UCSD Anesthesia Residency

[THEORIGINALLANNISTER]

Hello everyone. First time poster and needing some help with ranking this program. The last time UCSD was discussed was in 2012 and I'm trying to get an idea of the current status of the program. Overall, I had a good feeling after I interviewed there but I left feeling I still had some questions about the nuts and bolts of the program. Things such as where the residents go for fellowships and jobs (how well is the program viewed across the country), what the residents' hours are like, what hospitals do they spend most of their time at (Hillcrest vs Thornton), etc. Also, it would be helpful if any current residents or applicants who recently interviewed there could give a list of pros and cons excluding the fact that it's in San Diego. Thanks for the help.

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[rpc7]

Hello everyone. First time poster and needing some help with ranking this program. The last time UCSD was discussed was in 2012 and I'm trying to get an idea of the current status of the program. Overall, I had a good feeling after I interviewed there but I left feeling I still had some questions about the nuts and bolts of the program. Things such as where the residents go for fellowships and jobs (how well is the program viewed across the country), what the residents' hours are like, what hospitals do they spend most of their time at (Hillcrest vs Thornton), etc. Also, it would be helpful if any current residents or applicants who recently interviewed there could give a list of pros and cons excluding the fact that it's in San Diego. Thanks for the help.

bump id like to know too

 

[GaseousClay]

From a current resident (CA 3) who wanted to remain anonymous but help you guys out

"UCSD is in San Diego which in itself is reason to be there. Renowned faculty (Benumof, Drummond, Patel, Kaplan, Ilfeld..etc) Hands down best chairman in the country (IMHO). Not only is he brilliant but he is very down to earth and you get a good amount of time to work with him. You spend time at Hillcrest/Thornton and the VA (VA and Thornton are basically neighbors). Jacobs Medical Center which is next to Thornton should be opening in 2015. Hours I would say range from anywhere from 50-65 hours/week depending on the schedule. Good didactic time and board reviews (oral and written). Most of the attendings are very attentive and are excited to teach and are super chill. People have had no problems getting jobs and fellowships (last year 1 Critical care at stanford, 1 at Columbia, 2 cardiac at UCSD; everyone else got pretty sweet jobs either in the bay area or san diego area). Everyone in my class has already gotten jobs or fellowships it was pretty amazing actually. In terms of how we're viewed around the country its hard to say but I think we are pretty well known. I'd say the majority of residents are very happy here but its not a perfect place, I'm sure every residency has its flaws. Lots of surfing, beer brewing/drinking, hiking, golfing and just going out for drinks among residents and attendings. Downsides I would say that it is a tight knit program which is awesome but also can be annoying in the sense that people talk a lot and things can spread like wildfire. Other cons I guess would be that you travel to 1 hospital or the other but you never do both in a single day. The commutes really are not that bad. The Peds experience used to be pretty week but we have presence at Rady's Children's hospital now (UCSD faculty) which definitely helps our experience. Regional and cardiac are very very strong in my opinion and you get great critical care experience (Thornton ICU, SICU (hillcrest) and Neurocritical care). I truly do not think you will regret deciding to come here but there are a lot of great programs out there as well."

 

[lord_jeebus]

I was a resident there 2009-12 and I think that review is pretty much spot on, except the work hours are probably not so low. There are a few random months when it's 50 hrs/week, like Regional and Pain months, but for me it was closer to 70-75 as a CA-1, 65-70 as a CA-2, 60-65 as a CA-3. I enjoyed my time there and learned a lot. There is a strong culture of resident independence and you have complete control of of your cases from early in your CA-1 year.

I am biased but I think the pain fellowship is the best opportunity at UCSD: insane procedure numbers and most internal candidates get a spot. I started my own pain practice straight out of fellowship, and I would not have had that kind of confidence coming from 95% of the pain fellowships out there.

 

[THEORIGINALLANNISTER]

Thank you both very much. This information is really helpful!

 

[Sirach38]

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