Interview Impressions Thread!

Post interview impressions here. If you want to stay (semi)anonymous, you can PM me (gopherbrain) and I will post on your behalf.

I just wanted to encourage those of you interviewing this season to think about posting a brief review of the programs that you interviewed at. On a personal note, I know that it will be very helpful when I start applying next year to hear what you guys thought this year. The last one we had was back in 2004 I believe: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=157250. It doesn't need to be fancy if you don't have time for it. But things like pro's/con's of program, overall impression, facilities, happiness of residents, area...etc. might be helpful for those looking at what programs to apply to in the next few years. Good luck with your interviews and I look forward to hearing what you have to say. 👍

I think this thread/sticky might pick up late in the season when people are not afraid of being recognized by the residents!

Raggaman said:

I think this thread/sticky might pick up late in the season when people are not afraid of being recognized by the residents!

Click to expand...

👍 Hopefully after match lists are turned it people will write up reviews of places they interviewed/rotated at. Would definitely be a good resource for the next few years for those applying.

Raggaman said:

I think this thread/sticky might pick up late in the season when people are not afraid of being recognized by the residents!

Click to expand...

Right. This is very early in the season. My program is having its first interview dinner tonight.

Two interview impressions from an anonymous applicant. Keep them coming people! Don't wait until it is too late for them to do anyone any good.

Temple: Awesome program director. The chair is a burned out grumpy dude who didn't take me seriously as an applicant. Decent facilities. I could tell that one of the residents was secretly unhappy. The program is overall fairly tough with long nights on call. It's also in a lousy, high crime neighborhood.

Albert Einstein: I got an overall good feel from this place. The residents were pretty happy. The faculty is cool. The chair is way too much into basic science and probably never talks to residents....but is a master bureaucrat (in a good way). The program size is somewhat large and impersonal. The dinner the night before was awesome...I drank and ate way too much. The medicine prelim here seems really tough, large, and impersonal.

UT Austin: This program is not like I thought at all. For a new program, it gave me a good and comfortable first impression. The PD and faculty were very nice, friendly, and sincere. It seems they all are genuinely interested in advancing this residency program. It is definitely a good program for clinical neurology but definitely not research oriented. The facilities are ok as they cover an indigent population. The residents seemed happy, relaxed, and informal. There is no dinner before. The prelim program is very good too. I got grilled by one of the medicine faculty! But the prelim yr is offered with the neuro program and that is always a plus. A got a good vibe for this one - kinda compare it to a diamond in the rough! Very refreshing.

PS I don't know how much of this is true, but I heard from one of the medicine residents while I was interviewing with medicine that Southwestern might be coming in. I don't know if this is true and don't know if it was, how it would shake up and restructure this small nice Austin program.

Temple: Was very disappointed that they shifted from categorical to advanced this year, and did not even inform the applicants until the interview day itself. Residents looked really busy, and they were a bit disorganized in arranging our schedules. PD was very very nice. I did not get to meet the chair, but apparantly he's big on basic neuroscience and stem cell research. After the interview, I did not have a good feeling with this interview, and after I did not feel that I had a good idea of the program overall.

University of Missouri-Columbia: Residents have flexibility, not too busy. Very nice and approachable PD, chair was a bit aloof. The program is expanding, major negative for me was that they did not have a stoke attending on staff. They're planning to build a neuro ICU in the future though. Overall good impression, the IM PD was also very nice and funny. Small college town and safe environment.

1) UC Davis- strong program, all subspecialties well represented. However, personally I had no chemistry with the PD, and I'm not a Sacramento fan, although it is quite an affordable place.

2) UCLA-Harbor maybe it's just me, but I love the county hospital atmosphere. Evident that residents are a team and get along, Wonderful faculty. Might not have all subspecialties represented, but very flexible about spending elective time at UCLA or USC. Unfortunately, Program Director is retiring, and replacement is yet unkown. Garantees PGY-1 spot, but looks like it is a killer of an intern year

UC Irvine- beautiful new hospital, very friendly PD. If they rank you, you will get a PGY1 spot as well. At least one person per subspecialty and is a stroke center. Got the impression there are few if any fellowships yet offered, but people do get into desired fellowships elsewhere. Enough patients with great diversity. Residents did not seem a cohesive bunch, or most were having a bad day.

University of Miami, FL
busy, busy. But residents are a very happy and friendly bunch. PD is awesome, and actively making changes in response to resident feedback. All subspecialties represented, with strong emphasis in neuromuscular (bradley) and now stroke (sacco). Lots of new hires and research is encouraged. Jackson Hospital is a 1500 bed facility, with 30-something neuro beds and its own Neuro ICU shared with neurosurgery. If you interview here, look into staying at the Rodeway Inn, right next to the interview site. Ugly, but safe enough, and has a free airport shuttle. PGY-1 spot included. Seems like half the residents speak Spanish fluently. Most stay on for fellowships at Umiami. The interview dinner was quite festive, whole bunch of residents showed up, well worth attending.

cleveland clinic florida
it is very small, community place. If you are looking to have lots of free time to read books rather than see patients, this is for you. residents seemed quite nice. Rotations in top neurophthalmology and pedi neuro in Miami, and neuropathology is done in cleveland. you have a lot of interaction with cleveland people through video conferences. No subspecialty clinics, only general. Opportunity to do outpatient private practice rotation. great place to train if wish to do private practice in the area. PGY-1 spot guaranteed.

University of Minnesota: Overall a very impressive program. The day included six 20 minute interviews, tours of the University and County hospitals, a “tour of the city”, case conference, meeting with program director.

Pros: 4 year program with a relatively light intern year. Call for G2-G4 years is front loaded, with 6-7 months of elective time during junior and senior years. The program has recently expanded to 6 residents per year, allowing for better call schedules. Rotations are spread over 3 local hospitals with very different patient populations, allowing for excellent breadth of disease and pathology. The stroke program and interventional fellowship, designed by the Chair Dr. Anderson are very strong. Most residents stay for a fellowship. Faculty in every subspecialty. Residents are friendly, cohesive, and genuinely happy they chose Minnesota. Twin Cities are beautiful and fun.

Cons: Each hospital covered has a different EMR you need to learn. The Chair is stepping down once a replacement is found, so it is unclear what the new direction of the program will be. Minnesota is brutal in the winter if you’re not used to it.

Great program. Good in all major specialties:

Stroke: Tony Furlan (Chair), Cathy Sila
EMG: Bashar Katirji, David Preston (PD)
EEG: Hans Luders
Neuro ICU: Michael Degeorgia
Neuroophth: John R. Leigh
Movement: David Riley

PGY-2 yr: New residents covered by a senior for the 1st 3 months when on call. All admissions or consults are supervised during this time. In-house backup all year round till 10pm on call days with night float taking all admissions after 10 pm. Q 4 call schedule.

PGY-3 yr: Q5-6 call with 2 months of dedicated EEG, EMG, Basic neuroscience courses. Thrice weekly neuroradiology teaching.

PGY-4 yr: Q7-10 call. TCD course.

2 months of NICU exposure. 1 month psych, 2 months peds neuro, 4-5 months elective.

Assistant senior on each team to get the on call person out within ACGME hrs. Case can afford enough residents as they are the largest program in Neurology in the US along with Partners/MGH-10 residents per yr with an extra Peds neuro resident in the PGY-2 yr to share call.

Imternationally & nationally renouned faculty with 95% of them down to earth, non-malignant & very approachable.

Opportunity for clinical & basic sceince research.

Fellowships in
EEG- 4-5/yr
EMG- 2/yr
Vascular- 2/yr
NICU- 2/yr
Endovascular- 1 every 2yrs
Neuroophth- 1/yr
Behavioural- 1/yr
Trying to start a Movement Disorders fellowship.

All residents got into a fellowship for the last 3 years, either in-house or into better programs.

Partners: overall a great program, top notch all around but some of the resident i met seemed tired/overworked. they were all nice, but i didnt feel as comfortable with them as with other programs. Mass Gen and Brigham are both amazing places to train though! Opportunities for research/

Tufts: undergone some change over the last few years, lost major faculty. nice group of residents, day went well. lots of driving from hospital to hospital, not perfect for me with weather/snow.

U. Miami: best organized interview day and residents seemed the happiest. lots of new faculty, new chair, well funded, 10 residents per year so call schedule is good, plans to go to night float system. PD is great, very supportive and assures enough elective/research time. spent the weekend in miami after interview, its an amazing city

UT-Houston: Program has some excellent new faculty, residents were very nice and seemed happy. Sound educational program. didnt love houston but its a solid place. new chair.

overall Miami is the best all-around program (location, quality etc) but Partners is also up there. i may do a second look at both. i would suggest reviewing the websites the day or two before the interview, very helpful...

good luck! 👍

These are based on my experiences of rotating through these programs a few years ago - I am not sure how things have changed, but here is my impression based on conversation w/ previous residents and my own experience:

-USC: residents have good morale and given autonomy. Exposure to pathology is decent because of variability socioeconomic setting for clinics/wards. some top notch faculty and a lot of subspecialties respresented. residents happy

-Harbor UCLA: neat program; good place to train if your are going to do primarily clinical neuro; good teaching; workload average; residents happy; no on-site MRI machine and hospital resources limited

-UCI: residents indifferent; lack of cohesiveness among faculty; lack of accountability when it comes to residency issues - dodged a lot of important questions during interview; pricy life-style given residency's salaries; positive aspect is that program comes w/ internship and there is a stroke center and structutred teaching curriculum; also work-load and elective options earlier in residency are appealing

University of Arizona: residents supported and given autonomy; teaching very structured and faculty responsive to residents teaching needs; lifestyle affordable; lots of exposure to different pt populations adds to variety of pt population; neg is lack of accredited fellowship programs, although most residents have had good luck at other programs and this is benefitial for residents as they are first in line for interesting cases/procedures

Barrows: residents overworked as of a few years ago and too much babysitting for neurosurgery; they paid for moving costs and have recently made efforts to support residents more - find out if it is effective

UCLA: teaching and call schedule are reasonable; cost of living is high; somewhat malignant as far as faculty interaction w/ residents; not enough exposure to pathology because of pt population most of which go there for a second opinion; top research dollars; good exposure to neurocritical care

UC davis: residents given a a lot of autonomy and supported; good subspecialty respresentation w/ vibrant and young faculty; you gotta like sacramento

Loma Linda: faculty very supportive and a great place to learn; someone limited w/ resources at hospital; out of home call covering various hospital; residents tend to get good fellowships

UNC: good clinically oriented program. Expanding to 5 residents, which will help alleviate what sounds like a heavy call schedule. Hospital is great, a definite plus that all of your time is spent in the same location. Chapel Hill seems like a fun place to live, but most residents live across the county line in Durham. New chair is from Wash U and is very interested in resident input and well being.

Miami: friendly residents, chief seemed pretty burnt out. Big program- likely going to 11 residents per year. Well funded department with tons of new faculty. Program director is great, completely focused on resident education and satisfaction (his research is actually in resident learning and teaching). About 1/3rd of the patients you see don’t speak English, Spanish fluency is a serious plus.
The Rodeway Inn is right next door to where you need to be for interview day, but seriously consider staying somewhere else. The airport shuttle has very random hours, the rooms are dumpy (no alarm clock, toilet wouldn’t flush!!), if you get stuck on the highway side of the building you will not get any sleep.

Duke: Don’t know how this program got the “malignant” nametag. All residents were extremely friendly and happy about their training. Faculty seem approachable and committed to teaching. Program itself is small (4 per year), intern year is now guaranteed and seems very manageable (5 months of call, 2 months for electives, etc.). Call is frontloaded and you have senior backup for the first 3 months of call your PGY-2 year. The department itself is a division of medicine, but this will be changing in June.

Cleveland Clinic: Excellent, well funded program. New heart hospital is amazing. Apparently there are plans to build a neurologic institute building next. Residents go into both academics and private practice, and seem to have their pick of fellowships. Strong on EMG and EEG time.

UVA: very friendly, cohesive and fun residents. Program director is young, engaging and enthusiastic. Training is very clinically oriented. Hospital has a huge catchment area and is a tertiary referral center, so you see everything. You get to spend time in the NICU as an intern, and there is a nightfloat system during PGY2-4. Charlottesville is cute and has more to offer than a classic college town, but is by no means a big city.

UCLA: great PD and chair, your life would be set, crazy amount of driving, they have been slow to replace departed residents except one who's a PGY2. But it's so huge that mebbe it doesn't matter?

Columbia: Prestigious as all heck, in Manhattan, your life would be set. But they've lost several residents in the last few years. Chair seemed a little intense.

Miami: Money, new chair, lots of energy, friendly county atmosphere. Loved it.

Harbor-UCLA:apparently the chair's been trying to retire for years and no one wants his job??! fishy...residents seemed fine if not especially academic.

Davis: Something didn't seem quite right, Like they were hanging on by a thread or something...and it's in Sacramento.

Washington U: Super super academic. Not for the faint of heart.

Stanford: Liked it, academic but not pretentious, residents seemed content there.

I found this forum to be helpful when I was applying this year, so hopefully these will be helpful to others.

Columbia- Big program, 10/year. Top academic reputation and lots of history (saw a pic of Cushing and Mayo bros standing in front of the NI, etc.), building devoted to neurology. Has a rep of being tough on residents, ancillary services lacking being in New York. Lots of fellows and subspecialties, lots of opportunities for research in basic science and clinical research. Cover two hospitals, NY Presbyterian is the tertiary center and Harlem Hospital is for bread and butter. Seems like the commute between the two hospitals can be inconvenient by public transit. Ward facilities are not too hot but the neuro ICU is beautiful and new, with an in-unit CT and MRI. Residents generally seemed satisfied with their training but some were clearly drawn by the institutional reputation and/or the desire to be in NY. Call is Q4 during inpatient months.
Pros- top tier academic reputation, comprehensive subspecialty coverage, lots of potential for research, live in NY.
Cons- worked hard (unclear whether there is time to take advantage of all the opportunities), facilities and ancillary services not great, running between two hospitals by taxi or bus, live in NY.

UCSF- Big program, 8/yr. Top tier academic reputation although in this tier the relative newcomer. 3 main hospitals, Moffitt-Long is the tertiary university setting, VA, and SFGH (the county), as well as inpatient headache service at Mt Zion. Sites are somewhat spread out; there is a shuttle system but many drive. Also some basic science research has been moved to Mission Bay which is also a short drive away. Unlike some of the other programs I visited, UCSF tends to carry medically sick patients on the general neurology service (as opposed to a closed ICU), so they get a lot of experience on inpatient neurology and medicine. 2 neuro ICUs with 36 beds and nice views of the city. Like Columbia, strong representation across subspecialties with few weaknesses (sleep being one mentioned although there is a sleep program, just not run by neuro). Also like Columbia, has a history of working residents hard, but this seems to be improving as well with the expanding program. Moffitt and the General are busy services, VA less busy. Call schedule is Q4 while on service, and there is 36 months of call in the PGY2-4 years total. There is a 4-6 month flexible residency option which allows for research during a period that is free of clinical responsibilities. Residents seemed pretty happy overall.
Pros- top tier academic reputation, comprehensive subspecialty coverage, lots of potential for research, live in SF. Overall feel was more laidback than Columbia.
Cons- heavy workload at Moffitt and SFGH? Parnassus is the center but everything seems spread out (VA, SFGH, Mission Bay).

Mayo Roch- 9/yr. Ok, Rochester feels like the middle of nowhere and the Mayo Clinic is like an oasis in the desert, a huge set of buildings surrounded by a small town. The 2 hospitals are St. Mary's and Roch Memorial with almost 2000 beds between them, but the real story is the two huge Mayo and Gonda clinic buildings with attached hotels and mall. Facilities and ancillary services are top notch, maybe better than anywhere else I'd seen. Large department with again, strong subspecialty coverage. One point they did make was they do see lots of bread and butter stuff in addition to zebras, apparently the word has been they only see zebras. The residents did not seem to be overworked and in general seemed happy, though I can't remember the call schedule. Good research opportunities, especially for clinical research. I did get the feeling that most of the people were there for the reputation of the institution and accepted living in Rochester as a consequence, although as with many of these top tier institutions it seemed that a good number of the seniors stayed to do fellowship. Also, you do have to wear a suit and tie all the time (guys for sure, girls can sometimes get away with slightly less formal).
Pros- good reputation, lots of subspecialties, good lifestyle, really nice people, great facility and ancillary services.
Cons- ROCHESTER! if they built the clinic near chicago, people would be knocking the doors down trying to get in. having to wear suits all the time would be a distant second.

Wash U- 8/yr. Everything happens at Barnes Jewish, a 1200 bed hospital with a large catchment area. Top tier or very near top reputation (gets dinged for being in the midwest? dunno). Large faculty, very academic, lots of research opportunities in basic and clinical. Big in imaging with a strong rads department, one of the chiefs is going on to do interventional neurorads. The facility itself is fairly nice with tunnels connecting all of the main areas of the hospital, SOM and children's hospital. Call is mostly Q6 during the 2nd year. ICU call interesting, with Q3 call and the pre-call day is completely off. Neuro ICU is distinguished by having a PET scanner in the unit; not sure if this will continue as the neuro ICU is being renovated and moved, I think. Residents in general seem pretty happy although seems like there is a chip when compared to the biggies (Columbia, UCSF, etc.). St. Louis is not everyone's cup of tea but I didn't mind it and certainly liked it a lot more than Rochester.
Pros- good reputation, large faculty and subspecialties. Seems to have a more reasonable schedule compared to UCSF and Columbia, with nearly equal resources and research opportunities. No commuting from site to site.
Cons- one hospital is everything, no VA or county. St. Louis is not SF or NY (maybe a pro).

Baylor- 10/yr. I wrote a bit on the Baylor thread but check out wonkybog's inside opinions. My impression was that the rep isn't at the same level of Wash U but is pretty close. Houston is not a bad place to live, a big diverse city despite being in Texas.

Would appreciate others thoughts or corrections on the same programs.

Where are all the reviews on residency programs? There were 120 posts regarding where everyone is interviewing, how come we are barely cracking double digits with the reviews? Am I missing something? I feel like i'm taking crazy pills!

I know it is annoying to sit down and type out your thoughts on a program after interviewing there, but relaying that information to people applying in the future is a huge help. I know I used prior reviews to help me choose which programs to apply to.

If it is a question of anonymity, you can always send your review to GopherBrain, who will post it for you.

Come on people, let's hear what you have to say!!

I heard that call at UCSD is Q3. . .wondering how this is even possible considering duty hour regulations. Comments anyone?

Columbia
excellent for MD/PhDs, rigorous training, abundance of research opportunities, +/- location, expensive/unaffordable cost of living, strong faculty

Cleveland Clinic
personable residents, top notch facilities, excellent ancillary care, abundance of research funding, FmG friendly but predominantly US grad, location is less desirable for many unless you live in the suburbs, affordable housing

UPMC
strong research program, personable residents, affordable housing, close proximity to undergraduate campus, interventional neuro. is available

Yale
personable residents, research opportunities with the undergraduate campus, affordable living, geographically flanked by Boston and New York which may impact exposure

Stanford
well-balanced program, extremely flexible curriculum, well-respected Chair and PD, expensive cost of living

Duke
excellent PD, strong basic/clinical research, excellent facilities, location is less desirable for many but close to Chapel Hill, not malignant but rigorous training, close ties with undergraduate campus, FMG friendly

Georgetown
personable residents, superb PD, excellent location, expensive cost of living, flexible curriculum, close proximity and close ties with the NIH, older facilities, FMG friendly but predominantly US grads

UCSF
excellent for MD/PhDs or research-minded individuals, iconic program- so many current chairs from this program, excellent location but expensive cost of living, ton of fellows, rigorous training

Vanderbilt
excellent location, ties with the undergraduate campus, affordable housing, excellent PD, concierge service for residents

Partners
excellent for MD/PhDs, large program, personable residents, academic-minded, rigorous training, expensive cost-of-living, desirable location, short white coats

UMiami
large program, strong chair, growing research facilities, questionable ancillary care, predominantly spanish speaking population

Emory
strong program in the southeast, ample research opportunities, FMG friendly but predominantly US grads, rigorous training, Grady..., excellent location

Washington University
excellent for MD/PhDs, abundance of research funding, ample clinical exposure, affordable housing, removed from undergraduate campus, strong faculty and chair

University of Washington
excellent location, personable residents, excellent clinical program, abundance of research opportunities

UCLA
abundance of research opportunities, ample clinical exposure, personable residents, +/- location

Thomas Jefferson
personable residents, excellent clinical exposure, emphasis on teaching, desirable location, relatively affordable compared to other cities

UPenn
excellent for MD/PhDs, strong chair, rigorous training, ample basic and clinical research

Johns Hopkins
excellent for MD/PhDs, rigorous training, ample research and basic research, large patient volume, less than desirable location

OHSU: small program (4 residents per year), but has a large number of faculty in most subspecialties. Facilities are unique to say the least- university hospital and VA are attached by a “sky bridge” and outpatient clinics require a 3 minute ride on the “air tram” down from the hill where the hospital is perched. Program itself seems benign, with manageable work hours. Call is not front loaded and averages out to around Q8-9 for all years. There is a ton of elective time during PGY3 and PGY4 years, and good exposure to subspecialty clinics. All years have 2 half day clinics per week. Most faculty were down to earth and everyone stressed the “collegial atmosphere” between residents and attendings. Portland is very progressive and liberal.

U WASH: 5 residents per year. Intern year is now guaranteed. Lots of didactics. Program spread over 3-4 hospitals that require commuting between them regularly. Excellent mix of patients with huge catchment area including Washington, Alaska, Montana, Idaho for trauma and acute issues. Residents work very hard, but I get the sense they are very confident in their abilities by the time the residency has ended. Chair is nice and is very involved in the residency program and resident well being. Seattle is a fun, progressive city, but it is cloudy and drizzly a lot in the winter.

Atrophying said:

I heard that call at UCSD is Q3. . .wondering how this is even possible considering duty hour regulations. Comments anyone?

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I thought I remembered UCSD as adding a resident and considering a night float system to cover the hours. I also remember vaguely that Hillcrest is in-house call while the VA and Thornton are home-call. UCSD is strong in cognitive, they have a lot of EMG time, but have no neuro-ICU. They also have a great neuroscience research community and a beautiful city.

My impressions of OHSU and UW are similar to above. Both have large faculties with most of the subspecialties covered, with UW slightly bigger than OHSU, but they are very different in feel. The lifestyle seems to be better at Oregon, and the inpatient experience seems to be better at Washington. Oregon has multiple hospitals in one location, while UW is spread throughout the city (U, Harborview and VA). UW has more people doing research, Oregon's schedule seems more friendly to do it. The clinical training at UW seemed similar to UCSF. Oregon felt a little like... Duke? They seem to be smaller programs with faculty covering most subspecialties and good relationships between residents and faculty.

I'm not typically the rah-rah type but I wanted to address recent rumors that UCLA is a malignant program. I think I speak for all the current and past residents in saying that this notion couldn't be further from the truth. It is likely that these rumors originated because 3 residents left the program over the past few years. One left to be closer to her spouse in different city, and two returned to internal medicine residency after they realized late in their training that medicine was their passion.

Many of us came to UCLA because the program is easy going, the residents are happy, and the faculty are approachable. Our program is large enough to afford us a significant amount of elective time and well as limited in house call (only 6 months the entire residency). It's small enough that we are close and enjoy hanging out with each other.

Almost all of our primary call occurs during the PGY2 year. Despite being a current PGY2 I have had ample time to attend dinners, beach parties, and BBQs at the homes/apartments of residents and faculty as well as have numerous free dinners at spots around LA that I won't be able to afford even as an attending. Since I've moved to LA ~7 months ago I've been on weekend trips to Santa Barbara, the Channel Islands, and multiple trips to San Diego, not to mention vacationing in Scandinavia. My wife and I even found time to have our first child since we moved to LA. All in all it's been a productive and enjoyable 7 months, and will only get better as I become a PGY3 soon.

If anyone has any questions about the program and it's pros and cons feel free to email me or any of the residents.

landau said:

I'm not typically the rah-rah type but I wanted to address recent rumors that UCLA is a malignant program. I think I speak for all the current and past residents in saying that this notion couldn't be further from the truth. It is likely that these rumors originated because 3 residents left the program over the past few years. One left to be closer to her spouse in different city, and two returned to internal medicine residency after they realized late in their training that medicine was their passion.

Many of us came to UCLA because the program is easy going, the residents are happy, and the faculty are approachable. Our program is large enough to afford us a significant amount of elective time and well as limited in house call (only 6 months the entire residency). It's small enough that we are close and enjoy hanging out with each other.

Almost all of our primary call occurs during the PGY2 year. Despite being a current PGY2 I have had ample time to attend dinners, beach parties, and BBQs at the homes/apartments of residents and faculty as well as have numerous free dinners at spots around LA that I won't be able to afford even as an attending. Since I've moved to LA ~7 months ago I've been on weekend trips to Santa Barbara, the Channel Islands, and multiple trips to San Diego, not to mention vacationing in Scandinavia. My wife and I even found time to have our first child since we moved to LA. All in all it's been a productive and enjoyable 7 months, and will only get better as I become a PGY3 soon.

If anyone has any questions about the program and it's pros and cons feel free to email me or any of the residents.

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Hi Landau,

Thanks for the very informative post on the UCLA program. Does UCLA have any US-IMGs? Thank you.

Hi, We have one MD-PhD resident from Mexico, but I can't say for certain where he completed his MD. I can say that IMGs are not common at UCLA, but that should not prevent you from applying. Let me know if you have any other questions.

medsRus said:

Hi Landau,

Thanks for the very informative post on the UCLA program. Does UCLA have any US-IMGs? Thank you.

Click to expand...

Hi, We have one MD-PhD resident from Mexico, but I can't say for certain where he completed his MD. I can say that IMGs are not common at UCLA, but that should not prevent you from applying. Let me know if you have any other questions

of course these are just impressions, but i think this is a little off... from what i recall (look it up) OHSU actually has more research funding and more Neuroscience research going on than UW. the residents themselves are often more clinically-minded, and most attendings are involved in clinical research (vs. bench) it seems, but there is a lot more bench/neuroscience research going on in the basic science facilities than appears. overall i think (my opinion) OHSU is a stronger program than UW for many reasons. for one, look around for subspecialists at UW compared to OHSU, there are some holes at UW. there are many other reasons (just ask all the OHSU residents past and present why they ranked OHSU above UW). UW as an institution (not neuro in particular) has a strong national reputation, but the caliber of the program and faculty/resources is nowhere near UCSF.

donesoon said:

My impressions of OHSU and UW are similar to above. Both have large faculties with most of the subspecialties covered, with UW slightly bigger than OHSU, but they are very different in feel. The lifestyle seems to be better at Oregon, and the inpatient experience seems to be better at Washington. Oregon has multiple hospitals in one location, while UW is spread throughout the city (U, Harborview and VA). UW has more people doing research, Oregon's schedule seems more friendly to do it. The clinical training at UW seemed similar to UCSF. Oregon felt a little like... Duke? They seem to be smaller programs with faculty covering most subspecialties and good relationships between residents and faculty.

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I have insider info on the University of Minnesota from an old colleague of mine who was an attending there but left. If any of you are considering the program please contact me privately for insider info.

anyone have any thoughts on Northwestern, Rush, and Emory?

Here are some of my thoughts post-interview and in no particular order. I know that rank lists are in, but maybe this will be helpful for people next year.

Michigan - very well-rounded large program; excellent fellowship placement; strong outpatient experience; residents were friendly and impressive; not in an urban setting, so you miss that patient population (very little HIV, etc.); program listens to residents and has good resident support; they only guarantee 2 spots at the university for PGY-1, two more are guaranteed at a nearby community hospital, and then one is open to do PGY-1 anywhere.

Cincinnati - Top-tier stroke program; program listens to resident concerns and fixes problems; residents thought highly of their didactics and the program director paid attention to make sure that necessary topics were being adequately covered; stroke is the best-known aspect of their program, but they assured me that the other areas are not neglected and are strong in their own right; this program is truly categorical and during PGY-1, interns rotate on neuro ICU, neuro consults, and have a weekly neuro continuity clinic

Emory - well-rounded large program; program listens to residents and has recently made changes, spreading call out over all three years instead of concentrating it during PGY-2; strong outpatient experience; residents and faculty seem very friendly; residents generally like rotating at Grady, but admit that aspects like ancillary services can get frustrating there at times; 6 out of 8 spots now have a guaranteed PGY-1 position at Emory

Rush - Very friendly faculty and residents with a self-professed "family atmosphere;" good outpatient experiences; night float during PGY-2; wards teams are broken into specialty specific teams (epilepsy, stroke, general, etc.); strong in general neuro; spend time at Cook County, but only doing consults or clinics; residents seemed to really like the program, but related that the calls were very busy; offer guaranteed PGY-1 position if interested

Duke - friendly faculty and residents; laid back atmosphere; good critical care experience; offer guaranteed PGY-1 position if interested

Indiana - well-rounded program; friendly faculty; very organized and logical curriculum; good fellowship placement; cover 4 hospitals, but they are all close to each other; facilities are adequate, but not as nice as other programs that I visited; guaranteed PGY-1 position for 3 out of 5 spots

UIC - very friendly faculty and residents; do rotations at Christ hospital which is South of Chicago and residents say that driving out there can be a pain sometimes; no guaranteed PGY-1 positions; good electronic medical record

Loyola - well-rounded program; some sort of research is expected during residency; facilities adequate, but not as nice as other places I visited; residents seem happy; categorical program; West of Chicago, but still possible to live in the city and commute to Loyola

Ohio State - friendly faculty; relatively new chairman of dept; very nice facilities with great work space for residents; more of a laid back feel than other places I visited; good "perks" for residents; working to improve neuro ICU and outpatient experiences for residents; categorical program with included PGY-1

Wake Forest - very friendly residents; good teaching during morning report; well-rounded program; great electronic medical record; surrounding city is smaller, but has a lot to offer; great area if you are into outdoor activities; categorical program with included PGY-1

Ok folks, the ROLs are in, so how about loosening those ties and actually sharing your experiences during the interview season, etc. Thanks to those who have been gracious enough to already share!

All of the programs below will have renowned faculty, lots of patients with diverse conditions, and highly motivated residents that are extremely intelligent. In addition, most have breadth and depth in many neuro subspecialties.

UCSF:
Summary: A rigorous training program with multiple training environments that emphasizes clinical and research excellence.
Pros: Academic, general hospital, and VA training environments. Powerful chairman that is a clinician, administrator and scientist. Great program director that has served in that role for many years. Gorgeous city. Good administrative support. A diverse group of residents that have had previous success in research, patient care, and an array of other fields.
Cons: Very rigorous with heavy patient load and significant personal responsibility. The same or more call than peer programs. This may or may not be disadvantageous depending on your learning style.

PARTNERS:
Summary: A very large program (17 residents per year and growing) that combines the unparalleled clinical and research opportunities of MGH and the Brigham along with Boston Childrens.
Pros: More faculty than any other program and perhaps the most comprehensive coverage of all neurology subspecialties. Multiple chairpersons that are each influential in different arenas. Wonderful administrative support. Great City. Rich history.
Cons: Large program may not be for everyone. Harvard system makes for a unique research and clinical environment that may or may not mesh with your learning style.


HOPKINS:
Summary: A frontloaded, research oriented program that allows for tremendous flexibility throughout the final year to pursue research, electives, or other experiences.
Pros: Up to 12 months of time during the residency for research. Strong track record of helping residents secure K awards.
Cons: New chair + new hospital being constructed=a time of transition. This could be a good thing depending how seamlessly the changes occur. The main medical center is in a dangerous part of East Baltimore with armed guards everywhere. The residents seemed to have a lot on their plates.

U PENN:
Summary: The first department of neurology in the nation offers a balance of clinical and research experiences with perhaps less inpatient responsibilities than peer programs.
Pros: Outstanding program director that has served in that role for many years. Several residents have children and mentioned that there was plenty of time in the curriculum for family and friends. CHOP is right next door and has a huge peds-neuro faculty. Adjacent Ivy League undergrad campus adds a college feel and evokes memories of undergrad.
Cons: Main hospital is one of the first in the nation and at times shows its age. Smaller adult neuro faculty relative to peer programs. Philly is a nice city, but lacks the flair of San Francisco, Boston, or NY.

COLUMBIA:
Summary: Rigorous program with a rich history located in the heart of Manhattan.
Pros: On the cutting edge of advances in neuro critical care. Nice facilities. New York City is a big plus for some. They place a heavy emphasis on managing as many medical problems as possible in neurology patients without placing consults. I really liked their medicine program as well.
Cons: New York is a minus for some. Par for the course New York ancillary support which means you'll be doing blood draws, transporting patients, placing IVs etc. Up to 60% of clinic patients are Spanish speaking, which may be a plus or minus depending on your language skills.

Other places to think about:

By no means an exhaustive list, but other academically oriented programs that I would recommend:
-BIDMC.
-UCLA.
-Wash U.
-Mayo, Rochester.
-Michigan.

Places I didn't visit but I heard some good buzz about:
-Miami.
-Stanford.
-Northwestern.
-Case Western
-UVA

Places that I knew were good, but I left feeling great about:
-UCSF.
-Wash U.
-BIDMC.
-Partners.
-Penn.

MAYO (ROCHESTER)
General: One of the best known clinical neurology departments in the world and the world's largest group practice, Mayo prides itself on outpatient and fellowship training in an environment that gives residents time to read and pursue scholarly work.

Pros: Amazing facilities. Tons of money. Growing program, they are working really hard to build/maintain a top notch program and recruit great residents. Uber cush-residents have their own secretaries and light hours relative to some other programs. Good didactics. Residents have the chance to get involved in many case or retrospective studies. Most residents publish clinical research during residency.

Cons: Rochester MN is a strange town, though it's only 60 min from the Twin Cities which are great. Tough place to meet people if you're single, though always ranked highly in national magezines for places to raise kids. Basic science is not a high priority relative to other premiere departments. Requires residents to be self-motivated since the inpatient demands and call responsibilities are less than some other programs. Somewhat insular-There's the Mayo way of doing things and the Mayo way of doing things.

MICHIGAN: A Midwest program in a classic college town that has a long reputation of training good residents.

Pros: Residents tend to get great fellowships, either at Michigan or another top program. Basic neuroscience is really growing there, with new facilities and faculty joining the department all the time. Great, great college town. Top notch public University as a whole.

Cons: Small program, 5-6 residents each year. Not sure on their catchment area given Ann Arbor's proximity to Detroit programs and other major cities. Heavy outpatient emphasis with tons of clinic (maybe a plus depending on your interests). Not sure if Michigan's economic problems will trickle down to the hospital (same could be said many places).

medsRus said:

I recommend that all of you submit your residency interview feedback on the SDN database of neurology. Thank you.

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As was posted in one of the other threads when this was brought up, Amos mentioned that:

Amos said:

I think people mostly use the thread in this forum.

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Interview feedback is nice, however as a poster you need to follow the outline that SDN has setup. Also for someone reading the interview feedback I'm not sure it is possible to see who wrote the feedback to ask them more questions about it. I think it is more efficient to just put the interview impressions in the neurology section as has been done. A lot of people might actually type up a word document after each interview with pros and cons of each program they visited and it is easier for them just to copy and paste their thoughts right into the neurology forum rather than have to sit down and answer each questions that SDN wants you to answer. Just my $.02.

Watch out for UCLA... like many things in L.A. may seem nice on the surface, but underneath is a different story altogether.

Program director had to step down recently. A good but somewhat distant department chairman. Administrators less than friendly to current residents. Faculty who largely don't care about resident education. A system that rewards faculty for research prowess rather than educational contribution. Residents treated like a number rather than as human beings with future career potential. Residents leaving program or put on suspension, and disgruntled residents as a result. Residents not getting into fellowship at UCLA. Lack of mentoring/career guidance. Abuse of jeopardy system. Excessive driving requirements to different sites.

Disclaimer: Many of these things probably present at other programs too when you dig deep enough.

landau said:

I'm not typically the rah-rah type but I wanted to address recent rumors that UCLA is a malignant program. I think I speak for all the current and past residents in saying that this notion couldn't be further from the truth. It is likely that these rumors originated because 3 residents left the program over the past few years. One left to be closer to her spouse in different city, and two returned to internal medicine residency after they realized late in their training that medicine was their passion.

Many of us came to UCLA because the program is easy going, the residents are happy, and the faculty are approachable. Our program is large enough to afford us a significant amount of elective time and well as limited in house call (only 6 months the entire residency). It's small enough that we are close and enjoy hanging out with each other.

Almost all of our primary call occurs during the PGY2 year. Despite being a current PGY2 I have had ample time to attend dinners, beach parties, and BBQs at the homes/apartments of residents and faculty as well as have numerous free dinners at spots around LA that I won't be able to afford even as an attending. Since I've moved to LA ~7 months ago I've been on weekend trips to Santa Barbara, the Channel Islands, and multiple trips to San Diego, not to mention vacationing in Scandinavia. My wife and I even found time to have our first child since we moved to LA. All in all it's been a productive and enjoyable 7 months, and will only get better as I become a PGY3 soon.

If anyone has any questions about the program and it's pros and cons feel free to email me or any of the residents.

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This is a very old thread, which makes it confusing because there is a current interview impression thread on the sticky. I'm going to close this one. Feel free to carry on this discussion in the current interview impressions thread.