My home school is the University of Rochester and I based my thoughts of the programs in reference to U of R. I also want to say that most negatives that I mention are really splitting hairs because most Med-Peds programs are amazing and that it has come down to picking on really silly things to separate them for the rank list.
In Alphabetical Order
1.
Albany Medical College - Really friendly residents and faculty. Location in the state capitol makes the possibility of going into public policy a little realistic. I found the facilities to be lacking and didn't dig the fact that most of their continuity care patients were more affluent suburbanites.
2.
Baylor - Was really wowed by the size and opulence of everything. Their residents were super sharp. Excellent benefits, excellent teaching, you will definitely see a lot. Great opportunities to work with Spanish speaking population (a plus for me). You will probably get one of the best educational experiences here. Other positives: rotate through a county, private, and VA settings. Negatives for me were: Texas Children's Hospital is seperate from the internal medicine hospital, no night float, and I got the impression that their residents were worked a little too hard. (I'm stuck between Baylor, Baystate, and UT Houston as my #1 spot)
3.
Baystate - Great facilities and faculty. Residents very sharp and friendly. Reminds me a lot of Rochester, just in a slightly different part of the country. Only gripe is that most people live in a town ~25 minutes away from the hospital.
4.
Christiana Care - I was very impressed with the facilities and faculty here. Friendly residents. Children's hospital is about 15minutes away from Christiana though. Near Philly, but most people live near the hospital. Great combination of community and academic.
5.
ECU/Pitt County - This program has amazing faculty, great facilities, and a very generous benefits package. Unfortunately, the location is just plain horrible. Its on the bottom of my list because of its location in the middle of nowhere.
6.
LSU- Strong Peds, weak medicine. I was very impressed with the peds hospital, not so much with the internal medicine hospitals. Great opportunities to work with the underserved. New Orleans is a great town
. Was confused with how the academic portions were set up, I believe that grand rounds and other didactic sessions are held in the educational building thats a few blocks away from the University Hospital.
7. Metrohealth - I didn't get very good vibes from this program. I feel that I will learn a lot of internal medicine here, but I feel like pediatrics is a bit weak. I didn't get a good feel for the residents, either. All in all, the program just felt a little lacking in almost everything (except faculty). Too much for me to rank it.
8.
Stony Brook - Very Small program. Faculty and facilities are great, however I didn't get a very strong Med-Peds identity from them. One of the residents felt that it was more like doing seperate medicine and pediatrics programs than doing a combined program. Separate continuity clinic
.
9.
Tulane- If I was categorical medicine, I would go here. Great medicine program director, great pathology. New Med-Peds program director, I couldn't get a good feel for her, but the other applicants who did interview with her said they got good vibes. Shares many of the hospitals with LSU, with the exception of the pediatric hospital. Lots of vacation time (Mardi Gras is protected time
).
10.
University of Mississippi - I was really suprised by this program. Newly renovated facilities. The program director, Dr. Stewart, really works hard for his residents. Combined clinic, switching to EMR soon. Seperate children's hospital that is part of the larger medical center. Negatives: I'm not sure how I will acclimate to Jackson, MS.
11.
University of Rochester - I am biased towards UR. The only reason why I am not ranking UR as #1 is because I went here for undergrad and took a year out for a grand total of 9 years here and I want to try living somewhere else. I think this is an excellent example of combining academic and community medicine. Even though Strong Memorial is supposed to be a tertiary care center you see a whole range of problems from a diverse population. The only downside to UR is the weather and its not that bad. I came from Miami, FL and was able to tolerate it for 9 years and I might consider going back, depending on where I am 4 years from now.
12.
University of Tennessee - I enjoyed my visit to Memphis. Nice residents, good faculty. Brand new pediatrics hospital! Rotate through a combination of county and private systems. Seperate continuity clinics
. The only real negative I can think of is that I am unsure how well I will be able to adjust to the South.
13.
University of Texas, Houston - I feel that this is just about the same as Baylor. One added benefit: In addition to the med-peds program director, both the medicine and pediatrics directors are med-peds trained as well. Negatives: No coverage of the VA.
My list so far:
1. (3 way tie)
Baystate
Baylor
UT Houston
4. University of Rochester
5. Christiana Care
6. Tulane
7. LSU
8. Albany
9. U Miss
10. UTenn
11. ECU
12. Suny Stonybrook