Palmetto Health/University of South Carolina Residency Reviews

[dwgs]

Hey all,

Here goes a description of the busiest week of my life (4 interviews in 5 days on the road:

Palmetto- WOW. A real shocker. This program was not high on my list prior to interviewing and now I think I'm going to rank them #1. PD (Dr. Cook) is AMAZING!!!!!!!! Education is solid and very much like the typical curiculum of other programs. Ultrasound is a definite strength as two attendings at this program travel to other programs to teach them how to do it. Facility itself was old but extremely well maintained. Benefits are beyond belief... I almost stroked out when I was told that all medical/dental insurance is 100% paid for you and your family. Also, food is free 365 days/yr, 3 meals/day. Free parking, lots of money for conferences, books, etc. 1st year salary 40K. I swear that I actually blushed while the benefits were detailed.

East Carolina- PD is great (Charlie Brown is his name). Dedicated to education and very appreciative of your time. No introduction to the program was given... you go right into interviews. Residents all very happy. Very "family friendly" environment. Attendings all very enthusiastic about the program. Nice town for quiet living. Currently moving into a gorgeous, brand new ED.

Carolinas- Good introduction to the program. All attendings very warm and inviting. PD is extrodinarily enthusiastic about the program and makes is known that he appreciates your energy and time in getting there. Program is very strong in ultrasound and research. There is a dedicated research building if that's any indication. Research, research, research...

EVMS- Solid program. Good education. Interview day is well organized. Residents seem happy. Attendings are kind and respectful. No hard questions. Residents work at 4 different hospitals that span all socioeconomic levels (poor and uninsured, blue collar insured, white collar demanding yuppies etc). Benefits are okay, not stellar. Location is perfect for the water oriented individual... Chesapeake bay, Atlantic Ocean. 8 hour shifts.

Dwgs

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[ElZorro]

Let me start by saying I am not sure that I really know the feel of this program, so if anybody disagrees or has differing opinions, please post so I can get a better sampling.

Location: Columbia is a great small city in SC. It is 2 hrs from the Blue Ridge Mtns and some great outdoor activities are available all around. Also, the SC coast is nearby (I think about 2 hrs as well) so if thats your thing it is available. Basically, if you are finacially strapped this is as close as you can get to both the mtns and beach during residency. Cost of living is very low, and real estate can be had without any real difficulty during residency. Seems like both married and singles would be happy here, as it is certainly family friendly, but also has a big party school in town (Uni. of So. Car.) so the bar scene is there too.

Positives: The perks are the things that stand out the most. Trips to Hawaii and Asheville, NC are part of the deal, as well as numerous other travel oppurtunities as many of the residents are doing international electives which can be financed via teaching oppurtunities that the PD will set up for you and then put money in your conference / travel account. They do more nice things for their residents than any other program I have heard of. The PD is incredibly supportive of his residents, and really seems to care about their personal well being, he is always trying to help people find their niche and has the residents write mission statements so he can help them acheive their goals. Pay is outstanding, probably more then any program not in NYC or W. Coast. Full benefits. U/S is outstanding here, with many machines and early exposure with an U/S certification program in 1st year. They seem to see plenty of sick pts here, and according to everybody their trauma numbers are more then sufficient.

Negatives: I wouldn't say their Pod system is really a negative, but it was not a positive for me. It seems like their use of the pod system is contrary to the way EM will be practiced by most of their graduates. In other words, their are very few real world jobs were you will only see one type of pt- critical, non-acute, psych, etc. So, while I think you could deal with it and it wouldn't be a big deal, the pod system is less then ideal. Also, I came away with some questions about their education. I am sure everybody who graduates knows how to get the job done, but it seems that reading / didactics are not a big emphasis here, and the education is more directed towards developing autonomy. Again, this is based on one snapshot so please correct me if I am reading this wrong.

Overall: This program does a ton of cool stuff for their residents. Great pay and location, with a really nice PD who will help you stay well rounded during residency. The downfall of this program is that perhaps with all the extras they may have demphasized their traditional educational role. Once more as a disclaimer, I could be completely wrong on this point, but it is the feel I got on my interview day. I will rank this program in the middle of my rank list unless someone sets me straight on thier academics.

 

[DocVirk]

Basics- 3 year program, 10 spots/year. Over 20 years old, very established. Greats benefits/perks, probably the most resident friendly program I interviewed at.

Curriculum- Several floor months which have been voted on and kept. Good critical care exposure. Many elective opportunities which include travel (international is a definite option). During third year there is a Hawaii rotation. More elective opportunity than most programs. Excellent ultrasound curriculum, so much so that residents are able to teach ultrasound to other EPs. Excellent IT, including a great website.

Shifts - years 1 and 2 are 18-20 12 hour shifts. Year 3 is 14-16 12 hour shifts. During interview season they switch over to 8 hour shifts.

Facilities - all rotations are onsight except for a MICU month at a local VA hospital and a third year community rotation which is local. ER is divided into "pods" which are manned by one upper level and one intern, typically. This division is basically into majors, peds, and minors. Works well, as residents are allowed to in essence control their own little ED. Dedicated on sight peds area which is newly renovated. Facilities are good. They also have an incredible simulation lab

Faculty - many faculty from Palmetto. Many fellowship trained faculty. PD is one of the nicest attendings I have met. All my interviews with attendings were incredibly comfortable and laid back, and they all seemed very personable. One attending actually sat down to lunch with us, only interview that happened at.

Residents - Most from the southeast, although not too the point it's obnoxious. A large variety of schools represented. Residents are incredibly nice, very willing to talk and help out. Great people. A high proportion are married/ have families.

Columbia - A southern city, moderate in size. State capital, college town, SEC football. Newly revitalized downtown and Vista area along the river. Very affordable, most residents own houses 10-15 minutes outside of the medical center. Very low cost of living. Gets HOT in the summer. Close to beaches, Charleston, mountains, lake.

Overall - Very relaxed interview day. All the residents and attendings are really nice. Night before dinner was fairly well attended by residents. Positives for this program are the ultrasound training (best I interviewed at), elective opportunities and Hawaii rotation, and friendliness of the entire program. There are a lot more plusses, but these are what really appealed to me. I don't think I saw any other program more attuned to residents and that treated residents better. PD is truly concerned with making the residents happy. I just got a great feeling from this place. Hard to find too many negatives. 12 hour shifts could be long, there's a lot of faculty from Palmetto itself, not the biggest research name. Definitely high on my list.

 

[DocVirk]

I'm at Palmetto Richland in Columbia, SC and I think it's a pretty family friendly program. It's also a great program from a teaching and pathology standpoint. We've got a bunch of people with kids (some with several kids) and nobody has a problem with it. Last year there were 8 children born to our program (that's unusually high though). I think this year there will be two kids born to the program.

About hours and ICU months: We work 12 hour shifts. Occassionally we'll do 8s. I love the 8s because I get home and get to see the kid while she's awake. But I like the 12s too because I get a ton of days off. It's a trade-off. Work 8s, work more days. Work 12s, work less days but gone most of the days you work. Last week I had 4 days off, which is practically unheard of. This week I'm getting killed and have to choose between sleeping and seeing the child. Either way you're going to miss your family, that's just the resident life.

ICU months are the same way- you're going to do them anywhere you go, they're going to have long hours, and you can't avoid it. Almost anywhere you go you'll have a couple MICU months, a STICU month, and a NICU month. On my first MICU month, I think I actually saw my kid as much as I do when I'm in the ER. I wouldn't factor ICU months into my decision too much unless the program does a significant amount more than everywhere else.

The key is to understand that residency is hard, and you WILL work long hours. That is unavoidable. Your spouse MUST be understanding. You have to understand that it's hard on your spouse, probably as hard as it is on you. My wife struggles a lot when I'm on a string of nights or on an ICU month. You just have to be supportive and pick your priorities. My top priorities right now are my family and my residency. I haven't worked out in a couple months (my kid is 6 months old now, I think that will improve a little in time). I don't think it's realistic to work residency hours, go play golf on your days off, and expect your spouse to be happy about it. You have to make some sacrifices.

Come see Palmetto Richland, it's a great program and incredibly supportive of family. Rotate with us, you'll enjoy it. Columbia may not be a cultural mecca, but it's got everything you need, and the training is second to none.

 

[primadonna22274]

Hi: curious if Palmetto Richland-EM takes OMS-3 students for an EM rotation? I am an EM PA-C licensed in SC but just starting med school at LECOM-Erie. My husband and home are in Florence, SC and I am looking ahead to trying to plan 3rd-yr rotations near home (I am doing an accelerated 3 yr DO program and will graduate in 2014).
Nice to hear these positive reviews--I have worked with a few Palmetto grad attendings and enjoyed them very much. Good docs and genuinely nice people!

 

[Doug Wood]

Hi Primadonna,
My name is Doug Wood, and I am the communications coordinator for the residency programs at Palmetto Health in Columbia, SC. I saw your question and passed it on to the USC School of Medicine's Visiting Student Coordinator, Lisa Watkins. Here is her reply:
"All of the visiting students must apply through the SoM here, and [although] we do not accept third year students for away rotations, [we do accept] fourth (MIV) year students. You can also refer the student to our website for more visiting student info:
http://electivecatalog.med.sc.edu/visiting.students.asp"
Lisa Watkins' contact info:
(803) 216-3621 / [email protected]

My contact info:
(803) 434-7814 / [email protected]

Best of luck...

 

[Apollyon]

When I applied nearly 10 years ago to do an away there (as I am an FMG), first, they (Palmetto) just sent my stuff back without an explanation. I didn't know if this was an error or what, so I sent my stuff back in (including the money order), and it again came back, surprisingly with the money order, and a photocopy of a weathered page with something noted by yellow highlighter. I don't recall if it said that FMGs were not welcome, but it was something that gave me the stiff arm, and there wasn't a cover letter to go with it.

Ah, looking at that link - has to be LCME or AOA. That's what it was. That's what was lined with the highlighter.

 

[DrYoda]

Posted anonymously for another member:

Basics10 or 12 Residents? Mostly from the southeast, although they do have residents from all over. Residents also end up staying mostly in the southeast, but then again I think Palmetto has a good national reputation and residents wouldnt have problems getting jobs wherever

Curriculum-Lots of ED months with most off-service rotations being ICU months, although i think they do a Peds Wards month and maybe a med wards month, but residents feel they are worth while. Most shifts are 12 hours, except during interview season. The PD is very fair and keeps a spreadsheet about how many hours, and what types of shifts everyone works. Everyone graduates within 12 hours of like 4500? ED hours.
They have an integrated Pediatrics curriculum and I think they come out as comfortable with peds as any other residency ive been to. ALso everyone gets the chance to go to Hawaii for a month, and international opportunities are supported

Facilities - Pretty solid looking ED. Nice Sim Lab

Faculty- PD is awesome, and everyone I met here was super friendly and took the time to say hey and maybe talk to us when we were checking out the facilities

Residents - Super friendly. Alot are married, but not all.

Location - Columbia is pretty fun. They have a nice downtown, its affordable, and they have USC so really big into football. I interviewed in late november and it was like 75 degrees outside, lol

Overall - Excellent program in the southeast where the residents come out competent and fast and highly sought after. Will be ranking fairly high. The only negatives I could see are 12s, and a high proportion of residents being married (if you are a single person), and not super big into research although you do have opportunities.