UT Austin Residency Reviews

[Pure Anergy]

This was sent to me a couple of years ago (2014) by PM. Sorry for the two year delay, but I'm posting it since we don't seem to have any other UT Austin reviews.

I'm a second year resident at Austin, and it is awesome. I can't say enough good things about my experience here. Highlights of information - We are a community based hospital (as of now, but there is a medical school being built in the next 3-5 years, so I'm not sure how that will change). We have 40+ beds at our main site, which is in downtown. They are divided into a high acuity and lower acuity area, and you have shifts in both. Interns do get to work in "Crash". It's the "county" hospital and the only level 1 trauma hospital within an hour radius of the city. We also work at 2 other sites, which are about 10 minutes away. One is a similar hospital, but has more insured, older, medically sick patients. The other is the children's hospital, which is the only level 1 pediatric trauma hospital in an hour radius as well. We have 8 residents per class, and we are like a family. We all know and support each other. We do accept DO residents, so as long as you are really competitive, it's not a waste of an application.

We are a faculty run ED, so you get a lot of time one on one with attendings. You can also spend as much time as you need with patients and do LOTS of procedures. We don't have an anesthesia residency or an ortho residency, so all airways and reductions are yours unless you need help. It's really pretty awesome and our faculty love to teach. For all trauma stats, the trauma team joins us in the ED. The ED residents always get the airway, and we kind of go back and forth on chest tubes and such, but it's all very friendly and fair. Nothing is super structured in terms of who gets what.

In terms of rotations, we have all of the standard rotations (trauma surgery, ICU, OB, Anesthesia, EMS). Things that set us apart in terms of rotations: we have 4 months of Peds ED throughout our 2 years, we spend 4 months in the ICU (not sure if this is standard these days), we do not do a month of internal medicine, we rotate through the PICU, MICU, and SICU. During our anesthesia month, we spend part of our time with peds anesthesia. We have an admin roation, ortho rotation (where you are "their resident"), 3 elective months (you can go anywhere and do anything), we do a month of tox, a month of ultrasound, and we spend a month at a hospital in "the boonies". On ED months we work 18 nine hour shifts per month. 5 night shifts in a row during each month.

Perks - protected time for conference (every thursday 7-12), we go to a conference every year (interns TCEP, 2nd year SAEM, 3rd year ACEP), free parking next to the hospital, free food (doctors lounge with food during the week, and free food in the cafeteria outside of that), 3 vacation weeks per year, usually 2 weekends off on ED months, Austin is pretty awesome.

Cons - Occasionally it's slow on overnights, traffic, sometimes we are slammed and you have to just hold your breath until it's over (which I like). Good news is, you always have an attending to back you up if you need it.

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[IH8ColdWeath3r]

Can you comment on the emphasis of ultrasound within the curiculum? Is there an ultrasound fellowship?

Also, do you guys only take students who auditioned? And, if the 4th year student auditions, is it at Brack or another hospital? The reason I ask is because in the audition rotation thread, several people who had auditioned had made negative reviews. Yes, I understand this could be biased with a small sample size, but I found it off putting that there was more than a few who said the away rotation was terrible because (1) they were told nice comments to their face and praised for their hard work but when it came time to getting their SLOE, it was written by a generic email with none of the feedback they had received, which ultimately ended up being detrimental to their application.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[meatbolus]

A few words on ultrasound- we have a longitudinal curriculum intern year, and a month in second year. We are heavy utilizers of US elsewhere.

I did not rotate here as a Med stud. I think that if you want to get to know us better, it's always a good idea. We are NOT unfriendly to DOs, in fact they have consistently been interviewed an accepted here. I'm a DO and have never had any problems whatsoever. It's hard to shake rumors of bias toward DOs- but please do not feel like you are wasting your time with us.

I hope that interested students will apply (and rotate!). We have spots available at Brack and our community site, but encourage future EM docs to join us at Brack if there's space.


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[IH8ColdWeath3r]

A few words on ultrasound- we have a longitudinal curriculum intern year, and a month in second year. We are heavy utilizers of US elsewhere.

I did not rotate here as a Med stud. I think that if you want to get to know us better, it's always a good idea. We are NOT unfriendly to DOs, in fact they have consistently been interviewed an accepted here. I'm a DO and have never had any problems whatsoever. It's hard to shake rumors of bias toward DOs- but please do not feel like you are wasting your time with us.

I hope that interested students will apply (and rotate!). We have spots available at Brack and our community site, but encourage future EM docs to join us at Brack if there's space.


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How do we ensure that we will be at Brack? Because on VSAS it says to apply to UTMB and the paperwork and additional documentation is all at Seton? Which I am assuming is the other community hospital and not Brack.

Having spent the majority of my adult life in Texas, I would love to return for residency and beyond. I am extremely interested in the program but I find it hard to apply as a visiting student knowing that it is a big crap shoot. I am ready to work hard, but would hate to destroy my residency application with a negative SLOE that is not reflective of my hard work/passion towards EM, regardless of how "good" a program may be. My first priority is to match. Again, I don't think I should be handed an amazing SLOE with high praise, especially if I did not EARN it, but I find it off putting that numerous people commented on the negative experience despite the amazing facilities, great ancillary services, and the amazing city of Austin.

Thanks for your comments regarding US.

 

[Cinematographer]

How do we ensure that we will be at Brack? Because on VSAS it says to apply to UTMB and the paperwork and additional documentation is all at Seton? Which I am assuming is the other community hospital and not Brack.

Having spent the majority of my adult life in Texas, I would love to return for residency and beyond. I am extremely interested in the program but I find it hard to apply as a visiting student knowing that it is a big crap shoot. I am ready to work hard, but would hate to destroy my residency application with a negative SLOE that is not reflective of my hard work/passion towards EM, regardless of how "good" a program may be. My first priority is to match. Again, I don't think I should be handed an amazing SLOE with high praise, especially if I did not EARN it, but I find it off putting that numerous people commented on the negative experience despite the amazing facilities, great ancillary services, and the amazing city of Austin.

Thanks for your comments regarding US.

I hate to be pesky, but you've been warned already and I really would hate to see you in the same positon as many of my classmates who rotated there. There was even another review of this program's clerkship rotation posted today in the EM aways thread. If you really want to go to residency in Texas, JPS and UTSW (the real one) are better options that aren't too far from Austin.

 

[IH8ColdWeath3r]

I hate to be pesky, but you've been warned already and I really would hate to see you in the same positon as many of my classmates who rotated there. There was even another review of this program's clerkship rotation posted today in the EM aways thread. If you really want to go to residency in Texas, JPS and UTSW (the real one) are better options that aren't too far from Austin.

Yeah, I know. I appreciated your comments and was just inquiring from someone at the program. But yes, as I mentioned above, for the same reasons that you and others highlighted, I am very skeptical of rotating here (and most likely wont) as the risk of ruining my application outweighs that of a potentially good experience that has a bad rep as a place to audition by numerous people.

 

[GTXP]

Hey guys,

Longtime lurker here. I've read quite a few posts about the UT Austin program lately and feel obliged to interject. I'm a graduating 4th year and will be starting my residency in Austin in July. I auditioned last July, loved the program, ranked them #1, and was so excited to find out this is where I matched.

I did a total of 4 EM rotations including my home program and honestly, I enjoyed every one of them. I ultimately made my decision based on the PD, the quality of their conferences, and how happy the residents/faculty were. I have yet to meet a PD as invested in his program as Dr. Berger. He definitely seems to have his residents best interest in mind and is dedicated to their success as emergency physicians. This program was the only program of the 4 I rotated at where the majority of conference lectures were given by the faculty instead of residents. This may not seem important, but for me it showed the faculties dedication to teaching. Sure, you're going to have faculty who don't enjoy teaching at every single program. It was just nice to see someone give a lecture other than a tired resident who was doing it simply because it was a requirement. Finally, I met very few faculty here who seemed unhappy and each of the residents seemed to love it.

There has been a lot of talk about the quality of SLOE you will get if you audition. I can't speak for others, but I can say I received an excellent SLOE. I showed up, worked my butt off, and expressed interest in the program. There is nothing more you can do. I don't know why anyone would write a negative SLOE and it's unfortunate that it happens. However, for every negative SLOE from Austin, I would imagine there are probably many more that are positive. I wouldn't let fear of this prohibit you from rotating there if you are truly interested in the program for reasons other than, "It's Austin."

As for the post stating the program is becoming anti-DO because of it's new affiliation with Dell Medical School, this simply isn't true. I am one of two DOs in the incoming class of 9 residents. As someone has posted before, the current intern class has 4 of 8 DOs. The previous chief resident and both chief residents for next year are DOs. I think it's safe to say you will continue to see DO's in this program for years to come.

I'm not sure how much help I can be, but if anyone has any questions about auditioning feel free to PM me.

 

[Cinematographer]

However, for every negative SLOE from Austin, I would imagine there are probably many more that are positive. I wouldn't let fear of this prohibit you from rotating there if you are truly interested in the program for reasons other than, "It's Austin."

Yeah... No. And ask the UTMB students about the program's history of giving bad SLOEs. Even their Austin clerkship coordinator will warn them about it. Same goes for UTSA people that've rotated there.

 

[GTXP]

Yeah... No. And ask the UTMB students about the program's history of giving bad SLOEs. Even their Austin clerkship coordinator will warn them about it. Same goes for UTSA people that've rotated there.

I get it, man...there are negative SLOE's out there. I'm just saying that of every UTMB/UTSA student that's rotated there, I doubt every one received a negative SLOE. There were three UTMB students rotating the same month as me. Two of the three tried to avoid being seen by rotating at the community ED (likely because they were instructed to do so by their coordinator) and one was asleep on the back row during conference. Needless to say, I doubt they got an interview and they probably shouldn't have asked for a SLOE. I ran into the other on the interview trail and he got a great SLOE and interviewed.

 

[Cinematographer]

I get it, man...there are (CORRECTION) *many* negative SLOE's out there. I'm just saying that of every UTMB/UTSA student that's rotated there, I doubt every one received a negative SLOE. There were three UTMB students rotating the same month as me. Two of the three tried to avoid being seen by rotating at the community ED (likely because they were instructed to do so by their coordinator)

So you are aware of the fact that there is some random BS going on about this program and the SLOEs that it hands out, yet still recommend it as a rotation spot? I don't doubt that this ACGME EM residency will train you properly, but their med student rotation has a lot of issues (similar to UNLV).

I won't comment on this program anymore.

 

[GTXP]

So you are aware of the fact that there is some random BS going on about this program and the SLOEs that it hands out, yet still recommend it as a rotation spot? I don't doubt that this ACGME EM residency will train you properly, but their med student rotation has a lot of issues (similar to the UNLV).

I won't comment on this program anymore.

I wasn't aware of anything until you commented on it multiple times. I simply shared my experience (which was very positive), just as you shared yours. Whether or not someone chooses to rotate there is their business.

 

[doggydog]

There were three UTMB students rotating the same month as me. Two of the three tried to avoid being seen by rotating at the community ED (likely because they were instructed to do so by their coordinator) and one was asleep on the back row during conference.

Man, this stuff happens on away rotations? I can sort of understand on a third year clerkship that you don't care about, but on a rotation in the speciality that you want to go into? It can't be that hard to even fake it for two to three months.

 

[Nado11]

I get it, man...there are negative SLOE's out there. I'm just saying that of every UTMB/UTSA student that's rotated there, I doubt every one received a negative SLOE. There were three UTMB students rotating the same month as me. Two of the three tried to avoid being seen by rotating at the community ED (likely because they were instructed to do so by their coordinator) and one was asleep on the back row during conference. Needless to say, I doubt they got an interview and they probably shouldn't have asked for a SLOE. I ran into the other on the interview trail and he got a great SLOE and interviewed.

That was me, Didn't rotate at the community hospital "not to be seen". Rotated there to avoid the BS that comes with being at brack. I got a great SLOE (even with squeezing in my nap) from one of the APDs within 2 weeks of my rotation. Whereas the letter writer at Brack doesn't even start writing them til late sept. (Even if you rotate early).

So all cinematograper is saying is there are tons of other programs out there that don't come with all the BS brack does and is giving people a head up. Sure you had a great experience but I'd say that's the exception rather than the rule.

 

[GTXP]

Man, this stuff happens on away rotations? I can sort of understand on a third year clerkship that you don't care about, but on a rotation in the speciality that you want to go into? It can't be that hard to even fake it for two to three months.

You would be surprised. I've heard of much worse. An upper level resident told me he's had auditioning students 1. Ask to leave early for no good reason , 2. Turn down a central line simply because they had done one before, and 3. Openly disagree with him or an attending in front of a patient regarding their treatment/diagnosis.


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[Nado11]

You would be surprised. I've heard of much worse. An upper level resident told me he's had auditioning students 1. Ask to leave early for no good reason , 2. Turn down a central line simply because they had done one before, and 3. Openly disagree with him or an attending in front of a patient regarding their treatment/diagnosis.

You're right, I'd put not being able to stay awake after working 16hrs and then listening to a monotone lecture right up there with what you listed.

 

[Thought Crime Spree]

Also a resident at UT Austin. I love it here, it was my top choice, I am very happy with my training and I love my fellow residents and love our faculty. It makes me sad to hear all the negativity about our student rotation. Despite the criticism on here I have personally gotten a lot of positive feedback from rotators. That said there are changes in the works to improve how our medical student experience is handled.

I believe 4 of our incoming intern class rotated, if you want to come here we would love to get to meet you and have you see what we are all about. Feel free to PM me any questions.

 

[Thought Crime Spree]

You're right, I'd put not being able to stay awake after working 16hrs and then listening to a monotone lecture right up there with what you listed.

We work 9 hour shifts and you're always off the night before didactics. If you can't handle that and stay awake for a few hours during a lecture while auditioning for a competitive specialty I don't know what to tell you.

 

[Nado11]

We work 9 hour shifts and you're always off the night before didactics. If you can't handle that and stay awake for a few hours during a lecture while auditioning for a competitive specialty I don't know what to tell you.

The only reason I responded was if someones going to call someone out they should know a little bit of the background. Also, if you read my post correctly you'd realize I did not have the night off before didactics. So no worries on telling me anything as I really wasn't looking for advice on the subject.

 

[Makati2008]

The only reason I responded was if someones going to call someone out they should know a little bit of the background. Also, if you read my post correctly you'd realize I did not have the night off before didactics. So no worries on telling me anything as I really wasn't looking for advice on the subject.

It's killing me so I'm going to ask did you match? Sounds like that program could have hurt you?


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[Nado11]

It's killing me so I'm going to ask did you match? Sounds like that program could have hurt you?


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That I did and was lucky enough to get my #1. I had a good experience rotating at the seaton and got a good SLOE. I know rotating at the community hospital killed any chance I had for Austin based on the vibes I got from the PD and APD (who only worked at brack) when talking to them. The faculty at the community hospital (seaton main) were really great to work with and every shift I worked directly with them and never with residents which can be looked at as good or bad.

 

[TxArmadillo]

Also a resident at UT Austin. I love it here, it was my top choice, I am very happy with my training and I love my fellow residents and love our faculty. It makes me sad to hear all the negativity about our student rotation. Despite the criticism on here I have personally gotten a lot of positive feedback from rotators. That said there are changes in the works to improve how our medical student experience is handled.

I believe 4 of our incoming intern class rotated, if you want to come here we would love to get to meet you and have you see what we are all about. Feel free to PM me any questions.

I rotated in Austin and go to One of the schools
Mentioned above and had a positive experience. Dr. Berger, the PD, is truly a great mentor, and the residents are a great bunch. As mentioned previously I think how much effort you put into The rotation is how much you get out. The APD told us the first day to make sure we scheduled shifts with him and the PD which means you may have to work a little bit more but it's worth it. I could have been very happy
at this program.

 

[EJayBee]

I wanted to add my two cents, as I rotated at Austin this season. There were a lot of changes made to the student rotation as of July 1, 2016, and I wanted to make sure everyone was aware, because it truly was a completely different rotation experience compared to what I'm reading above. A new physician took over as rotation coordinator, and at the same time the rotation was revamped. Instead of rotating exclusively at either Brack or Seton Main, everyone's schedule was a split between both locations. Fourteen shifts total, with three shifts at Seton Main (community site), and the attendings there were all awesome and enjoyed teaching. The remainder of the shifts were at Brack, equally split between the high acuity area and the lower acuity area. There is also a separate "fast track-like" area which we did not do shifts in.

Otherwise, a new feedback system was started, where you physically hand the attending and/or senior resident a simple eval form to complete every shift, and per the rotation coordinator, it sounds like nearly every single one I handed out was completed and turned in (which is unique compared to my other rotations). Half-way point feedback was given if requested. Lastly, a student-specific didactic session was added on conference day for an hour to go over basic EM topics. One week we covered US/FAST, and intubation, another we did a sim lab session, and another we simply sat down with a few of the upper level residents and they answered all the questions we had about interview season and their program. Also, our SLOEs were all completed within 2 weeks of ending the rotation. No, everyone who rotated there is not offered an interview, however that is the case at a lot of programs.

I worked really hard on this rotation, and had a great experience. Austin is cool, but it's definitely not the only reason to want to be part of this program. I agree with the above post that this was one of the only places I rotated where the conference presenters were mainly faculty, which I think says a lot. I presented equally t0 both attendings and senior residents on shift, which was also unique in my experience. Otherwise you can tell this is a close-knit bunch of people who enjoy working together. The PD is incredibly approachable and is very involved in student mentoring and advising, and is a priceless source of advice for me this interview season. It was clear that he is very well liked by the residents and invested in their success as well as the success of the program as a whole. The aPDs were also great, and I worked with every one of them. I was actually sad to leave at the end of the month. This program is certainly at the top of my list for residency.

I hope this changes the perception of Austin's rotation for the next round of students. Remember the extremes are typically what are posted on here (great experience, horrible experience), so keep that in mind when reading these forums. Or better yet, don't read these, and go into every rotation with a mindset that it's going to be great, work your butt off, and get a great SLOE because you deserved one. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

 

[txterp98]

EJayBee, I'm glad to hear you had a good rotation with us. Feel free to send any PM's my way in case any further questions come up. We probably crossed paths without you realizing it.

Guys...especially Cinematographer....your feedback on this forum was very helpful. From reading everything you guys wrote, I took it back to the Leadership Committee and the seeds of change were planted. Should we have been doing this all along (timely feedback, rotating between our primary sites)? Absolutely. But sometimes you lose the forest from the trees.

And just like this, we truly value resident input to continue to make changes to our program. Whether it's changing ICU rotation locations or introducing asynchronous learning into the curriculum, we genuinely lean on residents to help give us the feedback we need to keep growing.

Are we #1? No way. Not even close. You can't be less than 5 years out and think that. Will we be there one day? That's the goal. But give us time. Our grads so far have gone on to some good fellowships as well as obtaining desirable community locations. If you rotate through Austin, feel free to PM me. Sure...Austin's a great town. But that's secondary. Come because you like the program and truly want to be a part of a dynamic program that is built of resident leaders.

 

[tpsreport]

I just did an away here in this academic year 2016. I won't say when because that'll narrow down the list of names too much. I really enjoyed it here. The attendings were extremely enthusiastic to teach, and so were the residents. They weren't used to having medical students who are interested in EM rotate through, so I think having us was refreshing. In terms of whatever bad rep that this place got, I didn't really see any of it. I worked my butt off, and I think I got a great SLOE from these guys. The PD and clerkship director told me I was performing well. If you're not enthusiastic, don't ask questions, and don't look up things on your patients prior to presenting (sometimes you just don't have the time, true), then it's your fault your SLOE was subpar. In terms of how they grade SLOEs, they rank you amongst all the students who have rotated there that year. Someone has to be in the bottom 10%.

In terms of the place itself.

Facilities: A new hospital is going up across the street, and should be in place when the new interns start.

Organization: they are divided into a high acuity area, low acuity area, and observation area. There are also about 10ish rooms for mid-levels/residents. Again, this is getting changed in the new building and new ED. I didn't really look at the floor plans.

Residents: mix of DOs and MDs, with mostly MDs in the newer classes. They were all very friendly, loved the institution, and had a great relationship with the faculty. I thought this was a huge positive. The residents seemed to really click with their advisors. Residents had varying levels of skill, but I thought it was appropriate to their year of residency. A few of us students ended up going out to 6th street with some of the residents and had a great time.

Faculty: very friendly, very eager to teach. This was refreshing from my home institution, where the residents tended to do most of the teaching to medical students, and where faculty teaching was the exception rather than the rule. Austin residents and faculty all looked for teaching points whenever possible. I also had the chance to do plenty of procedures, and the residents were more than willing to give them up to the AI/Sub-Is.

Rotation schedule: 14 shifts. 10 were are Brackenridge, 4 were at Seton Main. Brackenridge is more of your typical academic/large ED, while Seton had more of a community feel to it. The patients were also more medically complicated at Seton on average. It was a good mix. No shifts were at Children's.

Shifts: 8 hours for students. 9 hours for residents, with the last hour reserved for finishing up dispo and notes. No patients are taken during the last hour of a resident's shift.

Location: It's Austin, what else is there to say?


Pros: loved it there, got an invite, and looking forward to interview there.

Cons: no interviews are offered during your rotation there, so you'll have to go back for that. Not a big deal, since some of my other interviews are also nearby. But unlike some other places, interviews are not automatically offered to rotating students. Nights can be slow at times. In two shifts, the low acuity area was closed down for the nights and combined with high acuity. Several stand-alone EDs being opened up in Austin to accommodate the influx of people moving to Austin doesn't help either.

PM me for specific questions. This may be the wrong place to post my review (especially since it's not really a residency interview review, but I was there for a month rather than a day), so if there's a better place for more visibility, let me know.

 

[TundraDoc]

EJayBee, I'm glad to hear you had a good rotation with us. Feel free to send any PM's my way in case any further questions come up. We probably crossed paths without you realizing it.

Guys...especially Cinematographer....your feedback on this forum was very helpful. From reading everything you guys wrote, I took it back to the Leadership Committee and the seeds of change were planted. Should we have been doing this all along (timely feedback, rotating between our primary sites)? Absolutely. But sometimes you lose the forest from the trees.

And just like this, we truly value resident input to continue to make changes to our program. Whether it's changing ICU rotation locations or introducing asynchronous learning into the curriculum, we genuinely lean on residents to help give us the feedback we need to keep growing.

Are we #1? No way. Not even close. You can't be less than 5 years out and think that. Will we be there one day? That's the goal. But give us time. Our grads so far have gone on to some good fellowships as well as obtaining desirable community locations. If you rotate through Austin, feel free to PM me. Sure...Austin's a great town. But that's secondary. Come because you like the program and truly want to be a part of a dynamic program that is built of resident leaders.

When I went on my UT-Austin interview there was some discussion as to where the new MICU rotation site would be...any updates on that? Thanks!

 

[Thought Crime Spree]

When I went on my UT-Austin interview there was some discussion as to where the new MICU rotation site would be...any updates on that? Thanks!

We are deciding between a second month of SICU at Brackenridge (a well loved rotation in our program, lots of procedures and autonomy) and a MICU rotation at another Seton facility. The first rotator at the offsite MICU rotation is halfway through their month now, we are going to decide the best option as a residency after a couple people have been through.

 

[GoodDoggy]

We are deciding between a second month of SICU at Brackenridge (a well loved rotation in our program, lots of procedures and autonomy) and a MICU rotation at another Seton facility. The first rotator at the offsite MICU rotation is halfway through their month now, we are going to decide the best option as a residency after a couple people have been through.

Any updates on this situation? Also, do you feel like your graduates are competitive in getting good jobs in regions outside of the SE? I am coming from the NW to interview and while I want to leave for residency, I would love the option of returning near home after. Thanks for any input!

 

[EMreviewer2018]

Pre-Interview Day: Done at a local bar and was pretty chill. Residents hung out and talked to applicants and made sure to rotate around so that applicants got a chance to talk to different residents without it being too awkward. All the residents got along really well and you can tell the small class size (8) really allows them time to get to know each other really well. Residents all seemed very happy and not over worked, only good things to say about the program overall.


Interview Day: Pretty similar to most other places. Day stated by just chatting with the PD for a little while before he gave an hour talk on the strengths of the program. PD used to be a school teacher so he’s a super nice guy is constantly giving you life/match advice beyond just bragging about his own program. Really liked him, easily one of my favorite PDs of the entire trail. After the talk we had 4 20-25 minute interviews with faculty, APDs, PD and residents. All were very conversational and mostly focused on why Austin, why EM, all expected things. PD was a little more formal than other PD interviews I had as he has some scripted questions I think he asks everyone. Apparently it’s quite hard to get an interview at Austin as they only interview about 95 people for 8 slots so the PD makes a big deal about how good you should feel to be there and how excited they are that you’re there. Otherwise, day wraps up with a tour, lunch with a resident and then final questions with the PD was done by 2pm.


Curriculum: Most notable things to me about the curriculum is that it’s a site with 1:1 attending coverage at all times in the ER. Will never share an attending with even an off service person they are always there to teach you and expect you to take on more and more of the department each year, but have no strict rules for graduated responsibility. All attendings are employed by a private company which originally worried me, but apparently the company is pouring money into the residency and really committed to teaching and I’m apt to believe them from what I’ve seen and heard. They have not used the residents to decrease the number of attendings in the ED at any one time and thus they did not make this residency 7 years ago just to save money but because they wanted to teach. In terms of shifts residents do 18 9s all 3 years. No medicine floor months only 4 ICU months with required Tox, EMS and US rotations. Sim center is huge (an entire hospital floor) but is not utilized as much (only 1x per month) and lacks a staff so it’s just the attendings running the sims when you do them. Also unique to this program is that at sign out each resident must present a patient they saw that day and give a teaching point, though judging by what I heard from some of the residents this doesn’t always happen. Salary is also one of the highest I’ve seen starting at 60k intern year. Moonlighting is done only in 3rd year a number of different community sites residents seem to really enjoy it and apparently it pays very well.


Hospital: Hospital is brand spanking new and beautiful. Everything still smells brand new and it’s all very impressive. Only private rooms Ultrasounds everywhere, c-arms you name it they got it. Unlimited food from the cafeteria at any time (you read that right) and even food in a doctors longue that you can take during you nights etc. that’s totally free. Free parking as well. Program really does seem like it does what it can to make residents’ lives as easy as possible. Found that the resident/attending relationship was more formal than a lot of other places in that no one was called by their first name, but this may be a texas thing I’m not sure.


Overall walked out of Austin more clinically impressed than I was expecting. Obviously they’re in one of the best locations in the nation and for this reason they’ll never lack for applicants, but the program itself speaks volumes about the commitment these doctors have to teaching and the kind of residency I think more should aspire to with 1:1 teaching, relaxed number of shifts and generally just happy and kind environment. Definitely an up and coming program and I’d look out for them to battle it out with UTSW for Texas superiority soon.

 

[drfoxxy824]

With rank time coming around again I was curious if any current residents would like to give us any updates on the program or how they like it so far.
Thanks!