Thomas Jefferson University Residency Reviews

[papichulodoc]

Jefferson Medical Center in Philadelphia:

The interview day started at 8AM. Parking was a bit of a problem, there are only two lots which they validate and there are so many parking lots in the area with very similar names. Of course I parked in the wrong one, only to eat the cost because it wasn't a lot they validated. There were approximately 10-12 applicants. I interviewed with 5 people. I thought a bit much. The PD asked the dreaded question....."tell me about yourself". Another attending, Raffi, is known as Fred Flintstone (kinda looks like him too). Many of the residents could not stop talking about him because he was so friendly. Very laidback interview with him. Another interview was with a third year resident, who frankly didn't impress me very much. He just seemed happy to be leaving. The last interview was with a much older gentleman in a tiny office with an ionic breeze in it.

+ Jefferson is well known for their Neurology and Ortho services in Philly. So you will probably see a lot of it either as transfers from other institutions or from the area.

+/- 3 year program, you won't be making the $200,000 mistake.

+ Everyone seemed pretty happy about being there. Everyone seemed to get along well.

+ Flight program.

++ Residents spend one to two months at CHOP.

------ Of course the applicants wanted to know about experiences in the ED. Every sentence started off with "At such and such institution or hospital...we had this one guy come in." When asked about Trauma, they responded, "At such and such institution...they let you do everything including lines and chest tubes." I wanted to ask the question, "Do you ever see anything worthwhile at Jefferson?" They boast about their affiliation with over 16 area hospitals, but truthfully I don't want to rotate at 16 hospitals to fill the void of experience at my home institution. They probably spend up to 1 year total at these other institutions.

--- Away institutions are in another state or more than 40 minutes away. Residents rotate through Dupont Children's Hospital (excellent children's hospital) in Delaware! They joked that during rush hour it can take up to two hours to get there. That's not funny! They also rotate through Cooper hospital in Camden, NJ for their trauma experience.

--- No Diversity!! Another applicant asked about translating services, the chief resident responded, "Oh! Thank God, you won't have to worry about that here. Hardly anyone who comes into the ED speaks any language other than English." Sorry, but I need a little challenging old Viatnamese or Russian lady to make my job interesting. Besides I get to learn how to say things like Babushka.

---- NO ADMITTING PRIVELEGES!!! I've heard that Medicine and Surgery residents constantly argue with ED residents about which service pts should be admitted. They boasted that ordering imaging studies through the computer, greatly reduced the number of arguments with Radiology residents about which studies to order or why they were necessary. Apparently, it is Jefferson culture for residents to question other residents' decisions. One ED resident said he felt more like a lawyer by the end of the day because he had to argue for his patients so often throughout the day.

---- Low Volume. During our tour, the ED was EMPTY!! Jefferson is in a non-residential area and it dictates the schedule and types of problems coming through the door. Most complaints are during work hours and consist of white collar 50+ males with chest pain.

Overall....a very cush program, expect to travel to see the cool stuff....very vanillla population. In my opinion, a good program if you want to live in Philly and lay low.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[SolidGold]

TJU

Residents: 12 per class. A laid back group of residents who all seemed to enjoy their experience living in Center City Philly and their residency. The happiness factor was high among the residents

Faculty: Dr. Lopez was another very nice PD. He really wanted to make sure the interview experience was a good one. Residents were happy with the relationships between the faculty.

Facilities: TJ’s ED were ok, probably just a tad below average. The thing that I disliked most about this program was having to rotate through 5 different hospitals. The PD pushed it as a positive. Peds is at AI Dupont in Deleware, trauma is at Cooper in south Jersey, ED’s in TJ, Methodist, Our Lady of Lourdes.

Curriculum: Pretty standard EM curriculum with a slight emphasis on critical care. No ward months! Trauma at Cooper seemed to be good with lots of penetrating trauma, but going to Jersey was a bummer for me.

Patient population: Inner city population at TJU, but overall a diverse experience since rotations are at 5 different places.

Location: I love Philly, and TJU is in Center City which is where I would want to live. The location is probably the biggest reason why I wanted to attend this interview. So much to do in this city. Living is slightly expensive but nowhere near as bad as LA or NYC.

Overall: This is a decent program. The faculty seems great, but the biggest con for me is rotation through 5 hospitals. I could see myself being happy here though, because the residents seem happy and I love the city but I will admit this will probably be lower on my list.

 

[Hard24Get]

Interview impressions...

3 year program

Residents: 12 per yr. Residents are mostly from the NE. There is a mix of married and single and a lot of socializing within and between years. The residents are enthusiastic about their program and participate in interviewing and applicant selection.

Faculty: Diverse faculty in terms of race and sex. A lot of attendings do research, including 2 that participate in basic science. The ones I met seem friendly and down to earth. The program director, Dr. Lopez, is new starting last year and is a well-loved, dynamic person with infectious enthusiasm for his program.

Hospitals:
A recurrent issue for Jefferson is their many hospitals, which they managed to convince me really are a strength. Jefferson features basic city stuff in a 23-bed place with lots of hallway beds, the impression was that there is little trauma. Residents go to Cooper for trauma/inner city experience, Our Lady of Lourdes for community EM experience, Methodist for something else, and CHOP and DuPont for pediatrics. Though some of these hospitals mean a commute (ie Cooper), many of the rest are nearby.

Ancillary Stuff: There seems to be alot of RNs and techs in the ED that block scut

Documentation: A general circle and slash sheet at TJ, all written at one hospital, all electronic at another.

Curriculum:5mos of critical care, no floor month on medicine. 2 wks of vacation as an intern

Didactics: Thursday conference from 8-1pm, they are currently trying to make the 5th didactic hour part of an online learning program. The most amazing thing about Jeff arguably is the simulation experience - they have state of the art dummies to practice procedures and codes on, and are increasing the incorporation of these tools as their new simulation center is being constructed. They have had interdisciplinary simulation teaching where a pregnant woman coded, EM had to work on her and get the airway, ob/gyn had to take the baby out in a limited amount of time, and Peds had to manage the premature neonate in distress. Seems like really good training to supplement the rarer scenarios and give an opportunity for feedback in a controlled environment!

City: Jeff is in Center City, arguably the best address in Philly! Supplies a fabulously diverse patient population, and HUP is well-positioned to give you a nice mix. There are a lot of cultural activities available, independent films, great foods, and the city is going smoke-free. only 1.5hrs from NY, Chinatown bus is $20 round trip.

Extras: Decent salary, benefits, and moonlighting for seniors in football and baseball games is not only available but required.

Negatives:
- Still some reservations about the multiple hospitals. It must hurt during those times you are commuting far.
- The ED didn't seem too ergonomically designed, multiple tight spaces and sectional areas abound. A little weird, but supposedly they are building a new one.


Overall: An academic EM program that gives you a taste of all kinds of EM experiences via multiple hospitals with simulation exposure and a dynamic, energetic new PD. I was pleasantly surprised by this great program and would be honored to match here.[/QUOTE]

 

[Universe_Explorer]

Thomas Jefferson University

Residents: 12 residents per year. I only met 4 residents over the course of the day, and only really spoke to one (the chief who interviewed me). They had no social event the night before, so I didn’t really have a great opportunity to get to know them. They are mostly single. According to the resident I spoke with, most of them lived either in center city near the hospital, or out in Jersey.

Faculty: The people I met were all very nice and open about the program. The PD is Dr. Lopez, who took over in 2006. He feels that he is essentially starting a “new“ residency because of the changes he has made, but he has been working at Jefferson for 20 years. He also wears a couple of other hats for TJ‘s med school. The chairman, Dr. Christopher, was very nice and personable - he was a member of the first graduating class of TJ‘s EM program in 1983. There are a lot of young faculty members, which I think is a good thing. Dr Zeitzer was really cool, and there is a whole team of assistant residency directors, demonstrating devotion to the training program. Faculty responds well to resident input - they have made curriculum changes in the past based on resident complaints.

Hospital:
There are a bunch of sites, and some are a good distance apart.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital: 700+ bed tertiary medical center, Level 1 Trauma center - with 3 bays and an OR right in the ED. The ED itself is average to below-average, with what seems like a scattered layout of hallways, rooms, and chairs. They are renovating the ED in 2008, but it sounds like they are mostly adding more beds, not updating the current department. There is on-site X-ray and dedicated CT. There is electronic patient tracking and paper charts (T-sheets). Residents each have phones so they can be reached anywhere in the ED. This hospital is in the heart of center city, in one of the best parts of town. They report a good mix of patients and variety here, and it‘s the primary training site. It’s the only hospital we toured.

Methodist Hospital: A community place in South Philly, a couple of miles away (accessible by subway). They report seeing sicker patients here (most have PMDs and come in when they are sick), with more autonomy and less ancillary help. Some critical care time and a bunch of ED time is spent here.

Lourdes Hospital: In Camden, 5+ miles away. Also community, but a very poor one. There see a high percentage of Peds in the ED.

Cooper: In Camden, Penetrating trauma galore. Lots of procedures.

A.I. DuPont/CHOP: 2 Children‘s hospitals with some Ped ED and PICU time. Dupont is pretty far away - over 30min at least. CHOP’s ED is sick.

Ancillary Stuff: Although the ED at TJ looks county-ish, apparently the ancillary help is very good. Residents and nurses get a long well, and hang out after work even. At Methodist, ancillary help isn’t as good.

Admitting/Documentation: ED does not have admitting privileges, and residents must fight to get their patients upstairs. This sounded like a sore spot for the residents, but they spin it by saying it‘s a great talent to learn before you‘re working in the community (probably true, but it still sounds annoying). T-sheets and quasi-computerized ordering at TJ, don‘t know about the other places. The rest of the hospital uses electronic charting, and you can look up old charts on the computer.

Curriculum: Three year curriculum with emphasis on critical care and ED time. There are no floor months, 4-5 total unit months, and two dedicated Peds Ed months, plus Peds interspersed in the ED. Dr Lopez reports that he is trying to add another month of Peds EM soon. There is 1 month of adult anesthesia, and 2 weeks of Pediatric anesthesia. Uniquely, there are 6 total weeks of “teaching/admin”, which includes a month as a senior in the ED where you are essentially there only to oversee juniors doing procedures and teach residents and med students. They do trauma/surgery at TJ (residents least favorite rotation) and 1 month trauma at Cooper, which they enjoy. There is one elective month. Residents work 12‘s as PGY1s and 8-12‘s as seniors. Interestingly, the shared ED time at TJU and Methodist aren’t broken up into blocks (4 straight weeks at one place or the other), but you actually spend a day or two at one, then a shift at the other, etc…

Didactics/Research: Standard didactics, one morning a week. A big concern - they have had 7 residents fail the boards in the last 2 years. The PD is straightforward about this information at the beginning of the day, and his plan to correct it. Jefferson has finished a new medical education bldg with a ton of simulators, and Lopez seems interested in starting a significant amount of simulator time, as well as revamping the didactic curriculum to make it more evidence and case-based. He is also giving some residents increased time off to study. The first class since he became the PD has not taken the boards yet. Jefferson has some excellent basic science research, including two NIH funded labs - one studying cardiology and one neuroscience. Both labs have full-time PI’s, but they have no official research fellowship (or any other fellowships at this point).

City: The hospitals are in Philadelphia, with TJ itself in a prime location in center city. The area around this hospital is great if you’re into city living, and you won’t need a car. Philly has a lot to offer - outstanding restaurants, nightlife, culture, and the best football fans in the world It’s located in a perfect part of the mid-Atlantic - 2hrs from the beach, 2hrs from the mountains, 2hrs from NYC, and 3hrs from DC. The city ain‘t cheap, but it‘s certainly more affordable than NYC, Boston, DC or the west coast. The residents seemed to be scattered throughout the area. Many residents live in the suburbs and commute.

Extras: Salary is standard ($44,000 and up), but parking is not free - which means you must live nearby, which is an expensive part of town, or pay to commute from elsewhere (great as Philly is, public transportation isn’t the most efficient here). Moonlighting is available for sporting events (Phillies and Eagles games) and paid in tax free “book money“. I wasn‘t sure if that meant it was (wink wink ) “book money“ or you actually could only use it for books and supplies...

Negatives: I wish they had us spend more time with the residents (there was a lunch at the end, but only 5 came - one left early and 2 were PGY3s who won‘t be here next year), because I didn’t feel like I got enough of a vibe about how cohesive they were - and that’s important to me. The poor pass rate on the boards does not reflect well, although I think that should be more on the individual resident’s shoulders, not just the fault of the program. Fighting to get patients admitted when the ED is packed and struggling with parking might get old fast. I have no issues with training at multiple sites, but some don’t like this.

Overall: Devoted faculty, a solid 3-year curriculum, a great location, and funded research stand out for this program. Most graduating residents go into the community. The residents work hard, and I’m sure they are well prepared when they’re finished.

 

[in1Q84]

1. NYU - County + Academic. Patient population was major determining factor. Great didactics. I guess only drawbacks would include the extra year (only 4 year program on my list) and the poor ancillary staff at Bellevue. But, training here would be worth the extra work.
2. Emory - Again County + Academic. And, again liked the patient population at Grady - uninsured, underserved. Also, great didactics. Location was also a plus. It's a superb program overall. But, it's not the sort of program that is right for everybody. Some people would be very miserable here. Residents in general are outgoing and enthusiastic. I would recommend rotating or doing a second look before deciding.
3. UNC - Loved the program director and the residents. Community + Academic. Was not as thrilled about living in NC. This program is really well-rounded. Almost anyone would be happy here.
4. NYHQ/Cornell - Community. Very diverse, immigrant population (which is a plus for me). Great schedule and benefits (includes subsidized housing). Dr. Ryan is very friendly and active in resident education. A great group of fun residents. Would be very happy to match here. I guess it ended up not being in top 3 just because it isn't as academic as the ones above.
5. North Shore - Was really impressed with North Shore. Community hospital and population but an academic program. The best benefits ever (really high salary + great housing). I liked the critical care emphasis. Lots of high acuity stuff in the ED. So many fellowships available. The residents are super-friendly, laid-back. This one moved up and down my list alot. But, at the end, what didn't really do it for me is the patient population. Though most people would enjoy working with patients who are neatly dressed and have insurance, not exactly my cup of tea. (Just personal preference.) Like UNC, well-rounded program that almost anyone would be very happy with.
6. Thomas Jefferson - Overall, I liked this program and would be happy if I matched here. New global health fellowship with public health focus is a major plus. They also have a whole building dedicated to simulation, special course on intubation, and other unique opportunities that makes the program stand out from others. I was also impressed that some of the residents volunteered at local, nonprofit clinics (more impressed that they didn't think it was a big deal). Moreover, pretty diverse and some underserved patient population across its many sites (which is a plus for me). BUT, the drawback to this program is having too many sites. Though I prefer more than one site in general, having multiple sites gives diminishing returns after a certain number (I would say 3). Not only that, these many sites are not all that close to one another (one was in Delaware). I think the residents only have to go to Delaware like one month out of the year or less. But, still...
7. Metropolitan/NYMC- New PD at this program is very energetic, enthusiastic. I get the feeling he is the sort of person who would really advocate for his residents and try to get them far as he can. Considering how small the program is (8 per class), many (at least from this year's graduating class) seem to go onto do fellowships - impressive ones at that too. (This was a plus for me... not necessary a plus for everyone.) That said, the interview day in itself seemed very disorganized, which made me concerned. The Metropolitan ED needs to be bigger and better-equipped. Housing is cheap and available but dorm-style. And, again, number of sites is so that cost outweighs the benefits (at least for me).

Did not rank one program that I interviewed at. PM me if you have questions about the above programs.

 

[psmith]

I used past posts about people's thought on the programs on their rank order list to help formulate my own preferences in the programs I interviewed at so I thought I would pass my thoughts along about the programs on my ROL, now that all interviews are said and done. Be forewarned: I'm not very picky about where I do my training, so I ended up making a lot of decisions based on gut feeling and eccentric preferences.

1. JPS, Ft Worth: Really clicked with the faculty and residents. Hospital and program is very well funded and the EM program has a lot of pull and respect within the hospital. Really like the city for its size, low cost of living, and reasonable traffic volume. Almost all the training (except three months) is at their hospital.
2. Christiana, Delaware: Very well respected program that's been around a long time. I did a rotation there and its clear that many of their residents are very strong. Has many of the same qualities I liked about JPS (strong and respected program within the hospital), but I grew up in the area and am hesitant to move back. Has two training sites that are 20 minutes apart.
3. Ohio State, Columbus, OH: Really liked a lot of the residents I met. Had trouble clicking with some of the faculty, but did get to sit in on a small group session with one of their younger faculty members leading who was a phenomenal educator. Columbus seems like an awesome town. Just a little hesitant about the separate training sites.
4. Summa, Akron, OH: The nicest cafeteria I've ever been to. New YMCA connected to the hospital. Maybe that shouldn't have influenced me so much, but it did.
5. York, PA: I was really into the program director's pride in having a strong sense of community in the program. I also thought their simulation and other educational programs sounded really engaging.
6. Baylor, Houston, TX: Assistant residency director (Tyson Pillow) was the most personable, fun, and candid person I met the entire interview trail. Would love to work under him.
7. Jefferson, Philadelphia, PA: Three different training sites, some of which appeared to be long commutes. Really cool neighborhood for the university hospital, but pricey. Awesome airway course included with the education.
8. Little Rock, Arkansas
9. CHRISTUS Spohn, Corpus Christi, TX: Program director seemed a bit awkward and not very personable, but the assistant program director and a lot of the other faculty seemed cool. Didn't really click with any of the residents. Seemed like they have a cool simulation experience.
10. St. John's, Detroit, MI
11. UTSW: Very cool residents. Did get the impression that their training experience was a bit skewed to free labor taking priority over education side of things. Clerkship director was very arrogant. Very insistent on his excellent clinical and educational abilities.
12. Metro/Clevland Clinic: Great reputation, but many of their residents seemed burnt out and dissatisfied. They were also the only place where the residents didn't seem to hold their program director in especially high regard.
13. New York Hospital Queens: The fact that this is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the US makes me think I'm going to have to use a translator way too much.

 

[MEDSHTUDENT]

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA. Emergency Medicine Residency


Update for 2015 – past posters wrong.


Interview day still starts at 8am and parking is difficult, as it is in the center of any major city. Jefferson is well known for many medical and surgical subspecialties, Emergency Medicine included. In addition to being well known in neuro and ortho, Jefferson is also a long established EM program having produced the likes of Joe Lex and Amal Mattu and having recent affiliations with Rich Levitan and current affiliation with Lourdes where they work with Al Sacchetti of EM:RAP fame. Specialist transfers do occasionally come through the ED, especially in the trauma bay as spine transfers for ortho, but otherwise are mostly direct admits.


Still a 3 year program, no longer has a flight program, residents still spend 2 months at CHOP. Resident camaraderie is very high and most residents live close together and spend a lot of time together outside of work. Good mix of single/married, few residents with kids. Some residents live 45min to 1hr commute away and are still able to make do – New Jersey, Wilmington, Abington area.


ED Experiences – previous posters have mentioned that TJUH has little to offer and the other sites are where the action is at. They also mentioned 16 hospitals. This is false – ED rotations are done at 4 main hospital – Jefferson and Methodist(affiliated with Jeff in south philly) comprise the majority of ED shifts and are both packed to the rafters with diverse and acute patient populations. Lourdes in Camden is an absolute jem where you will rotate with EM legends Al Sacchetti and Russ Harris, get awesome procedures and is also close by - ~10 min drive or train from center city philadelphia. 1 mo of peds ED is at dupont as an intern, 2 mo peds ed at CHOP as pgy-2 and pgy-3. Pgy-2 also do shifts at Paoli on the main line – the only long commute (~45 min) but car or train but a good trauma center and loads of autonomy on shift. Total time at outside institutions for EM rotations adds up to 4 months throughout all of residency, not 1 year.


Diversity – previous poster is completely wrong. TJUH ED is 3 blocks from china town. I usually see 1 cantonese/mandarin speaking patient per shift and often Spanish speaking patients as well. Methodist in south philly has sizable Nepalese population. Great mix of ages – newborns up to 90s with everything in between.


Admitting privileges – It used to be true that the admitting service held the majority of the power in determining admission. This has been formally changed from the highest levels down. The ED has full admitting privileges to admit to any medical service. Surgical services and subspecialty services are allowed to consult prior to accepting admissions to their services.

Volume – Jeff main ED sees on avg. 170 patients per day. Interns customarily see 1-2 patients per hour and pgy-2 pgy-3 see 2-3 per hour. Jefferson residents are some of the most confident with seeing volume by the end of their residency and are often hired into high volume positions as demonstrated by their recent alumni placements with 2 residents last year going to the busiest ER in Texas and many others going to high volume EDs.


Faculty – There has been recent change to ED faculty with 6 new faculty members having just let Penn to come to Jefferson. The PD is Dr. Ron Hall who has been PD for 6 years now. There is a new Education department within the dept. of EM that is apparently leading educational initiatives in the medical school, the med student rotation and the residency. He has started an EM education fellowship within the dept. of EM with new fellows being heavily invested in resident education and a constant overhaul of the conference and simulation curriculum with more flipped classroom style lectures, journal clubs, more frequent and interactive sims.


Documentation – Wellsoft used at 3 out of 4 EDs with Paoli using electronic T sheets. Jeff and Methodist use their own charting system to enter orders but wellsoft is used for ED charting. Residents really seem to like this software.

City – Philadelphia is probably the best city to live in on the east coast right now with business, restaurants and realestate currently booming with crime constantly decreasing. The city has the most culture, food, bar scene, shopping with the last hassle, traffic and crime of any other city on the east coast. Easy to get around with bus, subway, train, car, taxi (cheap) and bicycle. Residents use a variety of transportation modalities.

Salary - ~51,000 for interns and up from there. Food partially compensated on some rotations. Hospital benefits are full and standard.

other percs - new education department and fellowship who are leading innovation in residency education techniques. Flipped classroom model being used increasingly for conference time. Journal clubs, simulations are heavily invested upon. A lot of forward thinking in education department with strong web presence and social media, foam emphasized as education adjuncts. Innovative flow processes in the ED and a lot of new tech. being developed for use in ED.

 

[Apollyon]

Methodist in south philly has sizable Nepalese population.

"Naza" - that is "pain" in Nepalese.

That's all I remember from 4 Nepalese patients when I was an intern in NYC. The patient from whom I learned that also had Entamoeba histolytica in his liver (it's always on the differential, but, like, at 7 or 8).

 

[Jelgava]

As a 2006 graduate of the TJ EM program, I can attest to most of what was said above, and summarize what stands out the most from my experience:
1 - At TJ, you become REALLY close friends with your fellow residents -- more so than I've seen at most other residencies. Some of my best friends for life are from residency
2 - You get to meet and work with some of the top names in EM, and some of the top names in EM have come from TJ. These include Amal Mattu, Al Sacchetti...
3 - You will have an incredible amount of fun
4 - You get a wide variety of experience (Jeff, CHOP, Our Lady of Lourdes, Cooper for trauma (used to be murder capital of US))

what else do you want?

 

[deleted918591]

Looking to apply for an away rotation here. Not much info out there because program doesn't participate in VSAS. SLOEs? Interviews after rotation? etc.


THANKS!