THI/UTSW

[TexasMD16]

I have two questions:

1) How competitive are these two programs relative to one another?

2) Is there any particular reason UTSW IM grads don't go to THI for cardiology fellowship? Looking at the UTSW fellowship match list, not a single graduate has matched at THI in the past 5 years (although they have matched to top programs like Cleveland Clinic, Duke, Stanford, Wash U, Vanderbilt etc). Is this simply a matter of preference, or is there some kind of negative relationship between the two programs?

Thanks for your input.

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[wire]

1) THI is a more competitive program. It's considered a top 5 program in the country for clinical training.
2) There is no bad blood between the two programs. I think the programs attract different types of fellows. UTSW attracts more of the "academic" type; whereas, THI attracts more of the "clinical" type. I interviewed at both and it's a very different feel between the two programs.

 

[TexasMD16]

Thanks for the response.

It's still odd to me that no one from UTSW (the IM program), at least not in the past 5 years, is the "clinical" type. I understand why someone would pick UTSW over THI (if you had academic aspirations, for instance), but it worries me that the reverse doesn't occur. BCM IM on the other hand, sends multiple residents to THI every year. So if your dream fellowship program is THI, would it be better to go to BCM for IM instead of UTSW, despite the fact that most people consider UTSW to be the better IM program?

 

[nstemi]

thi is a more sought after program, but then again it depends on your career goals. i, too, interviewed at both programs and liked thi a whole lot more.

i agree there isn't a negative relationship between the two. i actually think it's more geographic than anything else. for whatever reason, people from dallas don't want to move to houston and vice versa. if texas heart truly is your dream program then you could always do an away rotation with dr. wilson (our program director) as that's who the baylor residents rotate with during their cardiology rotation which might be one advantage they have over other programs. otherwise, utsw certainly won't preclude you from getting an interview as it's a very good IM program.

texas heart probably is a little different from the UT programs as they don't necessarily give special treatment to "in state" applicants. our classes are usually from all over the country (our incoming first years are from hopkins, duke x 2, wash u, nyu, and baylor).

 

[TexasMD16]

thi is a more sought after program, but then again it depends on your career goals. i, too, interviewed at both programs and liked thi a whole lot more.

i agree there isn't a negative relationship between the two. i actually think it's more geographic than anything else. for whatever reason, people from dallas don't want to move to houston and vice versa. if texas heart truly is your dream program then you could always do an away rotation with dr. wilson (our program director) as that's who the baylor residents rotate with during their cardiology rotation which might be one advantage they have over other programs. otherwise, utsw certainly won't preclude you from getting an interview as it's a very good IM program.

texas heart probably is a little different from the UT programs as they don't necessarily give special treatment to "in state" applicants. our classes are usually from all over the country (our incoming first years are from hopkins, duke x 2, wash u, nyu, and baylor).

Awesome! I really appreciate the info. As is probably obvious at this point, I sort of have an inside track to utsw IM, but I don't want to preclude the possibility of one day training at thi. I tend to think of myself as more of the "clinical" type, so I want to set myself up for a clinically-oriented fellowship in the future. Also, it seems like there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes as far as fellowship placement. The best IM programs aren't necessarily stepping stones to the best cardio fellowships, at least in my estimation.

 

[gutonc]

Awesome! I really appreciate the info. As is probably obvious at this point, I sort of have an inside track to utsw IM, but I don't want to preclude the possibility of one day training at thi. I tend to think of myself as more of the "clinical" type, so I want to set myself up for a clinically-oriented fellowship in the future. Also, it seems like there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes as far as fellowship placement. The best IM programs aren't necessarily stepping stones to the best cardio fellowships, at least in my estimation.

Look at it this way.

Could going to Baylor possibly set you up with a slightly increased chance of matching cards at THI? Maybe.

Could going to UTSW set you up to match at basically any cards program you want? Definitely. UTSW is considered a top program because of the quality of the physicians that come out of it.

But there's nothing wrong with Baylor. It's the second best IM program in Texas.