with you that it's a solid program in that top group.
 
An extremely impressive program. Residents are happy and seemed down-to-earth (for the most part). They find opportunities to socialize together at least once weekly (some go out 3-4 times/wk). The patient population is diverse, including both rich and poor, tertiary care as well as bread and butter, patients w/private attendings and those managed almost entirely by residents. The Bigelow service provides outstanding autonomy and generates a great team spirit among interns. The Ellison service has less autonomy, but provides more time to learn from the amazing clinical faculty. Teaching conferences are solid and resident report is a highlight (some residents come in for this on their days off because they enjoy it so much). The noon-noon call day is well-liked by residents, as it gives them time to run errands during business hours - not easy to do with the traditional AM-AM call. The program director is supportive and approachable, with an open door policy. Residents call him by his first name. Twice-yearly meetings with the program director and your personal firm chief ensure that you have opportunities to voice concerns, receive feedback, and get advice with regard to career planning. Research opportunities are amazing and well-funded, though not required. Fellowship placement is impressive. Excellent options for international rotations. Continuity clinic is great - you follow patients both in and out of the hospital and they page you directly 24/7 with any concerns. Computer systems are top-notch and they are moving toward having everything available on handheld devices, which will be provided to all interns next year.

I made it a point to be as objective as possible when assessing this program, trying not to get caught up in the whole reputation thing. In so doing, I really could not find any true weaknesses. I suppose the hard core nature of some residents could be a negative, especially if you ended up working with someone who was particularly obnoxious, but it seemed like that was uncommon. Would love to hear what others think.

Overall, this would be my #1 were I single, though I might move it down to #2 to accommodate my husband's career. Unfortunately, I think I have a very slim chance of matching here as I basically had to beg for the interview after being rejected. I was surrounded by people from Harvard, Hopkins, Columbia, UCSF, Baylor...kind of intimidating. (Side note for those who know how I blame my HP in medicine for all of my rejections - as it turns out, my school is part of the problem too. I discovered that plenty of peeps at Top 10 schools got invites from all the biggies w/o honors. Not that I'm bitter! :rolleyes: ) Anyway, at least I got a chance to check the place out and see why it has the great reputation that it does.
 
GW
residents and interns seemed rather happy - saw a lot of smiley faces on many of them (unlike at some other programs) and they all said they are very satisfied w the program.
comraderie seemed pretty good (this is unlike the 2 reviews i saw on scutwork that both said there’s some tension between interns and residents; ones i spoke with all denied any tensions at all)
brand new university hospital building (built 3 yrs ago) - everything’s new-looking and clean.
PD is the nicest lady you could possibly have as your pd.
faculty like to teach
fellowship opp’s are good, but not amazing - most who do fellowship stay on at gw for it (good placement in cards and gi too staying at gw).
research project is required as part of the program, so i’d say research opp’s are fair/good
work load seemed moderate. not malignant but not cush either. one intern said he works about 70 hrs/wk and that he definitely has some time for life outside of work
DC area is a nice, scenic place to live

SUNY Downstate
though in a reportedly bad neighborhood (i couldn’t fully appreciate this just by driving through for my visit and am not from nyc), hospital looks very nice once you get inside
research opp’s are v strong here. very academic place. all my interviewer wanted to talk about was the research work i’ve done
good fellowship opp’s. they have ALL the IM fellowships here. but getting outside fellowships is a bit more difficult, it seemed.
residents/interns didn’t have smiles on their face - seemed like a very business-like (cold?) type of environment.
workload seemed moderate/fair for a nyc program. residents told me they do have time for life outside of work.

Jacobi
v strong fellowship opp’s. was impressed w the list of fellowship placements they provided for past 4 or 5 years.
but also seemed like a very, very, very scutwork-filled / heavy workload program. one intern said it’ll take you 5 or 6 months of being in the hospital 90-100 hrs/wk before you learn the ropes and tricks to finishing more quickly/efficiently. yikes! (why can’t i know the head of any derm programs!?)
lots of autonomy once you’ve learned the ropes
friendly atmoshpere/comraderie among interns/residents/faculty.
something new w Jacobi - right now in middle of moving everything over to brand new facility that looked nice. big change over the dump they’re in now.

Maimonides
another really heavy workload program, it seemed.
most people who go here apparently are v happy w the program, though.
good teaching, diverse pt. pop.
not very academic place, since it’s a community hospital. research opp’s aren’t that strong.
do have some of their own fellowships, but not in every subspecialty and only limited # slots per fellowships they do have. seemed like often happens that they do an extra year as a chief resident to then get a fellowship spot at this hospital
good comraderie / warm environment to work in - everyone is friendly and helpful to each other
hospital is old/drab looking - not the prettiest physical environment to train at

UMDNJ newark
newark - not the nicest city in the world to be in, but you can commute from more decent towns 15-30 min drive away
v business-like environment at this hospital. residents / interns just want to get their work done and then go home type of place.
but campus is huge and v nice-looking facility. looked more like a big college campus
fair fellowship opp’s. not as good as more prestigious university programs, obviously, but still fair
PD seemed like a nice, smart, and helpful lady to have as your pd
excellent pt. presentations and you get to see lots of interesting and rare cases here
 
Hopkins- Agree with mangogurl. Firm system is awesome. The ACS's serve as the attending on the firm for the entire year. Teaching on rounds was incredible. Rounds start w/ a chalk talk. The intern/MS does a formal bedside presentation on each new admission. The JAR or SAR then adds a teaching point. Finally the ACS adds a teaching point on each new patient. This is the most frontloaded program I visited. Intern year is all call all the time except for the 4 weeks of vacation and 2 weeks of outpatient. Call days start at noon and end at 6pm the next day. Interview day was a little disorganized, but otherwise typical. 2 interviews. Probably the closest thing I have had to a real interview. Both interviewers asked me a bunch of questions dealing with me and my application. Had to find both interview places on my own which was a little tricky. Go to pre-interview day dinner, PD doesn't like it if you don't.
Pros: Teaching, Fellowships, closeness of firm members, cool PD,
reputation, history, cool blue ties to wear on Fridays
Cons: location, facilities are old, intern short coat (if that bothers you)

UVA- Great program in a expensive but beautiful small city. Residents seemed very happy and bright. Really good research opportunities. Graduated responsibility system may be a little hand holdy. PD seemed very nice and approachable. Night float system is different. Inpatient months are 3 weeks with call q4d (go home at 10pm), followed by one week of night float (Sun-Thurs) then a golden weekend. Rinse and repeat. Standard interview day with two interviews, morning report , tour etc etc... Excellent lunch with a lot of resident contact.
Pros: Good fellowship placement, great location (for married me),
excellent research opportunities, firm system for clinic
Cons: maybe a slight inferiority complex (aka slightly haughty)

UNC- Chapel Hill and the triangle in general seems a pretty good place to live. Especialy if you are an ACC (basketball) fan. Residents were very nice and seemed very happy. Program is 50% inpatient and 50% outpatient according to the website. That is a lot of outpatient experience. PD seemed a bit sleepy but approachable. The residents raved about him. Shortest interview day so far. Only one 45 minute interview, very laid back. Wins award for most dangerous lunch: sloppy BBQ chicken and chili with beans (thank God there were no afternoon interviews).
Pros: Close knit happy group. Decent fellowship placement. 100% ABIM
pass rate for the past 3 years. No admissions after 11pm on call.
Cons: 1 month each year (at least) at Wake Hospital which is a
community hospital in Raleigh (40 minutes away) could be a pro
or con (residents say more interesting pathology there)
 
phatfarm said:
Did anyone who interviewed at UCSF get an email from the program director afterwards? I got an email, but it sounded like a form letter that went out to everyone. Just curious.

I PM'ed you.
 
MGH: just want to echo all the sentiments above about the general...awesome place, great system of learning in place there...awesome PD...not NEARLY as malignant as people make it seem...very academic...AWESOME conferences especially the case records which is my fave part of the NEJM (which makes me sad to think that if I did somehow sneak my way into matching there that I would have no reason to read my favorite part of the NEJM)...downsides are single hospital system which means very homogenous population (they do go to a community hospital called newton "the newt" but this seems minimal)...more formal environment than at other hospitals...residents sometimes seem a little - distant, but not in a bad way...they seem like the business type hardcores who came to this program to learn, and if they make a few friends on the way then awesome...so personality has to jive a little...in the end their rep cant possibly hurt your resume...I was fortunate as Bix said to even get a chance to check this place out to see why it deserves its rep...I doubt I can match in this program because frankly almost no one from my school has ever gone there...oh yeah and PD was awesome

The brigham: although my interview day was sort of not that great, I can't say enough positive things about this program...very light air, awesome people, multihospital system with a va (always a plus)...residents seemed confident but friendly also...PD was pretty nice, gets rave reviews from people there...research abounds and for cardio freaks this is the home of the TIMI study, the house of CRP research (remember Paul Ridker and David Morrow?) and of course, one of hte gods of cardiology: Braunwald...whose power can place you in any other cardiology gods' houses (i.e. hello topol, hello hurst etc.)...has a lot of awesome things here...if you like being in a friendly atmosphere but learning lots this is the place...

BIDMC: somehow left wholly unimpressed...PD seemed nice but a little sharp on the edges, especially during MR...my interviewers told me "sell yourself to me...come on tell me why you're better than everyone else sitting in the room this morning" which after having so many laid back and thoughtful interviews in boston and ny and baltimore, I was very put off by it...I basically told him in a very nice way that I don't need to sell myself, and that there are plenty of other amazing applicants in the waiting room, and that its the program's job to find who they want from the pool, and that I won't pretend that I am better than anyone else there that day...when I asked about research he gave me a long speech about how the residency program's job is to train clinicians not researchers (I love being a clinician but I know I need to do some research to get a cards fellowship)...this kind of left a sour taste in my mouth...the other interviewer basically told me that he liked his own housestaff trainign program more than the one in place at this school when I asked him a general question on what he felt was hte best aspect of the program...residents seemed mad friendly and seem to hang out a lot...but they dont seem very confident in their own ability to manage patients alone, and felt that independence is very graded...my interviewers told me this is not an "independent place to train"...lots of privates reminded me a little of cornell minus the housing andNYC location...they made the biggest deal of the three about being harvard affiliated...and about being the official hospital of the red sox, which was cool, but not an important enough factor to affect my ROL either way...goods of the program are that they have amazing faculty...cards freaks will know Mark Josefson who is an EP god...most people will recognize that Up to date was invented here and htat many of the authors are here...teaching is good as was evidenced by MR...boston longwood location is nice and research experience abounds...the fellowship placement is excellent and they claim the best record in Boston, though the Brigham and MGH may contend that...all in all, a lackluster program for me personally probably from interview day experiences...I didnt have a very positive thought on this program before I went (heard some things from people who have interviewed there in the past), so part of my view may be tainted...I want to say though that I was still impressed with how amazingly nice and down to earth the residents are and how brilliant they all are...they just dont work that hard, and I am not sure if that cushy of an environment is the place I want to train...

oh yeah, and remember at alll three of these boston bad boys, you need a short coat, so dont throw away your old ones...just rip the school patches off and you're ready for another three years...
 
Just wanted to throw in a word for the 2nd look. Interviewed at MGH and LOVED it-- like Bix couldn't find anything wrong with the place...and I was hoping to since my school has only sent a handful of people there in its history. However went back for a 2nd look last week and was definitely not as impressed at all. I really did not enjoy the experience. I felt very unwelcomed and didn't get many of my questions answered. The interns were fairly nice but the jr on the team was very malignant, scutted out the med students in ways that would never happen at my school. I definitely got the impression that the environment is not as supportive as they advertize on interview day. So....I think 2nd looks are helpful if it's not impossible with travel etc.
 
Top