Pitt vs. Shepard Pratt/UM vs. MUSC

[amanda2010]

Any thoughts on these programs? I haven't seen an interview review for MUSC yet. It seems like a great program but not known very well?

Thank you!!

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[psychotrope]

MUSC has(or at least had) a ridiculously low salary. And from what I have heard, moonlighting opportunities the latter half of your training(due to the class size) aren't as easy to come by as some other programs. Also it's charleston, so while far from new york or la or whatever is still an expensive place to live and perhaps one of the more expensive in all of the southeast.

Unless they've made the stipend more competitive, I don't see how someone without a spouse who works could afford to live there. I guess many/most residents have working spouses though.

They also require 4 months of medicine inpatient, and string out the second month of neurology to your second year....neither of which was appealing.

I really like the way Scott and White does the 6 months off service. It's just a block the first six months of your intern year, and then from there on out you start 3.5 years of psych.

 

[FutureMedPsych]

For what its worth, I'm a student at MUSC and I've never heard people complain about cost of living and I've lived here comfortably.

 

[psychotrope]

For what its worth, I'm a student at MUSC and I've never heard people complain about cost of living and I've lived here comfortably.

I guess it depends on what you want. I want to buy a small comfortable house in a safe area and have no roommates on a resident's salary. That's impossible(at least it would be for me to do) that in charleston as a single person.

Now some out the outlying areas/cities are more affordable to live in for real estate, but then again i don't want to drive that far to work.

 

[j48seconds]

I agree with you psychotrope. It is expensive to live in Charleston. If you want to live close to downtown, you have to rent or buy a condo or townhouse. Houses are available but they will be in the 200s. However, you can find a house that is affordable about 15 minutes away, which may not be what you are looking for.

About the program, I think it is one of the best in the Southeast. It doesn't have the big name of some of the other programs, but it has a lot of opportunities and flexibility within the program. The research there is top-notch and the faculty are great teachers and very approachable. You will definitely get a good education there, but also have plenty of time for a life outside of work. Also, while moonlighting is hard to find in the charleston area, if you are willing to travel, you can make alot of money in surrounding areas.

 

[psychotrope]

I agree with you psychotrope. It is expensive to live in Charleston. If you want to live close to downtown, you have to rent or buy a condo or townhouse. Houses are available but they will be in the 200s. However, you can find a house that is affordable about 15 minutes away, which may not be what you are looking for.

About the program, I think it is one of the best in the Southeast. It doesn't have the big name of some of the other programs, but it has a lot of opportunities and flexibility within the program. The research there is top-notch and the faculty are great teachers and very approachable. You will definitely get a good education there, but also have plenty of time for a life outside of work. Also, while moonlighting is hard to find in the charleston area, if you are willing to travel, you can make alot of money in surrounding areas.

1) A house in the "200s" in charleston(actually in a decent area of charleston) is not really a house I would want to live in, and summerville/mount pleasant are much more than 15 minutes away from musc. Most areas of summerville would be like a 50 minute commute in any average morning to musc.

2) while it doesn't have the "name" of duke or even unc I guess, it seems that everyone who is ranking duke/vandy/unc/emory is also ranking musc. They are definately competing with(and getting some residents) that those same programs are.

I mean they obviously have no problem filling their slots with good people, and they are obviously one of the more competitive programs in the southeast. Kudos for them.

 

[johnhoedack]

1) A house in the "200s" in charleston(actually in a decent area of charleston) is not really a house I would want to live in, and summerville/mount pleasant are much more than 15 minutes away from musc. Most areas of summerville would be like a 50 minute commute in any average morning to musc.

2) while it doesn't have the "name" of duke or even unc I guess, it seems that everyone who is ranking duke/vandy/unc/emory is also ranking musc. They are definately competing with(and getting some residents) that those same programs are.

I mean they obviously have no problem filling their slots with good people, and they are obviously one of the more competitive programs in the southeast. Kudos for them.

I wish MUSC wanted me. I have interviews at duke, UNC,Emory, and candy but no love from MUSC and it's in my favorite city.

 

[slappy]

Sheppard Pratt is not in the same class as the other two. The hospital is a beautiful place to work, if you're an attending. As a resident however, the training is clearly lacking, as evidenced by the knowledge base of a few of my distant friends who chose to go there for whatever reason.

So, with that settled, the question becomes MUSC vs UPMC. However you slice this, it's going to be extraordinarily difficult to pick a winner. Both are the forefront of psychiatry research, and both appear to offer excellent training. As clichéd as this may sound, just go with your gut here? Do a second visit if you have to.

 

[shan564]

I'm not sure where the OP gets the impression that MUSC is "not known very well." I've always had the impression that it's a high-caliber program.

 

[HarryMTieboutMD]

MUSC is well known nationally in academic psychiatry, and the department definitely has a powerful voice at the medical school. Raymond Anton and Kathleen Brady are two international names in addiction, and Mark George is a national name in TMS.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

I'm not sure where the OP gets the impression that MUSC is "not known very well." I've always had the impression that it's a high-caliber program.

The 2nd post specifically mentioned MUSC in comparison to Duke and UNC, clearly confusing psychiatric gravitas with basketball prowess. (This thread was from 2010, however, when our current new graduates were just matching. Time flies... Wonder what ever happened to good ol' "psychotrope"... )

 

[st2205]

Wonder what ever happened to good ol' "psychotrope"... )

I think he ended up at a top 10 program in the Northeast.

 

[psychphan]

MUSC has(or at least had) a ridiculously low salary. And from what I have heard, moonlighting opportunities the latter half of your training(due to the class size) aren't as easy to come by as some other programs. Also it's charleston, so while far from new york or la or whatever is still an expensive place to live and perhaps one of the more expensive in all of the southeast.

Unless they've made the stipend more competitive, I don't see how someone without a spouse who works could afford to live there. I guess many/most residents have working spouses though.

They also require 4 months of medicine inpatient, and string out the second month of neurology to your second year....neither of which was appealing.

I really like the way Scott and White does the 6 months off service. It's just a block the first six months of your intern year, and then from there on out you start 3.5 years of psych.

I know this post is two years old but since its back on page one I just wanted to comment that there is so much misinformation in this post that its comical.

The salary may be on the lower end, but its barely noticeable.
I moonlight at 2 different facilities and have had moonlighting job offers from an additional 2 other places that I turned down.
We only require 2 months of inpt gen med.
I live alone and bought a brand new house in a safe neighborhood 15-20min from work.

 

[slappy]

So this is an old thread. I guess I deserve that for not visiting the forum for so long.