University of Michigan Residency Reviews

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

SolidGold

Florida winters are the best!
15+ Year Member
20+ Year Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2002
Messages
1,828
Reaction score
2
Michigan

Residents: 14 per class. All seemed very happy with their training and all of the ones I spoke with had this program ranked #1. Residents got along well and the ones I met seemed pretty laid back. Happiness factor was high.

Faculty: Dr. Kowalenko, the PD, seems like a strong leader and very resident friendly. Residents praised the faculty and their ability to teach. The atmosphere seemed to be very supportive of resident education.

Facilities: Above average facilities. I honestly was expecting something more impressive though since this is affiliated with one of the top medical schools. The ED was nice and did have a modern ED feel to it, just not as fancy as some others I’ve had the chance to see. Rotations are also done at St. Joseph Mercy (nearby community hospital) and Hurley (in Flint). Flint is like 45 minutes away, but that is where they get the inner city experience with lots of penetrating trauma.

Curriculum: 4 year program, that has a lot of similarities with the program set-up at Cincinnati which I am very familiar with having done an away rotation in Cinci. This makes sense since they chair and the PD trained at Cincinnati. There is an emphasis on critical care, a flight program (that does probably more hospital transfers than scene calls than Cincinnati), and many opportunities for electives.

Patient population: They treat very sick patients and do get a good amount of trauma, especially at Hurley.

Location: Ann Arbor is a beautiful town. Downtown was very nice with lots of places to dine and drink. It is a college town, but has a lot to offer for families. I love music, and Ann Arbor seems to have many places where I will be able to enjoy it. Outdoor activities are plenty. Most residents own their own place, so it is affordable but the costs are increasing in the area as it transforms from being more of a college town to a place for families.

Overall: I was very impressed by Michigan. The residents get paid very well including a 7% salary bonus every November (they have a residents association like a union that negotiates their contracts and since they have a ton of residents at UM, they tend to be able to work out many great perks). The bonus works out to be over $2000 and increases every year (some of them blew their last bonus on large flat screen TV’s). PGY4’s make over $50,000 and many of them decide not to moonlight because they make enough. This program hasn’t been around long but seems to be top notch. If anyone is familiar with Cincinnati, it’s basically a version of that program in a smaller town with a nicer physical plant, but the acuity may be less and the patients less diverse with a flight program that really can’t compare to Cinci’s. I will be ranking this program high.

Members don't see this ad.
 
U of Michigan
Residents: The pre-interview dinner was great and I got a real positive feel from the residents. Everyone I talked to said it was their first choice and all the residents were very laid back.

Faculty: Dr. Barsan is very well known and is more active in the program than most chairman. Further, many residents say that Dr. Barsan can open a lot of doors coming out of residency. Also, the support from the PD is amazing and it seems like he would bend over backwards for his residents. Per the residents, the attendings make it a point to teach at all three sites.

Facilities: The university ED is pretty modernized and well-organized (however, I was completely spaced on the tour). The whole hospital is going under some impressive revisions and the EM department is receiving extra office space. The residents also do about 40% of their time at St. Joseph’s where they see their bread and butter patients - the ED is again modern and well-organized. Also, the residents go to Flint (one hour away) to garner an inner-city experience.

Curriculum: A 4-year program that sold the extra year very well, i.e. there is significant upside to doing an extra year at this program. There is a lot of unit time (9 months?) and elective time (4 months?). Starting your second year you take integrated flight shifts - you do not pick up patients during your flight shift. The flight program seems very impressive (10% scene-runs), but is not required if you are deathly afraid of flying. Residents work 10 hour shifts their first two years and are scaled down to 8 hour shifts there last two years.

Patient Population: A very good mix, as you see three different hospital systems ranging from university, inner-city, and bread and butter.

Overall: Honestly, I didn’t want to attend this program, but everyone else that went and I had talked to had nothing but positive things to say. As I said before, I would love to fly wherever I go for my training and U of M is very strong there. From a clinical standpoint, the training seems excellent and you will definitely be strong graduating from here. Also, it seems like there is a great than average academic slant for the leaving residents (a positive for me). The four year thing would seem like a drawback if it were not for the fact that the curriculum is very planned and thought-out. The downsides to this program are: 1) the fact that you need to drive for an hour to get to one of the sides, and 2) I do not know much Ann Arbor. Nonetheless, this is another program I will very highly in the end.
 
Overview
Excellent 4-year academic/community program established in 1992 that had some of the funniest residents that I met on the trail. Program has three main sites: University Hospital in AA (~45%), St. Joseph’s community hospital (~45% - also home to a superior GenSurg program), and an urban facility at Hurley (In Flint, ~10%). Residents feel that they see it all, from sick zebras at UH, bread and butter like no other at St. Joe’s, to GSWs in the hood at Hurley.

The program is Unit-heavy with (IIRC) 8 months over four years in various settings (MICU, SICU, NSICU, PICU, NICU) and nearly as much Peds exposure. Definitely feel that one would come away from this program very comfortable in those areas (usually cited as the ones most grads wish they had more exposure to).

The program had several excellent and personable faculty with UCSF-like resources (top tier Medicine, Surgery, Pscyhiatry, etc) and is located in a neat town that is, as many locals describe it, “A bubble of wonderful surrounded by a state of misery.” There was about two feet of accumulated snow on the ground and the temperature was around 15F but somehow it didn’t seem that cold. :eek:

Resident Social
Excellent food and drink (seriously, the beer was fantastic) combined with funny, interesting residents. It was one of the only such events where I would have gladly stayed till closing time chatting, if only there wasn’t that pesky interview early the next morning.

Interview Day
Parked in the University Hospital parking garage (comped) and followed the excellent signposts to the EM program offices. Started off the day with the Chief Resident’s presentation (basically “Why Ann Arbor?”) and learned that no matter how cold it gets in A^2, it’s always colder in Chicago. Good feeling from them about the PD, Dr. Kowalenko. This was followed by a break and an in-depth program presentation by the PD. Another break, then either tours (ED, AeroMedical facility, St. Joseph’s) or interviews. Lunch in the middle and then the groups switched out.

o Interviews: pretty standard EM interviews. Low stress, and best of all was the fact that they had actually, you know, read your application. Which was refreshing. All of the interviewers were likable and interesting and I got the feeling that I’d love working with them all. Lots of “Why Ann Arbor?? and “What are you looking for in a program?” questions.

o Facilities: UH is such a big-name hospital that I expected the ED to reflect that. As it is, it’s merely “above average,” though please don’t take that as a negative. St. Joesph’s reminds me of a well-done community ED.

Residents
14 per class. See above comments from interview social. Liked them and would definitely enjoy working with them.

Faculty
High powered, funny, personable. A lot like UCSF’s mix to me. Several mentioned to me that, even though they are from much warmer climes, they stay on at UM because it’s a neat place to work and raise a family.

Ancillary staff
Reported as good. They have a nice system whereby physicians wear white coats, nurses wear blue scrubs, Techs wear green and red. Therefore easy to tell who’s who in the ED. Only took me about 2 minutes to get the system figured out.

Curriculum
o PGY1-4: Look it up on the website.

o Other notes: This may be the program that gets you the most exposure to the broadest patient population that I interviewed at. You have your mix of Bread and Butter (B&B) and sick tertiary patients at UH. Then you have your B&B to the max at St. Joseph’s and reportedly some tertiary stuff there. SJ’s is a high-powered facility in it’s own right and if UM wasn’t next door it would be the Be-All, End-All for any other city. Hurley (in Flint) is your inner-city experience and residents get the experience of doing it all for themselves.

o Shifts:: Reportedly “Complicated.” Don’t know what that means.

o Bennies: Good salary that is fine for the area, plus you get a bonus at the end of each calendar year. Has something to do with residents not being able to participate in retirement plans. That worked out to something like $3500 for most. Not sure if that’s part of the reported salary or “in addition to.”

o Moonlighting: supported but definitely not encouraged, per the residents.

Charting
Paper with dictation.

Location
Ann Arbor. Very pretty college/professional town located 30 min West of Detroit. Only saw a little bit the day before (cold, snowy, not best exploring weather) but have been there in the summer. VERY pretty in a “There really are Four Seasons here” way. Fantastic history, Big University perks, modest cost of living. Snow on the ground at least 5 months per year. Summer is reported to last “3 months and not a day more.”

Negatives

o Four vs. Three: I had this conversation with one of my interviewers. His opinion (which seems about right) is that four is too long but three is too short. If it’s an issue then pass on by.

o Weather: it’s real and it’s got to be a consideration if you’ve never lived in that kind of weather. One of my BFFs has been there a couple of years for residency (from the same states as I) and she had to buy a lightbox in order to deal with the vastly decreased sun exposure. Which tells me a lot.

o Michigan economy: It’s bad, folks. Per the above quote, it’s difficult out there for folks not in/around Ann Arbor. And if your SO has non-academic or non-medical career options, I’m not so sure that they would be able to find a good job right now. Though I’d love to be proven wrong.

Positives

It’s University of Michigan. Top-notch off-service rotations, extensive Unit and Peds exposure, excellent faculty, and for me a truly broad range of patient populations. You can afford to live here and if you have kids the schools are outstanding. It’s easy to get cheap flights out of Detroit (especially via Southwest) and D-town also has tons of cultural activities to boot.

Overall

Great program with a Cincinnati feel (though with a better physical plant). I REALLY liked this program but to be honest the weather is a factor. And because I’ve had a close friend living there for years, I know that the winters can be brutal. But man, if it wasn’t in Michigan……. :D
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Hey guys,

I am going about setting up my ROL for EM. Breifly I was hoping to get some more info/opinions from other people about Umich. I loved the interview day, but hadn't heard much about it from my PD or other applicants around me (I go to med school on the east coast). I did read the residency review threads, but most of it was the same kind of stuff I got on my interview day, (8 mos of ICU etc).

I guess I was concerned about a power house University setting for residency (even though I am strongly considering academics as a career.) Also curious if anyone knew what kind of patient population you would see in ann arbor? Or if you would be better served going to a more traditional county-like program especially for someone who wants to go into academic EM someday. Thanks
 
Hey guys,

I am going about setting up my ROL for EM. Breifly I was hoping to get some more info/opinions from other people about Umich. I loved the interview day, but hadn't heard much about it from my PD or other applicants around me (I go to med school on the east coast). I did read the residency review threads, but most of it was the same kind of stuff I got on my interview day, (8 mos of ICU etc).

I guess I was concerned about a power house University setting for residency (even though I am strongly considering academics as a career.) Also curious if anyone knew what kind of patient population you would see in ann arbor? Or if you would be better served going to a more traditional county-like program especially for someone who wants to go into academic EM someday. Thanks

Hi, I couples matched with my S.O. who's a intern in the michigan EM program. We chose it above several other awesome programs (downstate, mayo, for example) because it provides a great mix of everything: St Joe's for community, UM for academic, Hurley (one of the poorest places in Michigan) for county/trauma. You do a decent amount of ED time over the four years at all 3 of those distinct locations. In her intern year she's already had a couple of ICU months in MICU and CCU, inpatient peds with some SICK kids, and a couple months of EM. She still has trauma burn, OB, anesthesia, and a couple more EM months to go for her internship. She'll get to do the survival flight thing as well, and has the opportunity to do some sort of away (international maybe?) electives. Honestly I'm not an expert (I'm in the anesthesia program) but I feel like it would be very difficult to find a more rigorous, well-rounded experience.
 
Ok, time to stop being lazy. Here are a few of my reviews. As with everyone, these are very subjective....enjoy.

University of Michigan:
Stats: 4yr program, 12 res/class, started 1992
General: 3 Hospitals: U of M (74K) – Tertiary care center, trauma, flight, Peds, majority of off-service rotations. St. Joes (85K) – Community “teaching” hospital, bread and butter, level 2 trauma. 15 min from main hospital. Hurly Medical Center (78K) – County hospital in Flint, significant trauma (penetrating and blunt); ~5 months total, 1 hr commute.
Separate and integrated Peds experience depending on location.
Pros: Very well run, impressive program with strong leadership and highly regarded faculty (i.e. - Dr. Barsan). Sold the 4 year program to me – significant ICU experience (9 months), extra elective time, teaching and administrative responsibilities for 4th year residents; overall a well rounded experience. Strong academic feel – relatively high percentage of residents go on to academic positions and fellowships. U of M is large and highly ranked hospital. Research is not required (“academic project” instead), but variety of projects readily accessible. Program director seems very well organized and passionate about program. Residents come from a variety of regions and are well marketed across country for future positions. Diversity of patients and experiences at different locations – plenty of pathology and trauma experience. Flight experience. Very nice facilities. Ann Arbor is a great town.
Cons: 5 months away in Flint which is a 1 hour commute each way. Resident classes didn’t seem as social and cohesive. Although a few ultrasound teaching attendings, ultrasound training not as well developed.


University of Pittsburgh:
Stats: 3yr program, 16 res/class, began in 1981
General: 4 Hospitals. UPMC – Tertiary care 50K, trauma, flight. Mercy 60K – community hospital downtown, bread and butter + trauma. Children’s Hospital. + 1-2 other community hospitals doing ED shifts and ICU. All hospitals within 15 min.
Pros: Residents seem very happy and all seem to get along – great camaraderie within classes. “Work hard, play hard” feeling. Residents raved about program. Strong, established, academic program with several fellowships (EMS, Tox, Peds, Research). Faculty approachable and good teaching. Great EMS program with “Jeep Shifts” – 2nd and 3rd year residents drive Jeep around town and are 1rst responders. Flight experience. Variety of clinical settings with separate pediatric emergency department. Pittsburgh is a surprisingly nice city which is very affordable.
Cons: 4-5 different hospitals with different charting systems. Most hospitals use paper charting. Average appearing facilities (from what I saw). Parking is apparently an issue for residents. Residents said Peds training “so/so”. Ultrasound training not emphasized.

Wash U:
Stats: 4yr program, 12 res/class, started 1997
General: Majority of time spent at Barnes-Jewish (main) ED – 80K as well as Children’s - 60 K; few community rotations scattered. Research required.
Pros: Heavy academic – required research (if that is your thing) and several months set aside for projects, frequent didactics and conferences (M&M, EKG, etc.), medical student teaching. Strong off service rotations at Barnes-Jewish/Wash U; emphasis on ICU rotations. Great pediatric experience at Children’s. Strong u/s program (looking to add fellowship). Great facilities – all computer charting. Well-organized program. Significant time for electives. St Louis very affordable (most residents had bought houses). 4wks vaca/year.
Cons: 4 year program – although many of the residents swear on it, many were talking about how they would only spend 30 hrs/wk during elective time (wonder if it is necessary??). Extra year allows more ICU, ent/optho, research months, elective time, etc. Required research project (if that is not your thing). The residents generally spoke well of the program, but many admitted that it was their 2nd, 3rd, 4th choice. Not its own department, for what it is worth. PD is very nice but “anal” and residents complain of “significant amount of paper work” . Although Central-West End is nice, none of the residents seemed thrilled with city.


Metrohealth/Cleveland Clinic:

Stats: 3yr program, 12-13 res/class, started 1991
General: 2/3 spent at Metrohealth – Large (90K+) county hospital with significant trauma, peds (integrated), and “bread & butter” ED cases. 1/3 spent at Cleveland Clinic – 40K+, less acuity, but are seeing unique CC pathology. Hospitals about 15min apart.
Pros: Nice balance b/w county and academic hospitals. Facilities generally very nice at both locations (CC ED brand new). Residents seem very happy and seem to get along. Residents are well prepared, although they admit to “working very hard” in their 3 years. Faculty are generally well-liked and lobby for residents. Excellent flight program with opportunities for residents. U/S training and fellowship available.
Cons: Seemed like a “local” program – most residents from upper Midwest and it seemed like many were planning to stay nearby. Cleveland is a livable, but mediocre setting (low cost of living, though). Was not an emphasis on non-ED rotations. Very little time for electives. No separate pediatric training (this did not seem to be an issue, however).
 
I am happy to elaborate more about the places I interviewed...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

1) Denver: (+): amazing program, amazing location, 4th years blew me away managing ED. (-): almost no elective time
2) Hennepin: (+): very surgery-based program, Pitbosses run the ED 3rd year, critical care emphasis. (-): Minnesota.
3) Highland: (+): autonomous training, great group of people, nice location, self-sufficient residents. (-): unsure about strength of off-service rotations.
4) MGH/BWH: (+): great city, great resources, phenomenal international health program. (-) young program, 1 million potential consultants to be called
5) New Mexico: (+): great program, super nice people, SICK patients, nice outdoor recreation nearby, critical care strong. (-): location seemed a little ghost-townish for me, issues with movement of pts through department & flow
6) UMichigan: (+): huge critical care, no medicine wards, diverse training sites. (-): not a huge fan of the location/weather, worried about the # of consultants that could be called.
7) Bellevue: (+): big time autonomy, self-sufficient residents, reputation. (-) I am a little intimidated about the idea of living in Manhattan .
8) Maine: (+): the most friendly people ever, location. (-) seemed a little cushy for me
9) BMC: (+): location, underserved patient population, lots of trauma. (-): 2-4, PGY2s do ALL procedures in dept.
10) OHSU: (+): location. (-): didn't gel with the people
11) UC Davis: (+): sick pts. (-): nothing really set them apart, location
12) UCSF Fresno: (+): Yosemite, nice people. (-): couldn't really see value of 4th year, living in Fresno.
13) Stanford: (+): Paul Auerbach, lots of resources, bay area. (-): pts not sick enough, a little too academically snooty for me
14) BIDMC: (+): location. (-): unfriendly, extremely academically snooty people
15) Indiana: (+): fantastic program. (-): location

I also interviewed for the UVM Preliminary Medicine Year and the Transitional year at UC San Diego, so feel free to ask me about those...

Please note: the (+) and (-) are only my opinion. I'm sure there are several other people who had totally different experiences and therefore completely opposite opinions (which is why the match works!)
 
I originally posted this in the Unofficial 2009 ROL thread but I'm posting here so that folks down the line can get more hits when they search for various programs.

1. Texas A&M-Scott & White - Loved the facilities, great reputation in Texas and surrounding regions, LOVED the residents and faculty. Feels like home. Brought my wife back for a second look and it was a giant love-fest. :) Training is extremely good, great location, and extremely family friendly.

2. Duke Univ Med Ctr-NC - I loved the PD (Sarah Stahmer), the faculty, and the residents. I definitely felt as if I could spend three years with these guys. The feel-goodness started at the resident social and continued on. I was also impressed by the group of applicants who were there with me (one of my hidden indicators). Excellent training, though a bit too university hospital biased. Duke name and reputation, facilities, and Raleigh-Durham is gorgeous. Family in the area. Would be excited to end up here.

3. UC San Francisco-CA - One of those programs with that "X-factor" that's hard to describe; yet you know it when you see it. Really liked the PD and Assistant PD. ;) Fantastic facilities, really top-notch faculty, residents were nice and very welcoming. New program and that brings with it problems; however, I've made something of a habit of helping to establish new organizations and I love a challenge. Though SF is hideously expensive, we think that we can make it happen. Plus it's SF! Gorgeous city and TONS to do when we're not working. Family (a well-traveled bunch) would be thrilled too and have already promised to visit all the time if we end up there. :)

4. University Hosp-Cincinnati-OH - My favorite program by far when considered in and of itself. However, when those "other factors" get thrown in, it was hard to rank them higher. Spent a month there, absolutely LOVED the program. Seriously. This is truly one of those X-factor places and watching their fourth years was insanely impressive. Wish that I could have ranked them higher. But if by some ridiculous longshot we end up there, then I will probably be their most enthusiastic resident EVER. :)

5. U Texas Med Sch-Houston - solid program in a city that I love, close to family and friends, good research available, extremely familiar with the medical center and area.

6. University of Virginia - Very good program that a friend rotated with, so I know it's dirt to a degree. Gorgeous town, decently close to family. Kind of isolated and would be harder for my wife to find a job since it's primarily a college town.

7. Ohio State Univ Med Ctr-OH - Heard great things about the program, really enjoyed my interview, residents at my med school rave about the city. Would be very happy to end up there.

8. Christiana Care-DE - One of those programs that I wish that I'd been able to rotate with because I hear so many great things. Really clicked with the faculty, kind so-so with the residents. Newark didn't really impress me much as it reminded me of the concrete suburbia that I wouldn't mind leaving behind. Nonetheless, would be happy to match there.

9. U Michigan Hosps-Ann Arbor - Fantastic program, not really thrilled about the amount of snow/winter/winter schmutz we'd have to deal with. Not looking forward to buying a light box and possibly dealing with SAD.

10. U Arkansas-Little Rock - One of the most relaxed and enjoyable interview days I had on the trail. Brand-spanking new ED which is gorgeous and well thought out. A little concerned about the volume and pathology that they see there. Good faculty and the residents seem like people I'd want to be friends with outside of work. Little Rock seems like a very pleasant place to live, and quite affordable.

11. Christus Spohn Mem Hosp-TX - I think that this program is going to be really outstanding in a couple of years. I had a great interview and with the relative lack of other residencies, you get treated like royalty by the hospital - Close, free parking, free food in the Dr.'s Lounge, relatively few low-yield rotations. However, the wife and I weren't too thrilled at the prospect of living in Corpus for three years, and their are still some rough edges to the program. Nonetheless, I believe that you'd come out of this program a very well trained EP.

12. Pitt County Mem Hosp/Brody SOM-NC - Solid program, had a so-so interview day. Location was a bit of a negative for me as Greenville is so small. On the other hand, it is only about forty minutes from family and it's insanely cheap to live in. I've known some folks from the school and they had very good things to say about the program. Would be okay with matching here.

Bottom line is that I didn't interview at a single place that I wouldn't mind training at. I do think that there is a nearly intangible but real difference (for me) between the top-tier and other programs. Having said that though, the one thing that I've learned from this interview season is that the saying "You get a solid education at any of these places because of the RRC," is probably pretty close to the mark.
 
Can anyone provide any more recent insight into the program at University of Michigan? It seems like a pretty solid program based on what I'm reading on their website but I'd love to have an insider's perspective if anyone notices this thread :)
 
Top