Best Peds department?

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Dr. Don

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hello all, I'm really interested in pediatrics so I was wondering which ped department do you guys consider to the best in the nation? I know that Penn's is considered a top program? Also, I will be a DO graduate so I would appreciate if you guys can tell me which peds programs do not accept DO's. I heard Columbia is like that....any feedback would be really appreciated. Thanks

Dr. DOn

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Best for what???

By "reputation" probably CHOP, BCRP (the boston combined program), and Hopkins (I'm sure I'm leaving some out). These are great if you want to go into subspecialty fellowships, and obviously they are fine institutions that offer great training and a diverse, interesting patient population.

But it is silly (not to mention dangerous; it is difficult enough for allopathic grads to get into these programs, and I think it will be tougher, but not impossible, from an osteo school) to discount the many great programs that aren't the top five. Many offer equally good academics and a less intense work environment, and can be better if you are interested in primary care or rural medicine (and rural specialties).
 
I was just wondering if you would condider doing Peds residency at the second best residency program in the country. You made it seem like that was the only one that mattered.

According to the US News and World Report graduate school edition the top programs were

1. Boston Childrens
2. CHOP
3. Hopkins
4. Cincinnati Children's

Cant remember the rest off the top of my head but it is out in bookstores.

It is bad enough to sound arrogant but to be a DO and sound arrogant is laughable. Work on your wording of things when you post. Things like this tend to piss people off.
 
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jdog said:
I was just wondering if you would condider doing Peds residency at the second best residency program in the country. You made it seem like that was the only one that mattered.

According to the US News and World Report graduate school edition the top programs were

1. Boston Childrens
2. CHOP
3. Hopkins
4. Cincinnati Children's

Cant remember the rest off the top of my head but it is out in bookstores.

It is bad enough to sound arrogant but to be a DO and sound arrogant is laughable. Work on your wording of things when you post. Things like this tend to piss people off.

my apologies jdog, actually I don't even know which program is second best, I was just CURIOUS as to which programs SDNers consider the best...that's why I was asking if you guys knew which programs were. I'm actually very interested in doing community medicine, so going for that subspecialty would not really concern me. My apologies again if I sounded arrogant, if you knew me in person, you wouldn't say that. Thank you and good luck to you all. I still have three more years to apply for residency. By the way which program is CHOP?

Dr. DOn
 
Yes, the perils of words without the interpersonal contextual cues... :)

CHOP=Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

What do you mean by community medicine? Being a private practice pediatrician? Or working on community health issues (teen pregnancy, child safety, advocacy, public health, etc)?
 
According to the most recent US News and World Report, the best children's hospitals are:

1 Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
2 Children's Hospital Boston
3 Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
4 Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian
5 Texas Children's Hospital, Houston
6 Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Cleveland
7 Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
8 Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
9 Children's Hospital, Denver
10 University of California, San Francisco Medical Center

According to child's magazine scoring system, the best children's hospitals are:

1 The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
2 Children's Hospital Boston
3 Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Cleveland
4 Texas Children's Hospital, Houston
5 University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Ann Arbor
6 St. Louis Children's Hospital
7 Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
8 Children's Mercy Hospitals & Clinics, Kansas City, MO
9 Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle
10 Primary Children's Medical Center, Salt Lake City

These are rankings of hospitals and they do not necessarily mean rankings of residencies. There is no ranking of the residencies anywhere because it's quite subjective, but I think the hospital rankings are a very good proxy of quality of the residencies.
 
Docxter said:
According to the most recent US News and World Report, the best children's hospitals are:

1 Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
2 Children's Hospital Boston
3 Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
4 Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian
5 Texas Children's Hospital, Houston
6 Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Cleveland
7 Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
8 Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
9 Children's Hospital, Denver
10 University of California, San Francisco Medical Center

According to child's magazine scoring system, the best children's hospitals are:

1 The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
2 Children's Hospital Boston
3 Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Cleveland
4 Texas Children's Hospital, Houston
5 University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Ann Arbor
6 St. Louis Children's Hospital
7 Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
8 Children's Mercy Hospitals & Clinics, Kansas City, MO
9 Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle
10 Primary Children's Medical Center, Salt Lake City

These are rankings of hospitals and they do not necessarily mean rankings of residencies. There is no ranking of the residencies anywhere because it's quite subjective, but I think the hospital rankings are a very good proxy of quality of the residencies.

I appreciate the info. Interesting list. Also, by community medicine, I mainly meant, setting up a practice whether private or in a hospital where the patient population is underserved. Not really interested in research as much, but I would be interested in public health areas like how immigration status affects the level of care in patients, etc. Thanks for the info again!
 
Just 2 cautions about the lists...

The residency programs are not necessarily limited to the hospitals (Boston Children's Hospital is now one of 2 sites of the BCRP, the other being the BU affiliated Boston Medical Center; conversely Harvard, the insitution behind Boston Children's, and a top ranked institution for pediatrics, also has an excellent program at the Mass General).

Also, programs can have serious problems and still be on that list. Several years ago Rainbow Babies (which is perennial top 10) filled only about 16 of their 26 spots. Apparently the residents were so unhappy with the program that they told applicants not to rank it.
 
jdog said:
It is bad enough to sound arrogant but to be a DO and sound arrogant is laughable. Work on your wording of things when you post. Things like this tend to piss people off.

JDog,

You should take your own advice to heart. Your comment about being a DO and sounding arrogant was very inappropriate. As you said, "things like this tend to piss people off".

Take care,
abs
 
Dr. Don,

Don't make the mistake of thinking you need to end up at the "Top 3" to be successful. I am sure that's not what you intended - you just probably wanted to know which programs are held in high regard by the peds community.

I personally am not a "Top 3" personality, although it took me a while to figure this out. I got a personal snub at one of the top 3, intimidation at another, and didn't even apply to the third. I cannot imagine working in that environment for the next 3 years.

On the other hand, exceptionally bright and talented people fill the rosters at the top 3. I am sure that they will be the leaders in our field in the future. I had one friend who attended one of the top 3 - he loved it and plans on a critical care fellowship. Another friend at the same place also loved it and excelled, she is planning on a endocrine fellowship, I think - but she is the kind of person who is very competitive with herself and others and never quite seems satisfied with what she's got. A third friend hated one of the top 3 programs, never quite felt comfortable with her peers, and plans on doing rural/community medicine when she's done. As you can see, there's a mix of people, and there are bound to be people who are happy/unhappy at any institution you visit. I'm sure the top 3 get tired of being stereotyped as cold, competitive, and lonely.

I am so happy I matched at the place I did - a highly-ranked university setting with the friendliest housestaff and office staff I have met anywhere and all the resources and options I would ever utilize at my fingertips, all wrapped up in a nice-size, affordable city. I couldn't be happier, and I am 100% certain that I will have an equal shot at any opportunities as anyone else - it's just up to me to make them happen.

Sorry for blabbering on, but in summary . . . prestige and name are really nice things, but sometimes there are things that are more important, like . . . people.
 
PS - Apply to Columbia if you want. Apply to any place where you like the people and the location. The worst they can say is no, and if they do, you wouldn't have wanted to end up there anyway.
 
Fabio said:
Dr. Don,

Don't make the mistake of thinking you need to end up at the "Top 3" to be successful. I am sure that's not what you intended - you just probably wanted to know which programs are held in high regard by the peds community.

I personally am not a "Top 3" personality, although it took me a while to figure this out. I got a personal snub at one of the top 3, intimidation at another, and didn't even apply to the third. I cannot imagine working in that environment for the next 3 years.

On the other hand, exceptionally bright and talented people fill the rosters at the top 3. I am sure that they will be the leaders in our field in the future. I had one friend who attended one of the top 3 - he loved it and plans on a critical care fellowship. Another friend at the same place also loved it and excelled, she is planning on a endocrine fellowship, I think - but she is the kind of person who is very competitive with herself and others and never quite seems satisfied with what she's got. A third friend hated one of the top 3 programs, never quite felt comfortable with her peers, and plans on doing rural/community medicine when she's done. As you can see, there's a mix of people, and there are bound to be people who are happy/unhappy at any institution you visit. I'm sure the top 3 get tired of being stereotyped as cold, competitive, and lonely.

I am so happy I matched at the place I did - a highly-ranked university setting with the friendliest housestaff and office staff I have met anywhere and all the resources and options I would ever utilize at my fingertips, all wrapped up in a nice-size, affordable city. I couldn't be happier, and I am 100% certain that I will have an equal shot at any opportunities as anyone else - it's just up to me to make them happen.

Sorry for blabbering on, but in summary . . . prestige and name are really nice things, but sometimes there are things that are more important, like . . . people.

THank you for your post Fabio. It was very informative. Late
 
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