1. interview accommodations/food
liver here so did not need accom. Pre-interview dinner night before at one of the residents apartments. standard breakfast. Lunch at the Harvard Faculty Club very swish.
2. interview day -- (e.g. schedule, interview types, unusual questions/experiences...etc. )
start at the more humane hour of 8.30 with breakfast and talk by the PD and APD, then 2 interviews, then tour of the hospital, lunch, visit to outpatient clinic, 2 further interviews, then wrap up with the PD. I interviewed with director of Psych ER, associate chair (a psychoanalyst), the PD, and a resident. was asked questions like 'have you had any analytic training or read any classic psychoanalytic literature' and PD is known for asking personal and challenging questions but he is like a teddy bear so you don't feel uncomfortable.
3. Program overview
PGY1 is 3 months medicine wards, 1 month Peds OR ICU, 1 month neuro (o/p and i/p consults) 1 month behavioral neuro at McLean, 2 weeks med night float, 6 weeks elective (1x 2week 1x4 wk), 1month addiction, 1 month child or adolescent i/p, 1 month geropsych, 1 month community
PGY-2 - 6 months i/p adult (3 months Cambridge, 3 months Whidden), 3 months partial hospitalization at Mass Mental Health Center (either CBT or DBT), 6 weeks Psych ER, 6 week C-L inpatient, plus 1/2 outpatient for longterm psychodynamic therapy etc
PGY-3 all outpatient including o/p C-L (either psycho-oncology or HIV), o/p eropsych (e.g. memory clinic), o/p child, psychodynamic, family, group, CBT cases, med management
PGY-4 continuity clinic and electives
4. Faculty
The PD Marshall Forstein is awesome! He is extremely dedicated to the program and to the training of the residents, the APD Matt Ruble is also very friendly and approachable. Did not meet chair, but he has been involved in the Nova Scotia study (epidemiological study into the social epidemiology of mood and anxiety disorders). Many psychoanalysts on faculty. Notable other faculty are Judith Herman (PTSD), Arthur Kleinman (anthropology, moral existence, global health), and Margarita Alegria (multicultural mental health)
5. Location, lifestyle, etc.
Cambridge is very cute with tons of stuff to do for a small place, Boston obviously has its attractions, but this is not New York, LA, SF - things close early here and there aren't as many good restaurants as those places, it is relatively expensive, it is ethnically diverse but you wont find a large Black or Hispanic population around here, rent is expensive but gets cheaper the further out from Harvard Square you get. Most residents had a car but driving in the area is a nightmare and it is not necessary to have one.
6. Benefits
excellent benefits - 4 week vacation, 15 days sick which can be carried over and used for conferences etc, personal days for bereavement, decent food in call rooms, unionized housestaff, $1900 education budget can be used for personal psychotherapy, ipad, books, flights etc, $700 for Step 3 USMLE/COMLEX, funding for conference attendance, good health insurance, dental plan/vision etc. lots of moonlighting opportunities from PGY-2 onwards; can audit classes at any of the Harvard schools; get benefits of being Harvard faculty; if you have to cover on call for a colleague they pay you!
7. Program strengths
apparently 100% residents get their top choice fellowship and land impressive jobs post-residency with almost 100% pass rate on the ABPN exams; excellent didactics; excellent training in psychodynamic therapy, with everyone getting experience in group, family, CBT, classes in IPT, and option to do DBT; strong outpatient C/L exposure especially HIV psychiatry, neuropsychiatry and psycho-oncology; supportive, friendly nurturing environment; elective time in PGY-1; lots of elective time in PGY-4; child psychiatry; emergency psychiatry; working with sick, vulnerable populations; social and cultural psychiatry research; program coordinator is very nice
8. Potential weaknesses
no VA, no tertiary experience (except behavioral neurology at McLean), outpatient rather than inpatient C-L, does not have the depth of research opportunities as other programs, no call for psych in PGY-1, carry fewer pts than other programs (may have as few as 1 in PGY-1!), ?too much supervision. One thing is there is enough elective time and the program is so well connected you can do research at any of the harvard affiliates or overseas, and also do clinical rotations at any of the harvard affiliates so can make up for perceived weakness (e.g. tertiary C-L if heart so desired)
Final thoughts Cambridge is a magical place that provides excellent training, with possibly the best psychotherapy training during residency in the country, working with a diverse population and a supportive environment but republicans and biological psychiatrists should look elsewhere!