Match Results

Applicants and programs have to check the CASPRweb site on Monday for the first available results. A USPS letter also gets mailed to students/programs with the results... I forgot if that arrived on match Monday or later.

Unfilled scramble positions get posted online Monday on casprcrip.org also.

theanswer03 said:

Thanks!

Are the results for every applicant/program available on Monday? Do you know what time the results become available on Monday?

Click to expand...

Match results are available for every applicant and every program, but they're private info. They all have login codes to see their personal/program result only. Some schools post their students' match lists, but it just shows where students went - not which particular students went to certain programs.

http://www.barry.edu/podiatry/residencies.htm
http://www.dmu.edu/cpms/residencies/

I'm not sure on the time that match results are put online for the applicants and programs. Check out www.casprcrip.org for more info

11 AM Eastern Standard Time on March 8th, 2010... even if I were to forget (which I definitely wouldn't) I could call my mother-in-law, who will be tapping her foot and waiting by the phone at 10:55 AM.

Willcott said:

11 AM Eastern Standard Time on March 8th, 2010... even if I were to forget (which I definitely wouldn't) I could call my mother-in-law, who will be tapping her foot and waiting by the phone at 10:55 AM.

Click to expand...

GL!

There are some descent programs scrambling this year.

jonwill said:

There are some descent programs scrambling this year.

Click to expand...

I saw that too! I was surprised!

What does it mean when good programs scramble?

Does it mean that they are unsatisfied with the candidates that did clerkships and interviewed there? or did the ranking and the match just not work out for either? or were there a lack of students applying to those certain programs?

Also is there a penalty for a residency program to have a spot left open, because they were unable to decide on a resident?

JackedUp said:

What does it mean when good programs scramble?

Does it mean that they are unsatisfied with the candidates that did clerkships and interviewed there? or did the ranking and the match just not work out for either? or were there a lack of students applying to those certain programs?

Also is there a penalty for a residency program to have a spot left open, because they were unable to decide on a resident?

Click to expand...

It is a combination of both usually. Sometimes, a program, for whatever reason, doesn't get a lot of quality rotators or just not a lot of students rotate there period so they don't have much to choose from. And sometimes, the program isn't very good so no one wants to go there. And the third scenerio is exactly what you said: the match is a numbers game and it sometimes just doesn't work out.

At some point, nearly every program scrambles. The "red flag" is when a program continually scrambles year after year.

Is there somewhere where we could check to see what programs are scrambling now? Thanks!

jedimaster said:

Is there somewhere where we could check to see what programs are scrambling now? Thanks!

Click to expand...

http://www.casprcrip.org/html/casprcrip/pdf/2010UnfilledPositions_mlc.pdf

This is the direct link. You can access the link above from the main page of www.casprcrip.org

zmeflyby said:

Speaking of "red flag", I think Kingwood medical at tx scrambles almost every year.

Am I right?

Click to expand...

I have no idea. But as a student, I would save the scramble list every year and I definitely saw trends. I have paid attention for a couple of years though.

studywithfury said:

I thought Kingwood was one of the better surgical training residencies for podiatry students.

Click to expand...

Kingwood is pretty solid. West Houston's a bit better based on word around the campfire, but they're both definitely capable of giving you a good skill set.

Feli said:

Kingwood is pretty solid. West Houston's a bit better based on word around the campfire, but they're both definitely capable of giving you a good skill set.

Click to expand...

Feli, any insight as to why your program scrambled this year? Do they commonly scramble? It is definitely a program I will be keeping an eye on moving forward.

msuDPM said:

Feli, any insight as to why your program scrambled this year? Do they commonly scramble? It is definitely a program I will be keeping an eye on moving forward.

Click to expand...

Our director has held his post 30yrs now and runs a pretty organized and rigid program. He is a great teacher and very pro-resident, but there's a lot of oversight and you have to be willing to follow his patterns/idiosyncricities, esp with his patients/surgeries. Some programs are more structured and supervised and others are more relaxed and resident run... different students prefer different things. We scrambled (well, only for a few hours), but all's well that ends well... some very good students scramble also, and we ended up with 4 great candidates who will start in July.

Our hospital was in also transition this year from one hospital to another (StJohn North Shores to StJohn Hosp and Med Cntr). We switched residency coordinator, moved our clinic location 3 times in 8 months, the hospital went to EMR and e-prescribing, etc. The dust is mostly settling now, new clinic is running well and nicer/smoother than the old, our CME $ has gone up, external rotations are continuing to improve, and and our hospital Med Ed dept has been absolutely great about asking feedback/suggestions all along to help the transition go well. To most students who externed this last cycle, though, it surely looked a bit chaotic and disorganized during the acclimation period. I was an intern throughout, and sometimes policy/procedures were literally changing every day. I think students who were here even in the middle of the of the stress/changes can probably still tell you the surg caseload is great and there's a lot of resources/potential at the hospital/program. Like any program: visit, meet the residents/attendings, see the cases/rotations/etc, and decide for yourself.

zmeflyby said:

I am not sure about the program being "solid" since they changed residency director about 3 times in about 4 years. I heard it used to be "decent" about 2 years ago when the director of west houston took over.

Click to expand...

The two programs have a lot of the same faculty (GTEF) and pool a lot of hosp and surg center cases and pick from the same case lists for the most part. To my understanding, difference is that the cases at West Houston Hosp itself and the academics/labs there are a bit better for that program's residents. Both programs get good residents and have solid surg volume, though. The best way to see is always to visit and check it out.

Wow there seems to be quite an interesting list of 3yr and 2yr programs here.

I hope all get matched and settle happily

According to APMSA 146 students didn't match, and had to scramble.

zmeflyby said:

Yeah I have been to west houston a few times. I met some of the residents there as well. One of them actually showed me the cadaver lab, which was pretty cool.

Also, If I remember correctly, Kingwood was on probation last year. I never found out what the reason was, though. I really don't know if it's as good as you make it sound, but from what I have heard.......well you know....

Click to expand...

Kingwood had a bad reputation for years and had trouble matching. A few years ago they dismissed their director (a Dr. Lepow) and replaced him with the director of West Houston (a Dr. Sam Mendicino) who ran both programs. He merged the academics and and surgical cases and got Kingwood off of probation. Then he returned only to West Houston and had Kingwood select a previous West Houston graduate Dr. Speciale as director.

Both programs are solid and are high volume PM&S-36. The faculty at West Houston has several nationally known people who are involved in many organizations. Because the programs are spread over 20 plus facilities it is impossible for them to have an externship so they are two of the professions best kept secrets. Both had an open position but I heard they have been filled. The residents at both are a cohesive team and if like previous graduates (especially West Houston) are likely to place in decent jobs and become involved in the national organizations.

Although I am only slightly in the know, this year's system being new had some flaws and many good students and programs went unmatched with some students probably not finding a program. The CRIP happening over 2 weeks had some students making a tough choice of selecting a time period to interview due to cost. If their number one pick was the first weekend, some couldn't stay or come back for the second week. That and the change to less spots than residents led to a crazy scramble. Also a residency committee member of a program has told me that students now pick programs for reasons such as proximity to family/salary vs training. That's fine but excludes some decent programs out there.

The computer match is also confusing and some students make ranking choices because of urban legend. For example let's say your top pick has 2 spots and they rank you 4 and your third pick ranks you 1 some students feel they should rank their third pick 1 because if they don't match with their top 2 somehow they will not get the third who ranked them 1. That is not true. If they rank the third 3 and the program had them 1 and they do not match their top 2 they get the third program. If their top program ranks them 4 as in this example and the student ranks them 1 if the program goes to 4 they are in if not the students still gets the program that ranked them the highest. Bottom line rank the programs by your preference and not by some strategy.

Crazy times seem to be here again.

I actually was not that impressed by the programs in the scramble.

As far as West Houston and Kingwood go, I cannot comment on quality of training however they do usually scramble a couple spots here and there that can likely be attributed to their lack of clerkship/externship.

Feli your program lucked out in the scramble and got an excellent student/future resident from Scholl.

Everyone from Barry that PASSED boards part 1 got a residency spot...(3 didn't pass and didn't get residencies yet)

crap away...I can't care less, just giving info. I thought thats what you do on these forums.

In all honesty, the main reason Kingwood/West Houston fall into the scramble each and every year is due to their director(Dr Mendecino). He, in all honesty, is a jack***. He does not want students from any school visiting his program. I remember when i was applying to clerkships my 3rd yr, a lot of my classmates wanted to go and visit the program for a couple days - weeks to get a feel for the program. I dont see how you can judge the quality of a program without visiting! However, after a couple requests by me and some classmates, he decided to write a nasty letter to our dean stating he wants no students contacting him or visiting his program period. He wrote in that email that candidates will be evaluated and selected from the interviewing process only! I dont see how a 45 min interview can be enough time for someone to make a decision on a potential resident!! Also, he is the podiatrist who has a very negative attitude towards the profession and graduates in general. Ask any resident at the program and they will agree. I remember during my interview with them, the first question he asked me during the interview was "Oh, you're asian, why did you decide to come to podiatry school?? Did you not get into a real medical school??" I was completely caught off guard with this question and at that point, i knew, all the negative things I had heard about this guy must be true!!!

The program is surgically based, but i would say it is not very well rounded. The residents basically just show up in the morning of surgery and perform the procedure without any preop and postop followup. You may be the best surgeon in the world, but if you dont know how to treat a postop complication, no one really cares!!! There is no set clinic day where residents have to be in the clinic to see patients. Also, they see very minimal ped's and trauma cases. The residents used to round and scrub into cases at Memorial Hermann Hospital(one of the top hospital systems in the country), but they are no longer allowed to go there for some reason!!!

So in summary, it is not the program itself, but the director, that pushes these two programs into the scramble each year.

podio said:

In all honesty, the main reason Kingwood/West Houston fall into the scramble each and every year is due to their director(Dr Mendecino). He, in all honesty, is a jack***. He does not want students from any school visiting his program. I remember when i was applying to clerkships my 3rd yr, a lot of my classmates wanted to go and visit the program for a couple days - weeks to get a feel for the program. I dont see how you can judge the quality of a program without visiting! However, after a couple requests by me and some classmates, he decided to write a nasty letter to our dean stating he wants no students contacting him or visiting his program period.

I do not know who you are but I personally know Dr. Mendicino. He is an honorable man who has contributed significantly to the residency and this profession. I questioned him in the past about externships. His reason for not having one is because it wouldn't be fair to the student. The program is spread over 20+ facilities and most do not permit students to scrub and many do not even permit observation. Because of this Dr. Mendicino has stated it would be better for students to use their time at student friendly locations. I know of several students who when in town contacted Dr. Mendicino and did attend academic activities. They ( the residency) select solely from the interview( interview all applicants who apply) and do not feel students should spend their money purely to show face. By your comments I guess applicants should only apply to a few residencies where they did an externship. To the students, do not follow that advice. There are other ways to evaluate a program.



He wrote in that email that candidates will be evaluated and selected from the interviewing process only! I dont see how a 45 min interview can be enough time for someone to make a decision on a potential resident!! Also, he is the podiatrist who has a very negative attitude towards the profession and graduates in general.

Wow negative to the profession you say. He is the chairman of the ABPS exam, serves on several committees in ACFAS, is a past president of the Texas Podiatric Medical Association, and has been teaching residents for over 20 years. He has been active in fighting for podiatrist staff privileges and scope of practice. I would say if he is negative to his graduates then why are there 5 of his graduates on the examination committees at ABPS and so many actively involved in ACFAS? He recommended them. I know he has helped place many graduates into top notch jobs and is always helping attendings (including me) and his graduates with his advice on cases. For those of you who need further proof I would call the West Houston residents. They actually were all taken to CRIPs this year at Dr. Mendicino"s recommendation.

Ask any resident at the program and they will agree. I remember during my interview with them, the first question he asked me during the interview was "Oh, you're asian, why did you decide to come to podiatry school?? Did you not get into a real medical school??" I was completely caught off guard with this question and at that point, i knew, all the negative things I had heard about this guy must be true!!!

I don't believe that one bit. He has one of the most diverse residency programs in the country. He has trained numerous Asians, Latinos, African Americans, all religions, and of both genders. Several of his Fellows and Chief Residents have been minorities or female.

The program is surgically based, but i would say it is not very well rounded. The residents basically just show up in the morning of surgery and perform the procedure without any preop and postop followup. You may be the best surgeon in the world, but if you dont know how to treat a postop complication, no one really cares!!! There is no set clinic day where residents have to be in the clinic to see patients. Also, they see very minimal ped's and trauma cases.

They have organized office rotations and all one has to do is ask to see a third years logs to see that all phases of surgery are covered. MAVs are met usually within 2 years. One of the first years told me he has already scrubbed 15 rearfoot cases. They have a pediatric orthopedics rotation and several orthopedic rotations. They do everything there but do not do as much Charcot reconstruction as say UTSA.


The residents used to round and scrub into cases at Memorial Hermann Hospital(one of the top hospital systems in the country), but they are no longer allowed to go there for some reason!!!

First I know the residents still scrub at several Memorial hospitals. In house care at Memorial was stopped because they were getting this training at West Houston and needed the time to complete the mandated and enhanced rotations. In addition funding was not available from Memorial and when a resident was there, Medicare lowered the reimbursement to West Houston.

So in summary, it is not the program itself, but the director, that pushes these two programs into the scramble each year.

Click to expand...

West Houston rarely scrambles. In fact this was the first year they have for a long time. They did have to find a replacement a few years ago when a couple of selected residents failed national boards part 2. Kingwood always scrambled when they had a different director and often filled spots with people who had been practicing for many years. After Dr. Mendicino got it off probation and merged academics with West Houston they matched all of their spots last year and had to scramble for one this year. The majority of Texas programs had a spot to fill and some think it's because of the ongoing battle over scope with the orthopods. DPMs have full privileges in Texas but the TOA has been trying to roll them back.

You obviously either have a personal problem with Dr. Mendicino or really do not know him. I do know him and how much time and money he gives up to make our profession better. There are some in this profession who may deserve to be called names;he is not one of them. In fact you should thank him and others like him who have worked so hard.

Podfather said:

I do not know who you are but I personally know Dr. Mendicino. He is an honorable man who has contributed significantly to the residency and this profession....

...He is the chairman of the ABPS exam, serves on several committees in ACFAS, is a past president of the Texas Podiatric Medical Association, and has been teaching residents for over 20 years. He has been active in fighting for podiatrist staff privileges and scope of practice. I would say if he is negative to his graduates then why are there 5 of his graduates on the examination committees at ABPS and so many actively involved in ACFAS? He recommended them. I know he has helped place many graduates into top notch jobs and is always helping attendings (including me) and his graduates with his advice on cases. For those of you who need further proof I would call the West Houston residents...

...You obviously either have a personal problem with Dr. Mendicino or really do not know him. I do know him and how much time and money he gives up to make our profession better. There are some in this profession who may deserve to be called names;he is not one of them. In fact you should thank him and others like him who have worked so hard...

Click to expand...

x2^^

Dr. Mendicino is one of the leaders of the profession, and even with many years of practice remaining, he has already contributed more than 99.9% of DPMs ever will in terms of resident and attending DPM education, publications, scope politics, and organization. I certainly wouldn't be disparaging someone like that on a public forum. Like his brother in Pitt, he's a strong confident personality who uses a lot of sarcasm, but most leaders and trailblazers are that way. I butted heads a bit with Dr. Robert Mendicino while I was at West Penn for a month since I'm a bit strongheaded and opinionated myself (esp when running low on sleep), but I definitely have a ton of respect and understanding for his methods. He's a good surgeon, and I'm glad he's one of the instructors of my arthroscopy course later in the year. My director is pretty much the same way: some people can't stand it, but most respect and understand it. You will encounter a lot of egos in surgery, and you need to learn to navigate the waters.

podio said:

.... I remember during my interview with them, the first question he asked me during the interview was "Oh, you're asian, why did you decide to come to podiatry school?? Did you not get into a real medical school??" I was completely caught off guard with this question ...

Click to expand...

West Houston is known for having tough social aspects of the interview that are meant to "press your buttons" and see how you react under pressure or adversity. That means you will definitely have some loaded questions. If you can't stand the heat, they don't want you in the fire... that's for your own good as well as their program's. It's that way with many top programs. As was mentioned, West Houston is a high volume demanding surgical program that picks their residents almost entirely from the interview performance and paper (gpa/boards/CV) application. That means that their interview needs to be a quick, dirty, and efficient way of evaluating candidates, both academically and in terms of social/psyche fortitude. Sorry to say it, but I think you might just have sour grapes or possibly misunderstood their intentions with the interview.

I think that if you read the literature, attend ACFAS or West Penn and West Houston academic workshops/events, and learn more about the profession, you will clearly see that both of Mendicino brothers are a bit polarizing, but they are definitely hardworking and respected leaders. If I've learned anything in my surgical training thus far, it's that being a strong surgeon is pretty much a recipe:
1 Strong interest/motivation to learn and plan/prep for cases
2 Instruction and training
3 Natural talent level and practiced hand skills
4 Balls
...They have each of those 4 pillars covered pretty well - certainly not lacking in the last category. They are innovative surgeons and thinkers.

podio said:

In all honesty, the main reason Kingwood/West Houston fall into the scramble each and every year is due to their director(Dr Mendecino). He, in all honesty, is a jack***. He does not want students from any school visiting his program. I remember when i was applying to clerkships my 3rd yr, a lot of my classmates wanted to go and visit the program for a couple days - weeks to get a feel for the program. I dont see how you can judge the quality of a program without visiting! However, after a couple requests by me and some classmates, he decided to write a nasty letter to our dean stating he wants no students contacting him or visiting his program period. He wrote in that email that candidates will be evaluated and selected from the interviewing process only! I dont see how a 45 min interview can be enough time for someone to make a decision on a potential resident!! Also, he is the podiatrist who has a very negative attitude towards the profession and graduates in general. Ask any resident at the program and they will agree. I remember during my interview with them, the first question he asked me during the interview was "Oh, you're asian, why did you decide to come to podiatry school?? Did you not get into a real medical school??" I was completely caught off guard with this question and at that point, i knew, all the negative things I had heard about this guy must be true!!!

The program is surgically based, but i would say it is not very well rounded. The residents basically just show up in the morning of surgery and perform the procedure without any preop and postop followup. You may be the best surgeon in the world, but if you dont know how to treat a postop complication, no one really cares!!! There is no set clinic day where residents have to be in the clinic to see patients. Also, they see very minimal ped's and trauma cases. The residents used to round and scrub into cases at Memorial Hermann Hospital(one of the top hospital systems in the country), but they are no longer allowed to go there for some reason!!!

So in summary, it is not the program itself, but the director, that pushes these two programs into the scramble each year.

Click to expand...

Well I called Dr. Mendicino today.. He states that for the reasons I mentioned above they do not have an externship. He stated that if a student is in town he refers them to the chief resident who can answer questions and if there is an academic activity the students are invited. Because the program is spread all over the city at 27 locations, it would be impossible for a student to get a feel for what goes on daily basis over the course of the year on a day or two visit. He said that rather than a student spending money just to visit it would be better spent on other programs who hold visitation as a plus when selecting residents. He personally responds to 99% of any email inquiries. He also stated that he never wrote any such letter to a Dean of a Podiatric Medical School. ,,

His response to the negative post was everyone is entitled to their opinion but did think it was funny that someone who claims they were denied visitation then claims to know all of these terrible so called facts. He stated in addition to talking to current residents to look around the profession and see how many of the program's graduates are doing in organizations and practice. The program isn't perfect but he feels is a good program and wishes he could take more applicants. He prefers to stick with the 4/4/4 rather than increase the positions to a point of dilution. He was embarassed by both the negative post and Kudos he was given and says the profession has grown exponentially over the 25 years he has been around. He enjoys training residents and is especially proud when he sees his graduates succeed professionally and personally. His quote "It's like seeing your kids grow, mature, and then make you proud."

He said don't slam the person who attacked me. They are probably under a lot of stress if they didn't match. Instead try to talk them off the ledge and let them know it's always darkest before dawn. So there is his advice.

Podfather said:

Well I called Dr. Mendicino today.. He states that for the reasons I mentioned above they do not have an externship. He stated that if a student is in town he refers them to the chief resident who can answer questions and if there is an academic activity the students are invited. Because the program is spread all over the city at 27 locations, it would be impossible for a student to get a feel for what goes on daily basis over the course of the year on a day or two visit. He said that rather than a student spending money just to visit it would be better spent on other programs who hold visitation as a plus when selecting residents. He personally responds to 99% of any email inquiries. He also stated that he never wrote any such letter to a Dean of a Podiatric Medical School. ,,

His response to the negative post was everyone is entitled to their opinion but did think it was funny that someone who claims they were denied visitation then claims to know all of these terrible so called facts. He stated in addition to talking to current residents to look around the profession and see how many of the program's graduates are doing in organizations and practice. The program isn't perfect but he feels is a good program and wishes he could take more applicants. He prefers to stick with the 4/4/4 rather than increase the positions to a point of dilution. He was embarassed by both the negative post and Kudos he was given and says the profession has grown exponentially over the 25 years he has been around. He enjoys training residents and is especially proud when he sees his graduates succeed professionally and personally. His quote "It's like seeing your kids grow, mature, and then make you proud."

He said don't slam the person who attacked me. They are probably under a lot of stress if they didn't match. Instead try to talk them off the ledge and let them know it's always darkest before dawn. So there is his advice.

Click to expand...

Thank you for setting the record straight. There are many on this forum who still consider it a legitimate source of information and we appreciate the experienced members sharing with us their wisdom and advice.

Podfather said:

Well I called Dr. Mendicino today.. He states that for the reasons I mentioned above they do not have an externship. He stated that if a student is in town he refers them to the chief resident who can answer questions and if there is an academic activity the students are invited. Because the program is spread all over the city at 27 locations, it would be impossible for a student to get a feel for what goes on daily basis over the course of the year on a day or two visit. He said that rather than a student spending money just to visit it would be better spent on other programs who hold visitation as a plus when selecting residents. He personally responds to 99% of any email inquiries. He also stated that he never wrote any such letter to a Dean of a Podiatric Medical School. ,,

His response to the negative post was everyone is entitled to their opinion but did think it was funny that someone who claims they were denied visitation then claims to know all of these terrible so called facts. He stated in addition to talking to current residents to look around the profession and see how many of the program's graduates are doing in organizations and practice. The program isn't perfect but he feels is a good program and wishes he could take more applicants. He prefers to stick with the 4/4/4 rather than increase the positions to a point of dilution. He was embarassed by both the negative post and Kudos he was given and says the profession has grown exponentially over the 25 years he has been around. He enjoys training residents and is especially proud when he sees his graduates succeed professionally and personally. His quote "It's like seeing your kids grow, mature, and then make you proud."

He said don't slam the person who attacked me. They are probably under a lot of stress if they didn't match. Instead try to talk them off the ledge and let them know it's always darkest before dawn. So there is his advice.

Click to expand...

Funny how someone has to call Mendo to tatle what's being written on forums these days about him. Are we in grade school still?? Seems to me like this a current/former resident at the program that is trying to stick up for his/her program!!! Great work Dr!!!! Dr Mendecino will be calling you back soon to give you a cookie!!!!!!!

podio said:

Funny how someone has to call Mendo to tatle what's being written on forums these days about him. Are we in grade school still?? Seems to me like this a current/former resident at the program that is trying to stick up for his/her program!!! Great work Dr!!!! Dr Mendecino will be calling you back soon to give you a cookie!!!!!!!

Click to expand...

For your information I am not a resident and older than Dr. Mendicino. You have posted 3 times on this site. Once to slam a residency in New Jersey ( I believe) and twice to slam someone who has given considerably to the profession. I simply posted the truth so that students were given the whole story. You claim you were denied visitation but then have all of these negative "facts" about the evil Dr. Mendicino and his program. How is it you know so much with out visiting? Perhaps you are the poser and really someone who has a personal agenda or sour grapes.

Dr. Mendicino asked me not to attack you since you are probably under stress if you didn't match and in fact should offer encouragement. So I will go half way I will not attack you. To the students reading just ask any of your faculty about Dr. Sam Mendicino, google his name, look at the annual scientific program at ACFAS, look at the ACFAS, TPMA, and ABPS leadership positions he holds/held, and call his residents at West Houston and I think you will see the truth.

No I didn't get a cookie (would have liked one LOL) and perhaps this negative, slanderous attitute was apparent during your interviews (oops sort of an attack).