Cardiology Program Impressions for 2012

[nope80]

bump!

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[Instatewaiter]

I have some geographic limitations. I'm curious about thoughts on:
UVA
MCV
Duke
UNC
Penn
Maryland

 

[k96tw01]

Does Duke still have a four year general fellowship where you have to get research grants to cover your salary for a year of research time?

 

[CHF4thewin]

Pitt
Pros: See all do all cardiology program. Academic focus but a reasonable number of fellows end up doing private practice. Great CHF program rivaling penn. Fellows leave and go to absolute top tier institutions for advanced training if they want. Culture is academic and supportive. Research time is large. Advanced degrees available.
Cons: Relatively small number of procedures and procedural suites performed for the hospital size. In house call

Methodist
Pros: great culture. See all do it all program. Huge cardiology service (10 cath labs) and lots of big names in the field. No in house call and you only come in for real issues because there are intensivists and residents who take care of patients overnight. There is no need to leave for any advanced training other than adult congenital. Small program with big emphasis on fellow education. Home call
Cons: unclear if you can transition to academic medicine from this program since the split with baylor.

UT Houston
Pros: incredible pathology, incredible hospitals. Best CHF program in houston. Pretty much everything interventional. Pretty much see it all do it all type of place.
Cons:
You take call all three years. Calls are in house calls. Fellows cover about 150 patients and do 9-10 admissions per night and see consults. Fellows replete electrolytes, trouble shoot issues, fix orders, give pain medications and sleeping medications, etc just like medicine residency call. Fellows essentially are someone just to do the dirty work (H&Ps, discharges, admission orders, coverage) etc. The culture is malignant and the work environment is hostile. 5 months of research/elective is given over 3 years. The majority of attendings do not do any active research. Overwhelmingly fellows do not do academic medicine after completion. Evidence based medicine or general fellow education is not emphasized. If you try and initiate discussion or ask for education, it is seen as threatening. You are essentially on your own to learn what you have to learn. Much of your procedural learning opportunity comes from private community providers who want to get things done as fast as possible. The ties to big pharm are clear in the form of free dinners, stuff, talks etc. You have to learn to swallow your ethics or face a backlash. Have to leave for advanced training for adult congenital or anything imaging. EP training is average and lacking advanced techniques.

UTSW
Pros: very academic. Huge cardiology program. See it all do it all program. Easy to transition to either academic or private practice. No need to leave for any advanced training. Excellent clinical research registries exist. Research time is quite large.
Cons: huge workload, two faced staff (nice but can be malignant), little option to transition to private practice, pressure to do a 4 year track is present.

UNC
Pros: academic environment. Small workload. See it all do it all program. Advanced degrees available. Reasonable fellow workload. Supportive environment. Research of all kinds available. Duke is next door. Advanced degrees available. Average amount of total research time.
Cons: duke is next door. Most fellows go into private practice. Take in house call the first 2 years over a small CCU service. Have to leave for many advanced training routes