Interview experiences

JulianDelphiki · Oct 27, 2004

Hi, I had a request for some info on UCSD and thought I would post for all who are interested. Wasn't sure if this belonged in Interviews 2005 or if we had a separate place for interview experiences rather than interview dates.

I am doing a visiting rotation here right now in surg path and really enjoy the rotation. It seems like there is a lot of interaction with attendings and numerous didactic lectures as well as a daily interesting/challenging case conference which is great with usually Dr. Weidner driving the scope. Residents work at two hospitals, VA and UCSDMC, but while at the Hillcrest hospital also receive specimens from the Thornton hospital via courier. Cases are not signed out by specialty except for Dermpath and Neuropath which are separate (elective, I think) rotations. Assistants gross biopsies. Remaining specimens lead to moderate workload, although I'm sure people get slammed occasionally. Gross room needs renovating, will get new grossing stations before next year and probably some other expansion/restructuring of the room. Surg path is a three day rotation. 1)gross. 2)a.m. preview biopsies with hot seat fellow, p.m. sign out with attending and review bigs by yourself for next day 3) sign out bigs. Residents and fellows seem great, haven't met any lazy/backstabbing/or other problem residents. It seems more senior residents are pretty willing to lend a hand, teach, etc.

Now for the interview:

I interviewed with six docs (3 at Hillcrest, 3 at the VA) for about half an hour apiece and talked one-on-one with the program director for about 15 minutes. Had a lunch with a large number of the residents and the other two students interviewing that day.

I would agree with previous comments that it seems very low key--I spent half the time or less talking, while most interviewers were talking about the program. I had already met 2 of the 6 during the first week of my rotation. The most common question was, "How did you become interested in path?" A lot of interviewers wanted to know other places I applied/rotated/interviewed. Other common questions about my app included queries re: my PSF year, my research/publications, and my hobbies. Often conversations turned to subjects unrelated to pathology. No quizzing, no slides. A variety of "do you know ______? He/she was my resident/attending/colleague." I am rapidly learning what a small world Path really is.

This is definitely one of my top programs, probably top unless another CA program offers me a sweet $50K signing bonus 🙄 , and I was quite nervous to hear from several of the interviewers that right now they only have two spots to offer in the match and won't offer more unless residents leave the program. Also, I heard that there is an in-house candidate who is well-liked and might be a strong possibility to be one of those two. So that leaves one, maybe two spots. Crap! Other concerns include, but are not limited to: interviewing so early at a program I really like.

Sorry, I can't really comment on hotels or airfare as I am renting a room for a month out here for the duration of my rotation.

JulianDelphiki · Oct 27, 2004

JulianDelphiki said:
I was quite nervous to hear from several of the interviewers that right now they only have two spots to offer in the match and won't offer more unless residents leave the program. Also, I heard that there is an in-house candidate who is well-liked and might be a strong possibility to be one of those two. So that leaves one, maybe two spots.

Sorry--to clarify--I heard from interviewers that there would be two spots and from a resident that there was a good in-house candidate.

Of note, a UCSD student was interviewing during my day and she seemed very pleasant and well-spoken, knew faculty, and may have been the person who the resident was referring to.

However, faculty mentioned nothing about one of the spots being "taken" and I didn't ask.

Who knows, maybe she is just playing the game. Although, the other student interviewing during my day was formerly from San Diego and wants to return as did many students I met during the visiting students orientation here. I imagine a student from UCSD would love the chance to become a path resident at UCSD.

Mrbojangles · Oct 28, 2004

Thanks for the summary Julian. The 3 day surg path schedule sounds pretty benign. I'm headed out there next Thursday. Is it just me or does it seem like the number of applicants for pathology has skyrocketed and the number of positions open seem to be shrinking 😕. I had an interview the other day at BUMC and they will most likely be accepting only 2 candidates.

b&ierstiefel · Oct 28, 2004

Mrbojangles said:
Thanks for the summary Julian. The 3 day surg path schedule sounds pretty benign. I'm headed out there next Thursday. Is it just me or does it seem like the number of applicants for pathology has skyrocketed and the number of positions open seem to be shrinking 😕. I had an interview the other day at BUMC and they will most likely be accepting only 2 candidates.

I second that...excellent summary. I'm starting to interview in 2 weeks and I hope to offer some good insight into some of the programs I'm visiting. My only hesitation is that it's hard to know too much about a program based on a one-day visit...and it will be easy to make some mistakes. But I guess if we stick to the basics, things should be fine.

It does seem like the # applicants to path has increased substantially. Back in the day, one would have to rank 2-4 programs. Now, it seems we have to rank like 15-20 places just to get a spot!

smellycat · Oct 28, 2004

eek! i hope that's not true...i'm only applying to 4-5 PROGRAMS!

b&ierstiefel · Oct 28, 2004

smellycat said:
eek! i hope that's not true...i'm only applying to 4-5 PROGRAMS!

oops...sorry about that. i was being overly sarcastic 🙂

Gut Shot · Oct 31, 2004

Interviewed at UNC on Friday the 29th. Very low key, non-stress type of interview. The residents were all extremely nice, and emphasized the well-roundedness of the AP/CP program as well as the overall quality and approachability of the faculty.

The morning started by sitting in on 8:00 AM conference with the residents, which was gross-unknowns led by a very knowledgable PA. I then met with Dr. Bouldin, the program director (who is about the nicest guy on the planet), and four faculty representing autopsy, surg/cyto path (an alum from my med school), the administrative director of the McLendon labs, and molecular pathology. The only recurrent question was about my career objectives, perhaps because I have a Ph.D. and they are top-ten in research funding. Interviewees usually meet the department chair, but he was out of town. Fortunately for me, I am doing an away rotation there so I can schedule a meeting later. Oh, and Cynthia Brown is also about the friendliest individual you will come across. If you drive to the hospital for the interview, she will give you coupons to pay for your parking (just be sure to put your car in patient/visitor parking - "Dogwood Deck").

Lunch was with two of the residents at a cafe/brewpub within walking distance of the campus. They appeared very happy with the program, and answered every question I could come up with. The big downer in the whole process is that there will only be three spots open this year, and the word is that about six UNC med students want to go into path. Competition for the open seat(s) could be fierce.

jeff2005 · Oct 31, 2004

Havarti666 said:
The big downer in the whole process is that there will only be three spots open this year, and the word is that about six UNC med students want to go into path. Competition for the open seat(s) could be fierce.

I think that this supports the previous posters observation that residency spots are shrinking. That truly sucks.

garfield · Nov 1, 2004

jeff2005 said:
I think that this supports the previous posters observation that residency spots are shrinking. That truly sucks.

UNC offered the same number of spots 4 years ago. So, the spots aren't shrinking, it's just that there's stronger interest. However, the end result is the same in that competition could be tougher.

Gut Shot · Nov 1, 2004

garfield said:
UNC offered the same number of spots 4 years ago. So, the spots aren't shrinking, it's just that there's stronger interest. However, the end result is the same in that competition could be tougher.

Exactly. UNC has a total of about 14 spots for all PGY years, and seems to cycle a 4-4-3-3 pattern. This just happens to be a 3-spot year. Sucks for us, but just do your best, and don't rank anywhere you wouldn't actually want to go. Good luck!

b&ierstiefel · Nov 1, 2004

Thanks for the post Havarti. UNC will be my first interview too (I head down to Raleigh in two weeks). From what you posted, UNC sounds like a very nice place.

Quick question for ya. Cynthia Brown told me that the interview lasts until 2 to 2:15 pm. Is this really true? Right now my flight itinerary has me leaving at 4:20 pm that day. I don't wanna feel rushed so if the interview really ends up going over, I might as well just change the flight to the next day.
Did you end up renting a car at the airport when you went to Raleigh?

Gut Shot · Nov 1, 2004

AndyMilonakis said:
Quick question for ya. Cynthia Brown told me that the interview lasts until 2 to 2:15 pm. Is this really true? Right now my flight itinerary has me leaving at 4:20 pm that day. I don't wanna feel rushed so if the interview really ends up going over, I might as well just change the flight to the next day.
Did you end up renting a car at the airport when you went to Raleigh?

If your interview day is like mine, it's pretty much over after lunch. That time is alotted for the campus tour, something which you can likely forgo (at least in part) if you are feeling rushed. I just swung by the autopsy suites with the residents and was finished at about 1:30. The airport isn't far away, maybe 30 minutes on a bad day.

If I'm around when you're here I'd be happy to dump you at the airport if need be. I'm living in Chapel Hill until Nov. 19, so I am currently with car.

b&ierstiefel · Nov 1, 2004

Havarti666 said:
If your interview day is like mine, it's pretty much over after lunch. That time is alotted for the campus tour, something which you can likely forgo (at least in part) if you are feeling rushed. I just swung by the autopsy suites with the residents and was finished at about 1:30. The airport isn't far away, maybe 30 minutes on a bad day.

If I'm around when you're here I'd be happy to dump you at the airport if need be. I'm living in Chapel Hill until Nov. 19, so I am currently with car.

I guess the interview portion is pretty short then. Thanks for the information; it costs me $30 to make that change in the itinerary and based on what you tell me, I won't need to do so. Especially if I can print out my boarding pass the night before the interview, I shouldn't have much trouble making my flight.

Thanks also for the ride offer...I'll most likely take you up on it 🙂 My interview is on Nov 15th.

Brian Pavlovitz · Nov 1, 2004

AndyMilonakis said:
I guess the interview portion is pretty short then. Thanks for the information; it costs me $30 to make that change in the itinerary and based on what you tell me, I won't need to do so. Especially if I can print out my boarding pass the night before the interview, I shouldn't have much trouble making my flight.

Thanks also for the ride offer...I'll most likely take you up on it 🙂 My interview is on Nov 15th.

Just wanted to say good luck to all of you interviewers--I am truly jealous (4 weeks left of Internal Medicine Hell)!!

I'm confident you'll all do very well. 🙂

b&ierstiefel · Nov 2, 2004

Brian Pavlovitz said:
Just wanted to say good luck to all of you interviewers--I am truly jealous (4 weeks left of Internal Medicine Hell)!!

I'm confident you'll all do very well. 🙂

IM sucks doesn't it? The good news is that you only have 4 more weeks of it left 🙂

LADoc00 · Nov 2, 2004

I cant imagine worrying about getting into a path residency....in the grand scheme of things its so minor, like not getting voted home coming queen. Try blowing an interview for a group that pays 400 grand a year and has 3 months of vacation. I think I just did that, all over one stupid CP question I shouldve known. Life's a bitch. 🙁

stormjen · Nov 2, 2004

. . . An interview you wouldn't have gotten without having been accepted into a Path residency.

sandyworks · Nov 8, 2004

Just finished interviewing at OHSU, for those who are interested. The day was very laid back, with the first interview at 10am. The hospital is on top of this hill where parking is very limited, which is kind of annoying, but there is plenty of respectable bus service throughout the Portland area. Anyway, the day begins with a 30 minute program spiel (read: powerpoint slide show)by the PD followed by a 30 minute interview. Then, you have an hour to kill before 2-3 residents take you out to the campus cafe called The Plaza, which has decent food, but is a pretty noisy environment around lunchtime. There's a good tour of the surrounding facilities, specifically the VA and the children's hospital, which are both accesible via skybridges. Afterwards, you have two more 30 minute interviews separated by 30 minutes, and then you're done (circa 3pm).
The PC is trying to coordinate a tour of the Kaiser facilities as well, but so far transportation has been an issue. All the faculty I interviewed with were very friendly and non-confrontational. Almost everyone asked why pathology and if I had any questions. Interviews were mostly conversational, rather than checklist.

There may be some differences for other candidates, because I'm doing a rotation here right now.

In terms of the program, OHSU seems like a small to moderate size program with 3 resident positions per year. People really emphasize that this program is very laid back (few people wear ties). Morning signout starts at around 8:30am or so, and lasts until around 2-3pm most days. The attendings are all really approachable and do a lot of teaching at the scope. Post-sophomores play a huge part in the process and really do act as first year residents. There's a daily "interesting" case conference at 2pm, where attendings bring cases of the day that they're not really sure about. Both residents and other attendings are invited, and the ten headed scope is often not enough. Most of the specimens that come through at OHSU are tertiary care material, but the gaps in bread and butter material are adequately filled during required rotations at Kaiser. The VA, as in most other places, is more of a slow rotation with ample reading time.
There are a few specialty conferences scattered around, but the bulk of didactics takes place on Wednesdays starting with CP call conference at 8am, followed by an hour apiece in AP and CP, followed by Grand Rounds at 11am.
Residents seem very happy on the whole. In terms of research, the PD himself admits that this program is very community oriented, although there are ample opportunities in research, if anyone is interested.
If anyone has questions, feel free to PM me.

jeff2005 · Nov 11, 2004

This program is awesome. I have been to 5 interviews so far (MGH, Yale, Jefferson, Utah) and I liked it the most. They paid $300 for my trip (which covered everything), they put me up in a nice hotel with a tasty gift basket, and they took me out the night before to a nice restaurant. I had so much fun with the residents. The attendings are super nice too - a VERY laid back interview day. I got the impression that CP and AP are both strong and well integrated. Iowa City is pretty small but has plenty going on. The benefits are great - You pay $0 for your health care and that of your dependents. A fantastic deal if you have a family or plan on starting one. I give this program 5 stars!

deschutes · Nov 11, 2004

Thanks jeff2005! You just made me feel a lot better about not getting 'viewed at 3 of the other 4 places you mentioned. I'm heading out there this weekend.

RyMcQ · Nov 11, 2004

jeff2005 said:
The benefits are great - You pay $0 for your health care and that of your dependents. A fantastic deal if you have a family or plan on starting one. I give this program 5 stars!

I hear that the incidence of twins is quite high in Iowa City because IVF is free. Everything is free (except some dental work).

yaah · Nov 12, 2004

RyMcQ said:
I hear that the incidence of twins is quite high in Iowa City because IVF is free. Everything is free (except some dental work).

I think Iowa was also the place where even non prescription stuff (like vitamins and OTC meds) was free. Maybe that was Dartmouth. I can't remember offhand. Iowa was a great place though - if that program had been a bit closer to family or friends I probably would have considered it even more. As it was though, I was going to be about 500 miles from anybody I knew if I went there.

hrtgeek · Nov 12, 2004

Greetings all! I had my first interview at Creighton University yesterday. Although I was skeptable of such small program they set my mind at ease before lunch. Everyone one I met was pleasant and forthcoming with details about the program (good and bad). As you might imagine, the good out weighed the bad significantly. Although with that said, I left convinced that the program is on the right track and in fact would be a good place to train.

Now for the interview. I met with representative residents from each year as well as four faculty members. Each interview was about 30 minutes long and was very laid back. No stress at all the entire day.

The residents seemed genuinely happy and content with their training. They described being treated as colleagues rather than hired help. The faculty were also very pleasant. They were very supportive of and encouraged research by the residents. They did however, openly admit to performing little basic science research although they would be supportive of any resident who chose to pursue such a venture. They also appear to have solid funding for resident research. For example, one of the 3rd years mentioned a departmentally funded project he performed that ran approximately 50k. Not too bad without having to submit a formal grant application. In addition, each resident is provided a new iBook (laptop) upon entering the program. So the department seems to be financially sound.

So for any of you interviewing at Creighton just relax and have fun. 🙂

RyMcQ · Nov 12, 2004

yaah said:
I think Iowa was also the place where even non prescription stuff (like vitamins and OTC meds) was free. Maybe that was Dartmouth.

Nope, that was Iowa. You can even get Lasik for free, though my eyes are my livelihood, and I'm not letting anyone touch them, no matter how safe the procedure is.

stormjen · Nov 13, 2004

Had an interview recently in Knoxville, TN. Extremely laid back, and somewhat awkward even, but that may just be the norm at interviews. There were two other interviewees there, and five or so total interviews with attendings. There was a dinner the night before which none of us were able to attend, a breakfast the morning of, and a lunch. We were done by about two o'clock. I will be reviewing the program on Scutwork soon.

Mrbojangles · Nov 13, 2004

What do you guys say when they ask you what other programs you are applying to or interviewing at? Initially I just say something vague like oh some programs in the Northeast and a few in California but now I just drop names because I know that's what they want to hear and it will save them from saying "But WHERE?". I really don't like to divulge that information because nothing really good comes out of it. The attendings or residents either trash talk other places, have nothing to say about other places followed by a silence, or act defensively when they hear about bigger insititutions. Anyone have similar experiences?

jeff2005 · Nov 13, 2004

Mrbojangles said:
What do you guys say when they ask you what other programs you are applying to or interviewing at? Initially I just say something vague like oh some programs in the Northeast and a few in California but now I just drop names because I know that's what they want to hear and it will save them from saying "But WHERE?". I really don't like to divulge that information because nothing really good comes out of it. The attendings or residents either trash talk other places, have nothing to say about other places followed by a silence, or act defensively when they hear about bigger insititutions. Anyone have similar experiences?

I've been getting that question a lot too. I go ahead and say the name of the program because, you're right, that's what they really want to know. I think that it's mostly basic curiosity on their part. And also maybe they are trying to figure out if there is a common theme to the programs you chose to visit. I haven't heard a lot of trash talk, in fact, I've heard more of, "Did you meet Dr. SO and So?" Or "That's a good program." I also go ahead and ask residents where they interviewed and how they compared programs. I find that info to be pretty valuable.

yaah · Nov 14, 2004

There's no reason not to tell the program what other places you are interviewing at. No program is naive enough to think that they are the only program an applicant has chosen to grace with their presence. I always answered the question honestly, and quite often I heard something in return that was helpful - either the questioner knew someone at one of the places, or had experience there, etc.

Of course, sometimes you do get the followup "How does our program compare to x" which can be tough to answer. But everyone needs practice being diplomatic sometimes!

b&ierstiefel · Nov 14, 2004

Wow internet is free here...sweet.

Anyways, I'm at UNC and I think Havarti has posted about the interview there already. I'll probably put up my review tomorrow although I suspect I won't have too too much to add to what Havarti said.

Scutwork also has quite a few reviews on UNC already too which was nice. I'm looking forward to meeting some nice, cordial, and energetic people tomorrow.

Off to take a swig of NyQuil, get my drowsy-on, and hit the sac.

Gut Shot · Nov 15, 2004

AndyMilonakis said:
Off to take a swig of NyQuil, get my drowsy-on, and hit the sac.

Hit the sac? Jesus, Andy, I hope that was a typo. 😱

cytoborg · Nov 15, 2004

I'll look forward to further comments on UNC, as I have my interview there in the near future.

I didn't know much about MCV prior to interviewing, but I came away impressed. The interview day was laid-back (as most path interviews seem to be) with lots of time with the residents. The faculty interviews, with one exception, were positive and interested in a mutual exchange of information. As for the program, it is one of the most well-balanced I've seen, with one of the strongest CP programs anywhere. The residents were sharp yet friendly and laid-back, and seemed happy with their program and had great relationships with one another. The environment seemed supportive and learning-oriented. They have adequate PA support. Their facilities are really nice, with a sparkling new gross room, a cool aphoresis area and a brand new molecular lab that unfortunately they don't let applicants view. Most of their grads seem to wind up in private practice, but a good number do fellowships. A minority go into academics. Richmond seems to be a great place to live. It is affordable to live there and even buy a house, has city cultural opportunities but is close to outdoor activities, and has a cool historic downtown with an allegedly adequate night-life (did not actually witness this myself on a weekday evening). Also, it's very well-situated being 2 hours from DC, 2 hrs from the beach and a few hours from the mountains. The downsides seemed to be that there is no hotseat experience, only the senior residents do frozens to any meaningful extent, and 1st yrs do not dictate diagnoses (in fact, it was not clear to me when, if at any point, residents begin to dictate their own reports). Again, the senior residents did not seem to feel this was an issue, though none of them had taken boards yet. Overall I was very impressed with the program, and the interview definitely bumped them up a few notches on my mental ROL.

deschutes · Nov 15, 2004

AndyMilonakis said:
Wow internet is free here...sweet.

I don't know where you mean by "here" - your hotel?

The friend I'm staying with has no computer at home. No computer!! Much less Internet. Surgery, pish-tosh.

I trekked downtown to the public library where I get half an hour a day to run my life by remote control.

I agree with jeff2005 (they mentioned a previous interviewee from Philly, btw 😉 I imagine that was you): Iowa is a very strong program - and if I didn't have less than 5 minutes left on the ticker, I'd write more.

b&ierstiefel · Nov 15, 2004

Havarti666 said:
Hit the sac? Jesus, Andy, I hope that was a typo. 😱

Yes that was a typo...I now see the ridiculousness of that typo now. :laugh:

b&ierstiefel · Nov 15, 2004

Well cytoborg, your wish is my command. I'm pulling out my summary sheet of my experience here so here's the scoop (I figure I write this now while I got the memories fresh in my mind). So I just got back from interviewing there today and overall, I really enjoyed my visit there. I'll go in chronological order:

7:50 am - met a PGY-2 in the lobby of UNC-Women's hospital and she took me to an Unknown Slide Conference which usually runs every Monday from 8-9 a.m. Before the beginning of the conference, we stopped by the resident work room which was right next door to where the conference was held. I got to meet almost all of the residents who were very friendly. One of the first comments made was that the residents were really a friendly, collegial bunch. I expected to hear that considering the positive comments on scutwork.com regarding resident camaraderie.

8-9 am - Unknown Slide conference. Here a senior resident had compiled some cool unknown cases and the more junior residents sat around a multi-headed microscope. Each took turns describing what they saw in a systematic manner and then attempting a diagnosis. Very smart bunch. I got the impression again, very quickly, that this truly was a collegial bunch of residents. The atmosphere was very supportive. A few attendings were present and offered teaching points at appropriate times.

9-9:30 am - Coffee with residents. Went to a nearby coffee shop in the hospital to chat a little more (totally needed it cuz the NyQuil really didn't do it's job the night before...but I had my adrenaline flowing being that this was my first interview and the coffee definitely helped me stay alert...and oriented). Again, the residents stressed that the faculty are very approchable, accessible, and very enthusiastic about teaching. And more comments along the lines of positive resident morale.

9:30 am-10:00 am - First interview with the program director Dr. Bouldin. He came across as extremely friendly and laid out the program structure. At UNC, there is only an AP/CP track where in years 1-3, you have a good mix of AP & CP rotations. For instance, in year 1 you do 3 months of autopsy, 3 months of transfusion medicine, and 3 months of surgical pathology. Responsibility in each of these arenas are graduated in nature i.e., on your first month of autopsy, bloodbank, and surgpath you take no call. There is a lot of teaching and hand-holding to break you in gently. Then on the 2nd and 3rd month of the trifecta you take call and again there's always somebody more senior to you to help you out. Dr. Bouldin made a big point of saying that the residents really are in charge of the program. It seems that the program is very dynamic and fluid reflective of the preferences of the residents. Sure, there are constraints as to what can and cannot be changed but he is very supportive of resident wishes. Clearly, he cares very much for his residents! He did most of the talking during this interview. I did ask a question regarding program stability and the direction of the department. He reassured me that the department is very stable and he sees no faculty shakeups in the forseeable future. We chatted more about the importance of residency program flexbility and changes in the context of a stable department. I also asked about research opportunities since I'm headed in the direction of academics. There is a fully funded year of research (stipend + lab expense money). However, not many take up this option, instead people do fellowships and go into private practice...which is fine because I think the majority of pathologists take this route anyways.

10-10:30 am - Next interview with a cytopathologist/surgical pathologist. Again he did most of the talking and we discussed the mechanics of the surgical pathology rotations. At UNC, there are 4 "benches" (e.g., Gross bench which takes care of gen surg specimens; medicine bench which covers things like GI and derm; Gyn/Onc bench; and surgical subspecialty bench). I got the impression that if one extreme is general signout and the other extreme is subspecialty signout this system is kinda in the middle. The work is for the most part, evenly distributed but clearly, on some days, one bench will be working harder than the others. The one point he made during the interview is that the turnaround time is 24 hours. That means slides come out in the morning and get signed out that evening. So clearly, that leaves limited time for previewing because residents also have to do grossing at the same time before signout. They just got a new machine which allows for processing specimens in 1 hour instead of the conventional 24 hours (it had a name but I forgot what the proper name for the machine was). The goal is for this machine to allow slides to be ready the evening before signout allowing residents the option of previewing late night before or early morning of signout. Oh yeah, he did his residency in Iowa so we also talked about Big Ten football since he had a picture of the Iowa vs. Ohio State game as his screensaver. We agreed that Michigan's chances of running the Big Ten was very good (although Ohio State, who Michigan plays in the season finale, has a wicked habit of playing spoiler).

10:30-11 am - Interview with Molecular Pathologist. This was an open ended interview as the first thing she said to me was, "so what questions do you have?" Although, I'm more of an AP oriented person (and she got this impression after reading my personal statement and looking at my publication list in cell biology), we ended up talking about the 2 molecular pathology fellowships. The rest of the time was spent talking about the CP curriculum which seems to be pretty much the same as CP at other institutions. She did say that CP was very solid at UNC.

11-11:30 am - Interview with Autopsy Pathologist - This was a super laid back interview. Mainly we talked about my research projects and research fellowship options. Rehash of what Dr. Bouldin told me regarding the research fellowship. This interview lasted about 45 minutes so I was late to my last interview which was quite a treat...

11:45-noon - Interview with Forensic Pathologist. Quick comment here was that the state medical examiner is based in Chapel Hill so the residents see some cool forensics cases. The rest of the interview was what I think of an interview. He asked me a bunch of questions I had to answer such as:
(1) Why pathology? How did your interest in pathology develop?
(2) Where do you see yourself going? What are your career aspirations?
(3) You still play the piano?
(4) What are you looking for in a program?
(5) What made you choose to apply to our program?
Basically, this involved reading out my application from memory of course with some personal spontaneous twists which raised some chuckles on both ends.

That was the last of the interviews after which I went out to lunch with two residents. They were very forthcoming and I didn't have the impression that they were hiding something. They did raise the 24 hour turnaround time in surg path as an issue for example. I've included some of the reinforced points above under the Dr. Bouldin interview section of my notes. Anyways, we ended up talking about a whole bunch of random stuff.

After lunch was a tour of the facilities. Saw the bloodbanking and micro area which was very nice. The autopsy suite was spacious and well-ventilated. In addition, the autopsies are NOT done in the basement! It's on the penthouse level in a room with windows. Grossing room is very spacious too--5 stations in all with adjustable height (i.e., you don't have to stand all the time when you're grossing). They have several dieners and PAs which are very knowledgable and enthusiastic about teaching "as long as you don't give them lip" 🙂

Anyways, I hope this, along with Havarti's post, gives kind of the flavor of the UNC residency program from the viewpoint of a interviewee. Hopefully you find this helpful whether you're thinking of where to apply next year or whether you will be interviewing there sometime later this year.

As Havarti said, 6 UNC med students are going into path. And there are 3 spots in the match this year. However, have no fear. Last year, there were almost as many UNC med students who went into path. None of the residents who matched last year were from the UNC med school.

Cheers,

AndyM

Dep.Weigel · Nov 15, 2004

Just a correction - actually one of the first year path residents this year DID graduate from UNC. But don't let that discourage you, Although there seems to be an informal aggrement that they try to take one of their own each year if there are good people applying, they also want a more diverse group of residents, and as I hear through the grapevine, they are getting more "numbers oriented" as well, whatever that means...

I will be applying there (here) next year... lets hope it doesn't get TOO overrun by you gunners.....

b&ierstiefel · Nov 15, 2004

Dep.Weigel said:
Just a correction - actually one of the first year path residents this year DID graduate from UNC. But don't let that discourage you, Although there seems to be an informal aggrement that they try to take one of their own each year if there are good people applying, they also want a more diverse group of residents, and as I hear through the grapevine, they are getting more "numbers oriented" as well, whatever that means...

I will be applying there (here) next year... lets hope it doesn't get TOO overrun by you gunners.....

My bad. Thanks for the clarification.

Doctor B. · Nov 16, 2004

yaah said:
Iowa was a great place though - if that program had been a bit closer to family or friends I probably would have considered it even more. As it was though, I was going to be about 500 miles from anybody I knew if I went there.

That's exactly the reason I didn't rank it #1. Too far from family and friends. I thought it was an excellent program when I interviewed there as well. The gift basket and reimbursement for driving was especially nice!

Someone a few posts back mentioned a 2pm interesting case conference at OHSU. That's a big plus in my mind. We have one of those ("4 o'clock conference") and it is a great place to see all kinds of strange and cool cases. Not every program has such a conference; many of the staff here didn't have one their residencies and constantly remind us how lucky we are.

yaah · Nov 16, 2004

Yes! Case conferences are a plus. We have quite a few here.

Every wednesday morning is a rotating consult slide conference - different attendings go over a few interesting cases often from outside consults. Last couple of weeks have been soft tissue, renal tumors, pediatric renal tumors.

We also have neuropath and dermpath interesting case conf every other week or so. Plus a wednesday afternoon unknown conference, and a friday afternoon conf where residents present interesting cases to each other.

CP case presentations once a week as well, which are also interesting.

deschutes · Nov 16, 2004

The Iowa program has a very informative website:
http://www.medicine.uiowa.edu/pathology/

They have a good variety of conferences ranging from gross unknown/micro unknown to CP didactics/resident presentations.

I had an opportunity to sit in on a micro morning conference (which are "themed" if possible), and the residents were a collegial knowledgeable bunch.

Both residents and attendings stressed that the residents did not have to always "teach themselves", that help without humiliation (other than possibly self-humiliation? 🙂 ) was readily available.

The surg path process incorporates residents/fellows/externs very well. EIGHT workstations in the gross room!
I think the strongest feature is the hands-on-ness: PGY1's dictate micro descriptions and diagnoses on Day 2 before meeting late AM/early PM to sign-out.

I didn't get to see the morgue, although I hear from the residents it is decent (2 bays) but not spanking new. I believe it's in the older part of the hospital. They have morticians trained to approach patients' families at the time of death, and have a high rate of autopsies.

There seems to be a tendency towards private practice, although many grads do fellowships and research is easy to get hooked up to though not required.

~
Andy, is it Rapid Tissue Processing that you were referring to at UNC?? There seems to be a similar system here through which they send 70-80% of their stuff and it comes back in a couple of hours.

b&ierstiefel · Nov 16, 2004

deschutes said:
Andy, is it Rapid Tissue Processing that you were referring to at UNC?? There seems to be a similar system here through which they send 70-80% of their stuff and it comes back in a couple of hours.

Something like that...the two systems are either the same or very similar.

sandyworks · Nov 16, 2004

Just finished interviewing at UCSF. As you might expect, it was a great experience. People were super friendly and I was even more impressed with the program than before I visited.
Apparently, the interview schedule can be different for applcants, but here's mine:
8:40am: First interview with Dr. Abbas, department chair. He was really friendly, but clearly pointed out that when he first came into his position, he thought the UCSF pathology dept was entirely too clinical, and so he has been trying to take 1/2 to 2/3 of MD/PhDs. His view was that about 1/3 go into academics, 1/3 into private practice, and 1/3 into basic research. He also clearly stated that for folks wanting to go into private practice, he considered going to UCSF to be a bit of a waste. Besides that, we mostly talked about how many new faculty they've been recruiting and all the changes that have been taking place.

9:15am: Interview with Dr. Ferrell, chair of AP. Also super friendly. Talked mostly about the grossing schedule, etc. Apparently, UCSF is not wanting for any type of specimen, except for eyeballs. I thought that was pretty cool in a program.

9:45-10:45: Interview with Dr. Treseler, residency director AP. This guy is great. Seriously. I think the best interviewwer I've ever had, because he has read your application and will ask you a lot of questions about your itnerets and that sort of thing. He seems genuinely interested in who you are, not just in selling the program, although the second half hour is spent discussing the nitty gritty of the program.

10:30-11:00: Interview with Dr. Etzell, head of hematology. THis was kind of a personal setup. We talked mainly about hematology, which is kind of weird there, because bone marrows are seen by one person, while nodes are seen by someone else. Flow is also somewhere different, which makes it seem discohesive, but according to her, the system works well.

11:15-1:00: Lunch with resident(s): This was the best part of the 'view, as always. Three residents took me out to this noodle place, and we just klatsched about the program, where else I was applying, and the fact that they were all super happy. I think definitely 2, maybe 3 were MD/PhD.

1:20pm: Shuttle to China Basin- The UCSF campus is kind of inconvenient, in that much of the lab medicine is located at a satellite facility, where you do much of your CP year. The shuttle takes about 30 minutes or so.

2:00-3:00pm: Interview with Dr. Terrazas, residency director CP. Also very friendly interview; here I got the dreaded "tell me about yourself" question for the first time, which was kind of unnerving. First 30 minutes is basically, why pathology, where else are you applying, and also getting a copy of the contract. The second half is basically structure of CP year etc.

They give you a shuttle schedule, and you basically head back after that and are free. A couple of points: I don't think there is a system for reimbursing parking, so if you bring a car, make sure your hotel will let you park there, or find alternate parking. I parked my car in the deck across, and paid $20 (!!!) for the day.

Anyway, plusses: People are really friendly. I know that seems to be the case everywhere, but it's really true! Dr. Treseler seems to be a great residency advocate. Research is definitely STRONGLY encouraged (read required), and there are rotations on place where you are expected to participate in research. Also, there seems to be enough of any specimen you could be looking for. Signout is general, but there are subspecialists around for everything, after you've had a crack at the case during general. And then, hey, it's San Francisco, and it's beautiful.

Minusses: Parking is $80 a month. You can take the BART or walk, if you're close by. Apparently, it can be tough to make it on your salary, but although all he residents agreed, noone was really strapped by this. Some people might consider the separate campuses a bit of a problem. I don't know about that yet, because I haven't really seen how often you go back and forth. It seems like there are conferences required MWF on the main campus no matter where you are, so I guess you would be taking the shuttle or anyway moving somewhere else at least 3/week.

I think that's it. PM me if any questions.

sandyworks · Nov 16, 2004

One more cool factoid regarding UCSF: apparently there was a screwup in the ROL last year for the match, so they didn't fill last year and are looking to recruit 12 (!!!) 1st years.

SLUsagar · Nov 16, 2004

AndyMilonakis said:
My bad. Thanks for the clarification.

andy, thanks again for the UNC synposis...totally helpful!

i was reading some # about UNC...

agree and it does sound like it's a great program, but they've only got like 22,000 or so surg. specimens....equally as small as other labeled "small programs" such as UCSD's 18,000 (i believe neighbors WAKE FOREST actually has more than UNC @ 23000...obv. below DUKE's 45K]...
but doesn't it seem much smaller than larger bigname programs that have 50-60K (or +++)??
only, but kinda BIG, drawback i see to the program.

b&ierstiefel · Nov 16, 2004

Yes that is correct SLUsagar. They mentioned sample volume in the 20000's range rather than 50000's and 60000's range. However, given the 24 hour turnaround time and the relative small size of the program, the residents don't complain of being underworked or overworked.

I agree that the small sample volume can be seen as a drawback. During the interview there, I got the clear impression also that they offer solid training in various areas of path (as evidenced by a various number of fellowships available there). However, that caused me to have a sneaking suspicion that they might be spread a bit thin. The residents also did not complain about the variety of cases either but did complain of the 24 hr turnaround time limiting preview time. Regardless, if you see 50000 cases and 80% of them are buttcrack polyps that's another thing to take into account.

I dunno. This was the first program I interviewed at so as I visit more places, I'll be in a better position to compare and contrast the different aspects of the program. But anyways, I think your instincts and suspicions are leading you in the right direction.

jeff2005 · Nov 17, 2004

There was one other applicant the day of my interview. The night before 3 residents took us out for dinner. We had a really good time. The residents are very happy with the program and say that there is a lot of teamwork. You're hours are basically 8 to 5 and if one resident gets slammed everyone helps out. That's pretty cool. They also have a three day surg path schedule. Day 1 you gross the specimen in. Day 2 you read slides and dictate a prelim diagnosis. Day 3 you sign out with the attending. That system really appeals to me. You have plenty of time to think and read and you're forced to come up with a diagnosis by yourself.

Interview day was fun. The attendings are universally nice and most have a great sense of humor. The Chair of the department is fantastic. She is very funny and clearly looks out for the residents. Other attendings say that she is very well known nationally and has done tons for the department. The program director is also great and happens to have an adorable smile!

Perks of the program include a new Dell lap top and a huge yearly book fund.

Surprisingly i was a bit disappointed in the Charleston area. Historic charleston is gorgeous but it is super expensive so the residents live elsewhere. Unfortunately elsewhere is fairly unattractive and the public schools stink. Their summers are long, hot, and humid. There isn't much of a fall or winter. If you are a single beach/water person this is the place to be.

I think that AP is stronger than CP here, but CP is decent. Overall, I loved the program and I think it's just going to be getting better and better.

PFCortex · Nov 17, 2004

CYTOBORG:

I'd be interested in hearing who your interview "with one exeception" was with... I have already interviewed at MCV and we seem to have had the exact experience.

PM me if you want to chat further...

cytoborg said:
I'll look forward to further comments on UNC, as I have my interview there in the near future.

I didn't know much about MCV prior to interviewing, but I came away impressed. The interview day was laid-back (as most path interviews seem to be) with lots of time with the residents. The faculty interviews, with one exception, were positive and interested in a mutual exchange of information. As for the program, it is one of the most well-balanced I've seen, with one of the strongest CP programs anywhere. The residents were sharp yet friendly and laid-back, and seemed happy with their program and had great relationships with one another. The environment seemed supportive and learning-oriented. They have adequate PA support. Their facilities are really nice, with a sparkling new gross room, a cool aphoresis area and a brand new molecular lab that unfortunately they don't let applicants view. Most of their grads seem to wind up in private practice, but a good number do fellowships. A minority go into academics. Richmond seems to be a great place to live. It is affordable to live there and even buy a house, has city cultural opportunities but is close to outdoor activities, and has a cool historic downtown with an allegedly adequate night-life (did not actually witness this myself on a weekday evening). Also, it's very well-situated being 2 hours from DC, 2 hrs from the beach and a few hours from the mountains. The downsides seemed to be that there is no hotseat experience, only the senior residents do frozens to any meaningful extent, and 1st yrs do not dictate diagnoses (in fact, it was not clear to me when, if at any point, residents begin to dictate their own reports). Again, the senior residents did not seem to feel this was an issue, though none of them had taken boards yet. Overall I was very impressed with the program, and the interview definitely bumped them up a few notches on my mental ROL.

cytoborg · Nov 17, 2004

PFCortex said:
CYTOBORG:

I'd be interested in hearing who your interview "with one exeception" was with... I have already interviewed at MCV and we seem to have had the exact experience.

PM me if you want to chat further...

Done.

b&ierstiefel · Nov 20, 2004

I interviewed at UCLA earlier today. 8 interviews on the schedule total. Very laid back...I actually did more talking than I did at the UNC interview. A lot of people asked me things like: "Tell me about yourself.", "Why pathology?", and "Why UCLA/What are you looking for in a residency program?"

Several interviews were with basic science researchers, one of which went through residency training here and ended up getting a faculty position here. Another one was a HHMI investigator who acts as the liaison between the path department and the STAR program (which is designed for residents who want to pursue PhD training concordantly with residency program). The STAR program also has an option for MD/PhD students who want to pursue postdoctoral research. However the structure of the program is a bit amorphous for the latter group of people.

Instead of describing each interview in detail cuz after my UNC interview description, I felt in retrospect that many of you probably wouldn't really care or about 80% of what I ended up posting. So I'll stick to some of the selling points I perceived. Disclaimer: I want to go into academics and am interested in doing postdoctoral research concurrently with residency. I will be doing AP only as well instead of AP/CP. So my perspective may be a bit skewed but here goes:

1) CP training is very solid here and for those who are interested in AP/CP, CP rotations are intermingled with AP rotations throughout the residency.
2) Surg path is subspecialty signout rather than general. The residents work very hard here but are an energetic bunch. Some days are clearly harder than others. You do grossing, previewing, and signing out all in the same day if I perceived correctly. Grossing room is well ventilated and there are 6 stations. There are a few PAs around which serve as valuable resources especially for first year residents just getting their feet wet in surg path. The attendings, from what I heard, are very friendly and the residents are on a first name basis with many of them. Attendings are very accessible and many have an open door policy. Also, I think bone and soft tissue is done at Santa Monica, a sister institution a few minutes from UCLA main hospital.
3) Autopsy path didn't seem to stand out to me...it seems like autopsy path is like autopsy path at other places. You do one month at the LA coroners office where I would suspect one would be exposed to some pretty kickass forensics cases.
4) Cytopathology, I didn't hear too much about but residents get exposure to FNAs, as in other places. I didn't pick up on any worrisome issues here.
5) Research - OK this really sold the program to me. The chair of the program is an MD/PhD who comes from the Brigham system of training under the late Dr. Cotran. He and the residency director want to attract a diverse array of residents. Some other places get a bad rap of wanting to attract only MD/PhD students or future academic pathologists. I got the impression here that research is highly encouraged but it is really up to the resident him/herself. Since the chair (Dr. Braun) is big on research himself, if a resident were to be interested in research, he will go out of his way to make this as smooth as possible. And everybody I talked to, literally, told me this. This program is very research friendly. As for the research environment itself, there is a lot of exceptional research here from looking at the faculty catalog and talking to some of my interviewers here today. The attitude is one of collegiality, openness, and collaboration (as opposed to other places which shall not be named).
6) Resident dynamic - everyone I met today were friendly and very positive about the program. The residents seem to be getting along quite well together not only on a professional setting but also on a social setting outside of work. At the same time, the PD told me that the quality of residents coming to UCLA has increased dramatically over the past few years which he is very happy with. This is reflected in the work ethic of the few residents I met today.
7) Los Angeles - very warm here. Not much variation in weather. Near the beach and in Westwood I hear the weather is pretty constant in the 70's. People I've talked to (residents and friends I've hung out with in the area) said that LA is pretty spread out. People live all over the place. Traffic is a hassle too...it took me an hour and 15 minutes to drive 8 miles on 405 south today (granted it was at 5 pm). However, if you live in Westwood or Santa Monica (which has a lot of culture and things to do...and great restaurants which is a plus considering Andy loves his frickin' food!), you can get away with avoiding the freeway for the most part.

Honestly, the interview today was a pleasant surprise. See, my early rank list honestly has places like Brigham, UCSF, and Hopkins near the top. However, today's experience really threw a wrench in the process and I'm starting to question things now. I got a really really good vibe from UCLA today...whether it's a gut feeling or something more concrete, it's hard to tell. Of course, the UCLA interview is only my 2nd interview so my attitudes may change as I visit more of these programs and can honestly compare, contrast, and identify the right program for me in the long run.

Anyways, that's the scoop on UCLA. Hope all of you are having fun on interviews. The residents who say that interviews are a fun experience are really right. The first interview was a bit nervewracking but today was totally fun.

Cheers!

yaah · Nov 20, 2004

Ah, the old "wrench into the gears" interview. I had a couple of those - mainly Dartmouth and U Chi and most definitely MGH. Ended up not mattering a ton in the long run, although I did put those programs high up. I had a reverse wrench at the Brigham. No doubt you will find that most programs you visit will impress you more than you would have thought. Wait to see them all before making definite plans - although it is definitely good that you are forming opinions early.

You may find as you go on that it becomes somewhat of a hopeless task to try to rank all these programs you like, and some of the pre-interview opinions may start to come back. Also, certain things will swing the decision for almost anyone. It might be location, it might be certain residents or attendings you met, it might be a benefit of the program.

Great to see you all posting your thoughts on these programs - I know this helps people out a lot!

b&ierstiefel · Nov 20, 2004

Thanks yaah. Yeah I'm glad we got this thread going and people are contributing. This will be extremely useful for applicants next year.

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