Loma Linda University Residency Reviews

i think it is awesome. ranked it 4th. keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow!

Loma Linda is an excellent program. This is also my medical school, but honestly, I have no bias! The teaching there is some of the best I have seen. All the attendings take time out for the students and residents to teach on various cases. The Peds ED is amazing, brand new with Peds EM trained attendings. The physical plant of the adult side is ok, but they are expanding (isn't every ED expanding ? ? ) .

Well worth a visit and interview if you get it. Not sure if they are DO friendly or not. There are not any DO residents that I know of but I do know of 2 DO Peds EM attendings there.

Good luck

Also liked Loma Linda when I interviewed there last year. I ended up ranking them about halfway down my rank list (behind some very good programs.) The Peds experience is second to none. The people at the hospital are the nicest (perhaps pathologically) I encountered on the interview trail. It has its plusses and minuses like anywhere of course.

I actually ranked them above some really well known EM programs (i.e. USC and Cook County) mostly because there training seemed really superb. They have a lot of really unique aspects in their program like international medicine and tactical EMS. it just seemed like a well organized program. aaaaaarg, just 10 more hours to gooo!!!

I interviewed a LL and thought the place was pretty phat. The institution is is 7th day Adventist, but it has no bearing on who is treated at the hospital, nor who is hired for faculty, staff, residents...etc. The people I met there were only vaguely familiar with that stuff, if at all.

Good down to earth folks there that I'm sure would have been easy to work with. LL is in a good location too: close to mountains, hiking, skiing, and not far to the beach. Excellent peds exposure. And very interesting international and moonlighting opportunities not found at any other institution that I interviewed at.

I think they are definantly worth a look if you are interested in the Southern California/Southwest region.

Just wondering if anyone has any insight into all of the Seventh-day Adventist religious stuff here? I heard people have to sign all sorts of documents and pledges regarding the religion. No specific examples, other than I heard undergrads have to promise not to drink any alcohol during undergrad. Just don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of hard core peeps who won't drink a beer and cut loose. Can I wear scrubs to church?

I gotta friend that's out there, there definitely seems to be free flow of EtOH with the residents and they seem pretty happy. Generalveers, you'll definitely find people there that like to have a good time with and without EtOH.

I know a couple people that did med school there. Most are non-drinkers, but there are some that I can always count on to go out for a drink with. As a med student they have you sign a contract, but as a resident they don't.

The residents definitely seem happy there, so if you're thinking of interviewing give it a chance.

Hope this helps, and veers good luck with finding a residency spot.

pinbor1

Alcohol is consumed by many in the residency, it is really too bad that many people get hung up on religion as a reason to scratch this program off the application list. Can't tell the number of times I heard that from fellow EM'ers at my medical school- there is only a vague sense that it exists- daily overhead recorded prayer in English and Spanish and pictures on the walls seem to the most one has to deal with. Tuning them out comes quickly just as one would any wall art. Every parent institution or agency overseeing the hospital and program has quirks we will have to deal with. Suppose a Catholic Hospital is where your hiring group practices?

All the nurse's stations have coffee brewing and you can bring in any caffeine you want. There is one issue: the cafeteria is meat free- overall the food isnt too bad. The patients can get meat but you will have to bring your own in-and-out burgers. All residency supported functions provide meat meals as well as vegetarian. 30% of the time is spent at Riverside County Medical Center which is meat enriched and meals are free.

Despite the self-selective nature of those who apply due to their unfounded fears of hyperreligiousity, this residency is still quite competitive to get into. They do take 2-3 from the medical school- but the remainder can see beyond the ridiculous misperceptions regarding 'religion' as a resident (which seems to be perpetuated by the restrictive medical school). Many are Cali or Ex-Cali residents and (I believe) scored >230 step 1. And on the whole its only three years- its in Southern California with lots of time off- moonlighting tolerant- hands free but involved residency director with good curriculum. Look deeper before letting others determine where you apply.

I think you have to eat your first born and dance with your underwear on your head.

ok, really, loma linda is a normal place with normal people. a few a religous zealots, but you'll see alot more crazy religous people in one hour in venice beach/santa monica than you will in a week in loma linda. they are known for being overly nice, caring, eating fried cheese, wham(fake ham), tofurkey(fake turkey), and for delivering mail on sunday.

There are no religous overtones in the day to day life, but a few more of the residents throughout the hosp are married, but there is still a large percentage that find the need for a drink a must have.

Can anyone offer info on Loma Linda and UC Irvine? I'm trying to get opinions such as pros/cons, the "fit" or "feel" of each program, anything unique to each program, if residents usually fill a certain career niche once they've completed training, etc. Basically, anything besides the facts that I can find on the FREIDA website, program websites, and other sites. Thanks a lot for any input you can offer!

dozer said:

Can anyone offer info on Loma Linda and UC Irvine? I'm trying to get opinions such as pros/cons, the "fit" or "feel" of each program, anything unique to each program, if residents usually fill a certain career niche once they've completed training, etc. Basically, anything besides the facts that I can find on the FREIDA website, program websites, and other sites. Thanks a lot for any input you can offer!

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I graduated from the MD/MBA program at Univ. of Rochester and have just started my intern year at Loma Linda.

The feel of this program is easy going and resident-friendly. The residents I've met, both in my class and the upper levels, seem laid back, intelligent, and down-to-earth.

We rotate at both Loma Linda U (60%) and Riverside County Regional Medical Center (40%). This is great b/c U get the county experience combined with the academic vibe. Loma Linda also has a strong Peds EM, International EM, and EMS experience.

The main thing that sold me on this place was the leadership of the program. I felt like the PD and the APD really cared about EM residents well being and career. For example, one of their expectations is to define our 6 month, 1 yr, and 5 yr career goals.

So far, the downside I've encountered is the software system for charting and ordering at Loma Linda. When I rotated at OHSU, I thought EmSTAT was great for improving patient flow and for CPOE (computerized physician order entry), and think it'd be helpful to change our software system.

Also, here are two websites with info from senior residents that you might find helpful about Loma Linda's EM program:

http://www.nemsin.org/interview schools/Loma Linda REsident Interview.htm

http://www.scutwork.com/cgi-bin/links/review.cgi?ID=1197&d=1

Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.

I didn't want my most recent review to be the last thing I posted here. Got to end it with a high note.

Loma Linda was my second to last interview. it could've been that the interview season was long and painful so coming to the end, but I was much happier at my interviews at the end than at the middle. I really liked the place. I got a good sense of the residents, attendings, philosophy. I think I would be absolutely happy to match there. So without ado, here is my review:

Interview Day/Residents: I attended the social the night before the interview. It was at some pizza place in Riverside. For all the OC/LA people are planning to interview at Loma Linda, Riverside is horrendous to get to if there is any traffic from either county. The 91 blows. It took me a good 1.5 hours in rush hour to get there. The social had a good turnout- at least ten residents showed up. I think I was their last interview social of the year. I got to talk and chill with most of them. They were a lively and fun bunch. People I could easily see myself working with. They weren't as rowdy as the UCI peeps but more fun loving than the UCSF residents I met (to put it into California residency perspective). Most of them are not Seven Day Adventists. They didn't let it bother them or make or break their ranking of the place. At the social, we were drinking beer and eating meat pizza + drinking Coke. So go figure. Loma Linda was footing the bill.

Attendings: Loved loved the group. I was on the fence about cancelling my interview. Loma Linda to me was not in the best location and I had interview fatigue. Plus I didn't know much about the residency. But after doign more research and finding that they were awesome in the fields I was interested in, I went. The attendings I interviewed with were kind and extremely friendly. I had the most lively conversations with them about my application and what I wanted to do later on. A lot of them are involved with international EM and had so many crazy stories to share. I got to meet one fo teh faculty who was involve dwith designing the mobile disaster medicine tele van. It's this off-terrain huge "RV" that is outfitted with state of the art telecommunication equipment + a portable X-ray. It can be used as com center in a disaster like a wildfire. There is a built in ATV. Pretty bad ass, to say none the least. One of the attendings is featured on Animal planet or the Discovery channel and broadcast episodes covering venomous snakes and insects. It's a diverse group.

Facilities- I didn't do the tour of the county hospital but I have heard it's very similar to SFGH in layout and pt volume. I liked Loma Linda's hospital + helipad. It's quite similar to UCI's layout. Not too big and not too small. But I think the ED is cramped. I'm glad they have the county experience because there is a diversity of clinical exposure. It seems like the SDA thing wasn't a big deal. I didn't see any huge crosses or churches. If I hadn't known about it before going, I wouldn't have known the hospital was religiously affliated.

Curriculum- 3 yr and diverse. They provide an elective specifically for you to travel abroad and do international EM. Only place I interviewed that did that. For 3 yrs- they gave a tremendous amount of elective time. There are a lot of little perks- like you can volunteer and assist at the Nascar events nearby, you can help with the telemobile disaster vehicle, or do more EMS.

PD- Super friendly. I got a warm and fuzzy vibe from meeting him. It seemed like they were trying to foster a family style environment at Loma Linda from top down.

Overall- I was extremely impressed with the program. Even despite that I had some initial misgivings about the location, the fact that you have to live 30-40 minutes from the hospital in Riverside, and the religious affliation, Loma Linda was easily hands down my dark horse in my rank list. I was glad to have gone.

bump

Caveats emptor: I'm applying right now, interviewing there in the near future, but I will make a plug for their PD. Shows up at every state/local event he can (CalACEP, SAEM and the like) to take part in various med student-aimed events and is one of the nicest guys I've ran across doing such things. I would love to hear more from people currently there, but I can't say enough how compelling I find Dr. Smith.

I've got some free time on my hands so paying it forward and updating a few programs.

Basics:

- 3 year program in the Inland Empire of Southern California
- 60/40 split between Loma Linda University Medical Center and Riverside County Regional Medical Center
- LLUMC sees approx 60K per year while RCRMC sees approx 102K per year
- 20 to 22 10 hour shifts per month while on EM months
- Currently have 13 residents per year

Curriculum:

- Standard off service heavy PGY-1 year. Orthopedic procedures and Ultrasound rotations are favorites and very popular among the residents. Anesthesia can sometimes be tough to get tubes on due to competition with anesthesia residents and CRNAs (most residents end up with 50-100 however). Of note there is 4 weeks of acute care/trauma surgery and 2 weeks of general surgery. Both are scut heavy and nearly everyone's least favorite rotations. Typical PGY-2 set up with most of the year spent in the ED. Includes 3 ICU rotations (MICU, PICU, and Neuro ICU) and an elective rotation. ICU call is every 4th night with very reasonable hours. No concerns about violating work hours among the residents. The final PGY-3 year is all spent in the ED except for 6 weeks of electives. Huge range of electives available ranging from wilderness to tactical to international medicine.

- Peds EM is arguably the crown jewel of this program. Dedicated PEM rotations each year plus longitudinal exposure during each regular EM rotation. Large volume of sick kids seem at Loma Linda. Lots of transfers from all over Southern California. Opportunity to participate in Peds critical care transport as a resident. One conference specifically dedicated to PEM every month. Residents claim to be very comfortable taking care of sick kids by the end of residency.

- Trauma is run by EM and Surgery on alternate days. EM always has the airway. Roughly 80/20 for blunt vs penetrating trauma. Loma Linda itself is very safe however San Bernardino is one of the poorest and most violent areas in SoCal. LLUMC regularly gets gunshots and stabbings from the city as a result. For comparison they see less than both LA county hospitals but more than UCI and UCSD.

Residents:

- Mostly from California with a few from the midwest and east coast. About 2/3 are married or in a long term relationship. A large number are nontrads who came into medicine as a second career. They all regularly hang out outside of work and quite a few are avid surfers, snowboarders, or rock climbers.

- The most popular location to live is in Redlands which is about a 10 min drive from LLUMC. From the hospital its about a 45 min drive to the mountains and a 90 min drive to the beach. That being said travel times highly depend on traffic since the 91 and 210 can be a parking lot during rush hour.

Extras:

- Great international, disaster, and EMS opportunities. Many faculty and residents are involved with all 3 and there are a lot of chances to get exposure during residency. I'd highly recommend checking out this program if you have an interest in any of the above and want to train in California.

Anyone know if the program is DO friendly?

TheOther said:

Anyone know if the program is DO friendly?

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A brief scan of their current residents suggests the answer is a resounding "no"

But you were too lazy to check for yourself right?

exsanguination said:

A brief scan of their current residents suggests the answer is a resounding "no"

But you were too lazy to check for yourself right?

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You mean their most up-to-date class of 2013? http://medical-center.lomalindaheal...edicine-residency/current-residents-emergency
I must be on the other Loma Linda website or blind -- I'd appreciate not being condescended toward. Of course I checked for myself.

Edit: Current Residents link rather than class of 2013.

TheOther said:

You mean their most up-to-date class of 2013? http://medical-center.lomalindaheal...edicine-residency/current-residents-emergency
I must be on the other Loma Linda website or blind -- I'd appreciate not being condescended toward. Of course I checked for myself.

Edit: Current Residents link rather than class of 2013.

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Here:
http://www.lluem.org/current-residents/

Are the SDA ties relevant in residency as they are in the med school?

tnedoots said:

Are the SDA ties relevant in residency as they are in the med school?

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Nope, not one bit. Only one SDA matched to the current intern class, and she was an LLU student. Same as last year's intern class, one SDA matched, and he was an LLU student.

I graduated from LLU, ranked them #1, and matched to my #2. I couldn't be happier with my match results, but just thought I'd mention it since I'm SDA and it played no bearing in the match.


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thedoctor8706 said:

Nope, not one bit.....

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Thanks for the reply!

alpinism said:

Here:
http://www.lluem.org/current-residents/

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Ah, thank you. Didn't realize there was a separate EM page.

Heads up!

Loma Linda has redesigned their away rotation. More information here!