**MUST READ***MacNeal Transitional Year in Chicago

[dermdocchitown]

I've noticed over the past couple months that some things have been said about the MacNeal Transitional Year program becoming a more hardcore, less TY friendly program. I am a current resident at MacNeal and was very excited to match there last year because of all the great things I had heard about it. When I was applying the residents did 4 months of medicine wards, 1 month of either ICU or surgery, and for the most part all the other months were easy. Traditionally MacNeal has been a very competitive place to match because of location and being known for one of the easiest in Chicago. The rumors on this site are true that everything is changing...and to make it worse the program is not notifying applicants of these upcoming changes which I think is just dishonest. This is all lead by Dr. Tynus the program director at MacNeal who has made it her mission to make the program tougher.

There have been a ton of changes this year for the worse, and there are even more slated for next year. Instead of the 4 months of med wards and 1 month of ICU or surgery we now have 3 months of ICU, 2 months of Wards, 1 month of surgery, and 1 month of family practice inpatient wards. You take call each of these months. I was told there would be no call on ICU when I interviewed, but we now have call all three months. Also, the culture at MacNeal previously was to get all your work done and you can leave. This means if you were done by 11 you could sign out and leave. Dr. Tynus has now changed that to you have to be in house until 3 pm. On all inpatient months there is now a teaching session at 2 pm for the sole purpose of keeping us there later (exact words of the program director). We now sit around from 11 am when we are done with rounds until 2 pm waiting for these teaching sessions to start. I know 3 pm is not that late compared to other programs but at least your time is used in an appropriate way and you aren't just sitting around waiting for something to happen. We now also have to carry around a sheet on all of our electives and have it signed every day...like we are in middle school!

There are also a lot of changes that will be occurring next year that you have not been told about. There will continue to be 3 months of ICU, but with the new shift schedule there will be multiple various shifts lasting for 12 hours each. This will take the average hours per week from about 50-55 to 72. Also, there will now be TWO months of surgery, and you are no longer allowed to take vacation during this time. They are also devising ways to keep the residents in house until 3-4 pm every day. This may not sound like a big deal but it makes the commute disastrous. Almost everyone at MacNeal lives in Chicago and when we were getting out early traffic was never a big deal, but if you now leave the hospital at 4 you won't make it back downtown until 5-5:30. Not a great way to spend your day when you were done with work at 11am! They are also talking about moving morning report from 11 am to 7 am so that everyone has to get in to the hospital earlier as well.

These are just the changes that I have become aware of so far. I am sure there are many others that I am not aware of. The key to take away is that the culture of MacNeal is now changing. It used to be a cush TY program but is becoming more and more like a full medicine prelim program. With the new work hour changes a lot of other programs will become more attractive, but it definitely will make your time at MacNeal worse. I would strongly advise against ranking MacNeal. I also looked at Resurrection, St Josephs, St Francis and Northshore and would rank all of them above the proposed MacNeal next year. I would also let all of your friends who are applying to MacNeal know about all of these changes too. If you are still interested great, but it really pissed me off that they are not making these changes known to applicants.

Please PM or reply if you have any questions.

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[El Dooderino]

I've gotten a sense that all TY's are getting harder, even the formally cush ones. Not sure why this trend started

 

[countingdays]

I've gotten a sense that all TY's are getting harder, even the formally cush ones. Not sure why this trend started

I was almost certainly started to try to discourage other applicants from ranking this guys top choice transitional program highly. This weak bs happens every year right before the match.

 

[alphaholic06]

Wow! This is pretty weak. You say you're a current resident at the program, but your previous two post show you as a student gearing up to match in derm. Pathetic if this is what it takes for you to match in transitional program.

 

[dermdocchitown]

I appreciate your skepticism but I can assure you that this info is real. I am actually using a friend's account on here because I have never used this site before. When I told my friend who is going into derm and interviewed at macneal about these changes he suggested I post something on here to let other people know. I suggest you email the residents you interviewed with as I can see how an anonymous form may not lead to credibility.

 

[backrow]

I refuse to read this thread simply because it says MUST READ

 

[Winged Scapula]

I appreciate your skepticism but I can assure you that this info is real. I am actually using a friend's account on here because I have never used this site before. When I told my friend who is going into derm and interviewed at macneal about these changes he suggested I post something on here to let other people know. I suggest you email the residents you interviewed with as I can see how an anonymous form may not lead to credibility.

Please note that users are discouraged from sharing accounts. It leads to confusion for other members who are very astute and can detect changes in a user's "story" and "tone".

Anonymous forums do not have to strain credibility except when users either deliberately attempt to deceive or do so accidentally, as in your case.

The registration process is easy, quick, free and you will not be spammed by SDN. There is no reason to share an account.

 

[countingdays]

I appreciate your skepticism but I can assure you that this info is real. I am actually using a friend's account on here because I have never used this site before. When I told my friend who is going into derm and interviewed at macneal about these changes he suggested I post something on here to let other people know. I suggest you email the residents you interviewed with as I can see how an anonymous form may not lead to credibility.

Not buying it.

MacNeal must be a great program.

I would recommend that everyone who interviewed there rank it #1!!!!!

 

[alphaholic06]

Not buying it.

MacNeal must be a great program.

I would recommend that everyone who interviewed there rank it #1!!!!!

Agreed! Everyone rank this program #1!

 

[Rheumella]

Agreed! Everyone rank this program #1!

I didn't even interview there and I am still gonna rank it #1!!!!


Seriously, OP, may you scramble. . .

 

[pnasty]

for what it's worth I interviewed at macneal and emailed a couple of people I know there and this is all true....give the guy a break for trying to help people out!

 

[smq123]

for what it's worth I interviewed at macneal and emailed a couple of people I know there and this is all true....give the guy a break for trying to help people out!

Nice support for the OP. It's extremely interesting that both of you share the same IP address....

I'm just sayin'.

 

[Doctor&Geek]

 

[Pkboi24]

Nice support for the OP. It's extremely interesting that both of you share the same IP address....

I'm just sayin'.

How can you see someone's IP address on here?

 

[gutonc]

How can you see someone's IP address on here?

Mod magic.

 

[tjaze]

actually, his info is valid. If you check on auntminnie.com, you'll find a similar thread with multiple members talking about similar changes they're heard about.

 

[keepinon]

Rounds done by 11? Leaving before 2 on *inpatient months?* Does this world exist? Are you taking care of fewer patients? Are your patients just not very sick/complex? At my program we struggle to finish rounds in time for noon conference, typically going 'til at least 12:15 if not later. I never left the hospital before 6 pm and more typically 7 or 8...or later. I often work 80+ hours/week on inpatient months (never EVER less than 75...then there's dictating d/c summaries from home to keep the PG directors off our backs) and the culture of the program is to underreport hours.

I had no idea the "cush" programs were so much easier than mine. I'd give a chunk of one of my fingers to have had time to attend most of the educational conferences I missed this year. I feel bad for using this analogy but I honestly feel as though I've spent the last 11 months of my life in a concentration camp. I feel used up and close to dead inside. I learned a ton and am much stronger for having faced the challenges but all at a cost that I wouldn't opt to pay again.

 

[hitherefriend]

I got an interview here for this cycle. Can anyone comment on whether the OP's comments ended up being true or not?

 

[DrAwsome]

I got an interview here for this cycle. Can anyone comment on whether the OP's comments ended up being true or not?

What OP is saying is moderately accurate (and no, I'm not the OP and I've completed internship long ago, although not here, so I'm not trying to psyche anyone out). Used to be a very "cush" program, but things have tightened up in the recent years. If I were you, I'd still go to the IV and see what they say. Things change

 

[RestoreSight]

In the broader sense, I don't think cush programs exist at all anymore. My program in Boston was suppose to be super-cush but I work my ass off every day.

By the way, I don't care how cush a program is, no one gets out at 11am consistently on inpt service, unless your post call or literally have zero patients.

 

[samsoniter]

As someone who completed a very cush TY I would like to say they do indeed still exist. It appears, at least at my program, there is a certain degree of subterfuge used by these CushyMcCushalot programs. They do not want everyone to realize how easy it is, I believe for fear of word getting out and possibly going down a similar path as MacNeal (can't verify OPs statements, and must admit there is far too much shadiness that goes on around match).
A good strategy-ha for what it's worth at this stage in the game, is to find one or two of the "cool" residents and get them out for beers, or at least away from the PD and other applicants, this is when you can get the real low down.

 

[Neuronix]

In the broader sense, I don't think cush programs exist at all anymore. My program in Boston was suppose to be super-cush but I work my ass off every day.

By the way, I don't care how cush a program is, no one gets out at 11am consistently on inpt service, unless your post call or literally have zero patients.

We got out at around 1PM frequently on inpatient service last year. I averaged 50 hours a week on floors (all 4 months of them). I hit a few call cycles where I had all my patients discharged post-call with a Q4 call cycle for epic wins. The worst month was ICU where I averaged high 60s hours a week, though the census was fairly low so a lot of the time was sitting around eating popcorn and other free food from the cafeteria.

I do think the cush programs do still exist because I was just in one last year. They might be getting fewer in number, and thus more competitive, and they may not exist in the locations you want.

 

[Dr. USMLE]

We got out at around 1PM frequently on inpatient service last year. I averaged 50 hours a week on floors (all 4 months of them). I hit a few call cycles where I had all my patients discharged post-call with a Q4 call cycle for epic wins. The worst month was ICU where I averaged high 60s hours a week, though the census was fairly low so a lot of the time was sitting around eating popcorn and other free food from the cafeteria.

I do think the cush programs do still exist because I was just in one last year. They might be getting fewer in number, and thus more competitive, and they may not exist in the locations you want.

This is pretty consistent with my experience this year. I try not to rub it in because my friends tell me how horrible their experiences are, but honestly I literally do not have to show up to work for 6 months of the year. So far, I haven't showed up for 2 months. I may show up for some of the rest for 20 hours or less per week and that too only because it's relevant to my future. The medicine months are a joke, too, and if it weren't for the new intern restrictions, I would have done ~25 hours/wk on medicine. On an average medicine day, I'm working at maybe 50% capacity and my stress level is maybe a 3/10...I doubt my pulse ever goes above 70. Definitely not even close to working my ass off. I almost feel guilty about it actually!

 

[RadicalRadon]

This is pretty consistent with my experience this year. I try not to rub it in because my friends tell me how horrible their experiences are, but honestly I literally do not have to show up to work for 6 months of the year. So far, I haven't showed up for 2 months. I may show up for some of the rest for 20 hours or less per week and that too only because it's relevant to my future. The medicine months are a joke, too, and if it weren't for the new intern restrictions, I would have done ~25 hours/wk on medicine. On an average medicine day, I'm working at maybe 50% capacity and my stress level is maybe a 3/10...I doubt my pulse ever goes above 70. Definitely not even close to working my ass off. I almost feel guilty about it actually!

Any thoughts on where we can find a "master list" for cush TY's???

 

[PCC108050]

So did the original post hold to be true?

 

[Roger413]

Did anybody else who interviewed here just get the feeling that way too much was changing, all for the worse? The TYs who took my group on the tour and lunch said that while for now it was on par with the other Chicago TY programs, that too many aspects of the program were changing to become much less cushy. Especially the IM program that is new to MacNeal. While I want to rank it highly due to location and perceived reputation, there just seemed to be too many red flags. Or did I just get the wrong impression during the interview?