Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital (Corpus Christi) Residency Reviews

I'm wondering if anyone has heard anything about this program. I was reading the review on the "Residency Review" Sticky, and it sounded like things weren't going so great. Has anyone heard if things have change and if the residents are feeling more comfortable now?

Frogmed said:

I'm wondering if anyone has heard anything about this program. I was reading the review on the "Residency Review" Sticky, and it sounded like things weren't going so great. Has anyone heard if things have change and if the residents are feeling more comfortable now?

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I graduated from there. As of July, it was a stable program with good faculty. Like any community ER program it has pluses and minuses.

Pros:
- High acuity
- Regional trauma center for all of South Texas
- Residents run/control all traumas and trauma procedures
- Good faculty attention
- Excellent support staff
- Lots of funding
- Location (if you like Texas and the beach)
- Affordable housing

Cons:
- Senior residents don't get to "run the ER"
- Low volume
- Inbred program (mostly Texas people)
- Outdated facilities
- Isolated location
- Location (if you hate Texas)

Overview
Nearly new 3 year program in Corpus Christi, TX which started in 2007. They have already graduated their first class as they picked up the residents from King/Drew. Have PGYs 1-3 onboard now. One of two residencies in the hospitals; the other is Family Practice. Said to be have a good mix of trauma (with some very unique to the coastal region) and medicine. EM residents treated very well by private attendings. Lots of one-on-one attention.

Residents
8 per class. The program didn’t offer a pre-interview get-together. However, there was a scheduled thirty minute chat session with them in-between the other interviews. I didn’t feel totally relaxed because there was the question of whether it really was a “social” or a thinly veiled interview. Nothing to be scared of, though.

That said, the residents seemed overall to be a very relaxed bunch. There is a wide variety of backgrounds (MD/DO, Midwest and Pacific Northwest) with concomitant variability in interests. All reported that they liked living in Corpus Christi: several remarked that the program is very much a “work hard, play hard” place and that they hit the beach or water activities several times per year as interns.

Faculty
Some very young leaven the mix. Everyone seemed to be excited about the program and excited to have us there. Very interested in teaching in a non-confrontational manner. Lots of involvement in outdoor activities. Most seemed to come from community backgrounds, with the two newest faculty recently arrived from U Arizona.

Ancillary staff
Good range reported, from merely good to outstanding. Because none of the hospitals are your typical University hospital which is overrun with students, residents, fellows, etc., the nurses treat EM residents and near attendings. Lots of support reported.

Curriculum
PGY1
o EM – 16 weeks
o Peds EM – 4 weeks
o 4 weeks each of Cards, OB/GYN, Ortho, ENT/Ophtho, Anesthesia/Rads, SICU, IM.
--> I should note that on the non-EM months, you’re pretty much the only resident on the team. So it’s one-on-one with the relevant attending. Lots of high-yield learning and minimal scut. Also, on SICU, it’s the EM intern, an EM PGY2/3, and the attending. Lots of procedures and no trauma service to share procedures with.

PGY2
o EM -24 weeks.
o Trauma Surgery – 8 weeks
o MICU – 8 weeks
o PICU -4 weeks
o Peds EM – 4 weeks.

PGY3
o EM -28 weeks.
o Trauma Surgery – 4 weeks
o EMS/Admin – 4 weeks
o Elective -8 weeks
o Peds EM – 4 weeks.

Can’t remember the shifts/month breakdown. It should be noted that the hardest year seems to be the PGY2 year. Lots of ICU, lots of trauma.

Moonlighting in 2d year with faculty backup via phone.

Fellowships
None yet as far as I know.

Facilities
Christus Spohn Memorial: 40,000 visits/year, 20% admission rate, 28 beds with separate fast-track run by Pas and NPs. Level 2 facility. All Level 1 type patients get transferred to University Hospital in San Antonio via Aeromed.

Christus Spohn Shoreline: 432 bed facility, more of a private insurance patient population. Unknown visit/admissions numbers.

Driscoll Children’s Hospital: 40,000 visits/year. Only tertiary care children’s hospital in South Texas.


Charting
Mix of paper and electronic, if I recall correctly.

Location
Corpus Christi. Beautiful, though not in a California or South Florida beach way. Pleasant people. Low cost of living, especially with respect to the PGY1 salary [$41K + $1,500 moving stipend + paid health insurance for you and your family]. Lots to do outdoors. Windy.

Negatives
New program so there’s that uncertainty. The relationship between CC and TAMU wasn’t really explained clearly to me; I know through the TX EM grapevine that there have been problems. I don’t see that as a huge problem as the community and the hospitals seem excited and committed to having the residency. Corpus, while pretty, is quiet and a bit far out from major cities. And to get to those major cities requires something like a 2-hour drive.

No access to strong research programs or grants and no one in fellowship from this program as far as I know. Please correct me if that’s not true!

Positives

I used to think that having an unopposed residency might be a bad thing. However, if you’re pretty sure that you’re going to be a community EP then this program might be the one for you. All of your off-service rotations are done with community attendings and you apparently learn how to speak their language very well. In addition, it was pointed out to me that because there aren’t any residencies besides FP, the EM residents get to do a LOT of procedures and in massive quantities compared to other programs.

Overall, I think if the goal is to be an outstanding community EP then this is going to be a solid choice. You get lots of moonlighting opportunities which really enhances your skill set and confidence. Couple that with a low cost of living and outstanding schools and I think that you have a solid choice for those of you who are married +/- kids.

I originally posted this in the Unofficial 2009 ROL thread but I'm posting here so that folks down the line can get more hits when they search for various programs.

1. Texas A&M-Scott & White - Loved the facilities, great reputation in Texas and surrounding regions, LOVED the residents and faculty. Feels like home. Brought my wife back for a second look and it was a giant love-fest. Training is extremely good, great location, and extremely family friendly.

2. Duke Univ Med Ctr-NC - I loved the PD (Sarah Stahmer), the faculty, and the residents. I definitely felt as if I could spend three years with these guys. The feel-goodness started at the resident social and continued on. I was also impressed by the group of applicants who were there with me (one of my hidden indicators). Excellent training, though a bit too university hospital biased. Duke name and reputation, facilities, and Raleigh-Durham is gorgeous. Family in the area. Would be excited to end up here.

3. UC San Francisco-CA - One of those programs with that "X-factor" that's hard to describe; yet you know it when you see it. Really liked the PD and Assistant PD. Fantastic facilities, really top-notch faculty, residents were nice and very welcoming. New program and that brings with it problems; however, I've made something of a habit of helping to establish new organizations and I love a challenge. Though SF is hideously expensive, we think that we can make it happen. Plus it's SF! Gorgeous city and TONS to do when we're not working. Family (a well-traveled bunch) would be thrilled too and have already promised to visit all the time if we end up there.

4. University Hosp-Cincinnati-OH - My favorite program by far when considered in and of itself. However, when those "other factors" get thrown in, it was hard to rank them higher. Spent a month there, absolutely LOVED the program. Seriously. This is truly one of those X-factor places and watching their fourth years was insanely impressive. Wish that I could have ranked them higher. But if by some ridiculous longshot we end up there, then I will probably be their most enthusiastic resident EVER.

5. U Texas Med Sch-Houston - solid program in a city that I love, close to family and friends, good research available, extremely familiar with the medical center and area.

6. University of Virginia - Very good program that a friend rotated with, so I know it's dirt to a degree. Gorgeous town, decently close to family. Kind of isolated and would be harder for my wife to find a job since it's primarily a college town.

7. Ohio State Univ Med Ctr-OH - Heard great things about the program, really enjoyed my interview, residents at my med school rave about the city. Would be very happy to end up there.

8. Christiana Care-DE - One of those programs that I wish that I'd been able to rotate with because I hear so many great things. Really clicked with the faculty, kind so-so with the residents. Newark didn't really impress me much as it reminded me of the concrete suburbia that I wouldn't mind leaving behind. Nonetheless, would be happy to match there.

9. U Michigan Hosps-Ann Arbor - Fantastic program, not really thrilled about the amount of snow/winter/winter schmutz we'd have to deal with. Not looking forward to buying a light box and possibly dealing with SAD.

10. U Arkansas-Little Rock - One of the most relaxed and enjoyable interview days I had on the trail. Brand-spanking new ED which is gorgeous and well thought out. A little concerned about the volume and pathology that they see there. Good faculty and the residents seem like people I'd want to be friends with outside of work. Little Rock seems like a very pleasant place to live, and quite affordable.

11. Christus Spohn Mem Hosp-TX - I think that this program is going to be really outstanding in a couple of years. I had a great interview and with the relative lack of other residencies, you get treated like royalty by the hospital - Close, free parking, free food in the Dr.'s Lounge, relatively few low-yield rotations. However, the wife and I weren't too thrilled at the prospect of living in Corpus for three years, and their are still some rough edges to the program. Nonetheless, I believe that you'd come out of this program a very well trained EP.

12. Pitt County Mem Hosp/Brody SOM-NC - Solid program, had a so-so interview day. Location was a bit of a negative for me as Greenville is so small. On the other hand, it is only about forty minutes from family and it's insanely cheap to live in. I've known some folks from the school and they had very good things to say about the program. Would be okay with matching here.

Bottom line is that I didn't interview at a single place that I wouldn't mind training at. I do think that there is a nearly intangible but real difference (for me) between the top-tier and other programs. Having said that though, the one thing that I've learned from this interview season is that the saying "You get a solid education at any of these places because of the RRC," is probably pretty close to the mark.

ROL
The city for each program played a big role in my list.
1. Baylor: Pros: I liked Houston a lot and grew up in and still have most of my family in the SW. I liked the residents. Faculty seemed cool and are from all over. I think I would like to end up in the SW when I'm done with residency. Ben Taub was nicer than I was expecting and the Texas Medical Center was impressive, some Peds EM at Texas Children's Hospital. 6 months of ICU. I'd get to work on my Spanish. Free lunch everyday while working in the ED. 8's during the week and 12's on weekends to allow for a weekend off a month while in the ED. (I've forgotten how many shifts- 20-22ish?)
Cons: Newer Program (In its first year). Houston Traffic. Moonlight starting 3rd year. Residents Pay for parking.
2.Univ. of TN- Chattanooga: Pros: I rotated here and like the faculty and the residents. No floor months (Peds or IM). About 5 ICU months. Nice hospital, Nice ED. Free food + parking. Newer program (in it's 3rd year) but has a lot of support from the college of Medicine and Hospital- the Dean of the College of Med is an EP and the president elect of ACEP. Good "outdoor activities." Variety of good food- I've was pleasantly surprised. I'd be very happy to end up here, and thought about putting them number 1 but chose Houston over Chatt. 17 12's as an R1, 17 10's as R2, and 16 10's as an R3 (or something close to that).
Cons: Not a big city, although Nashville and Atlanta are close by (not a plus for me). Not a great place to fly out of- most flights take you to Nashville or Atl first. No family nearby.
3. JPS: Pros: Some of the faculty seemed pretty cool. Fort Worth seemed ok from what I saw during my 1 day visit. I like most of the curriculum- about 6 months of ICU. 1 mo of Cardiology is a plus in my book. Nice ED. Free food + parking. Good benefits package. Dallas nearby. This program could have gone lower on my list, but I like the city more than the ones below, and although the idea of being at a brand new program is a little scary it didn't scare me off. Also, it could be cool to be the senior-most resident in the ED on day 1 and not have 2 classes above to compete with for procedures and cool cases.
Cons: Brand New Program. Hard to get a feel for things because no residents to talk with. PD not at interview day. 2 months of Medicine. No Peds EM integrated into Adult EM months (this was the issue that most worried me, but the Assoc. PD said that they will see what the residents think and are working on some of the hospitals nearby but have nothing solid as of the time I interviewed. They do however, have 3 months of Peds EM- 1mo as an R2 and 2mo's as an R3 at Children's Hosp. of Dallas. Nothing R1 year).
4. Kansas City (KUMC): Pros: Nice people, Nice ED
Cons: 1 mo of Medicine + 1 mo of Peds, Newer program ( in 1st year), I think KC may be a bit colder or more snowy than what I'm looking for
5. Arkansas: Pros: Established program. Nice people. Newly built ED that was pretty nice. I believe an EM resident is involved in/runs all of the Traumas. A lot of moonlighting opportunities.
Cons: Little Rock. Residents give a lot of the lectures. 1 mo of Medicine at the VA (I think they may consider changing this?) 1 Month of Peds Flight experience (I think this is a combined EMS/Flight experience. You can opt out of the helicopter rides and do an additional month of PICU instead, but most people don't). All 12's (R1- 18, R2-17, R3- 16)
6. Christus Spohn: Pros: The beach. Good weather year round. Family is the only other program, so when you are off service you are working w/attendings. EM handles the all of the traumas (no surgery residents). No call, except for one service.. PICU, I think. Everything else is shift work. When on Trauma, it's 12 hr shifts. Moonlighting opportunites. 9 hr ED shifts (20/19/18 for R1/2/3). Weekly quizzes to go with reading (+/-) Free food + gated parking. Optional flight experience. 1 mo of Cardiology.
Cons: Older EDs. Level Two Trauma center (although they say they see plenty, plus no surgery residents to compete with). 1 mo of Neurology (they say it's beneficial, bc you're often consulting Neuro, good experience, etc.) 1 mo of Medicine
7. Emory: Pros: I rotated here for a month. I loved Emory (EUH, Emory Hospital- Midtown, etc) but wasn't a fan of Grady. Lots of sick pt.s at all of the EDs. At Grady, at the beginning/end of each shift the teams sort-of mini round on all of the pts. , it's brief (about 10 min max) and usually an attending, resident, and med student will share something cool that they saw or learned. Now have EMR. Some cool residents. The SICU month is supposed to put hair on your chest. During intern year (it may be during the first month in the ED) you get a month to cherry-pick procedures and can take some from the upper levels so that you get more comfortable and more experienced during that month. A lot of the faculty were very nice and the residents seem to like each other. I believe Emory gets the most NIH research money for EM. 8hr shifts during week, 12's on weekend to allow for 1 weekend off a month while in ED. Around 22 shifts a month(?).
Cons: Grady just wasn't really my style. Very crowded. Lots of pts on stretchers in the hallway, my 3rd year wheeled a pt to CT and then I took him to X-ray. A lot of the rooms don't have functioning ophthalmoscopes or otoscopes. Some of the labs didn't get drawn on a few pts. Very large class size (19, likely going up to 20). 1 mo of Medicine. ATL traffic. I'm also not a big fan of ATL and I think that colored my experience as well. I think it is a good program. Most of my mentors in EM went to Emory and they are awesome, that's one of the reasons why I wanted to check it out. I think when you come through the program you'll be very well prepared. 75% of the program is at Grady, 25% at Emory. Because of this and since I didn't like the city either, It had to be a lower ranking for me. I agree that Grady really is a place you should rotate at if you very interested in going there for residency. You'll find out if you like it or not during that month and they take heavily from those who have rotated (in one class, I think 18 of the 19 did a rotation there).
8. St. Louis (SLU): Pros: 1 mo of Tox + 1 mo of Burn Unit. St. Louis can be a violent city (trauma).
Cons: St. Louis can be a violent city. Small ED with lower pt census (I believe around 35K/yr). Interview day was a bit disorganized. Newer program (in it's 2nd year) 1 mo of Peds, IM, and Neuro. A couple of awkward interviews, although PD seemed cool. I also missed the pre-interview dinner and didn't get to meet some of the residents.
9. MS: Pros: A lot of moonlighting opportunities. Since it's a 4 yr program, they have room for all of the things that other programs pick only a few of (Cardio, Radiology, EKG, Tox, Ultrasound, Peds Sedation, TeleMedicine). Most of the resident were pretty cool.
Cons: 4 years is about 1 year too long for me. Jackson. 1 mo IM. 1st year is very off-service heavy, only 3 mos of EM (2 adult + 1 Peds).

Posted anonymously on behalf of a med student who interviewed there:

Review of Texas A & M Christus spohn

Program started in 2007 but already had 4 or so classes graduate (took in King/Drew residents) so they say they have been able to run many kinks out of the program. Is located in Corpus Christi a city of about 300K people located right on the good ole gulf of mexico. There are not a ton of great restaurants and there is only one or two “clubs” downtown but there is great fishing, kite boarding, ok scuba/surfing and they are building a couple water parks. Crazy cheap cost of living. New house 3b/2b goes for 135-150k.

You rotate through 3 hospitals the main one is 200 beds and pretty old but has EMR and all the basics are there. You also rotate at the children’s hospital and the nice old rich people hospital.
Main hospital is a level 2 trauma center; but it is the only level 2 south of San Antonio and it takes everything except burns. The only other program there is FP so the SICU and every trauma is managed by EM residents. They also get every line, tube, and procedure.
Very poor patient population with great path a lot of which comes from mexico and snake bites.

You get treated very well, you get free food, access to the DR parking lot and lounge, free ipad.

You have a month of medicine, OB/GYN, ortho, rads/anasth and cards no other residencies so you work directly with attendings which can be good or bad depending on how you look at things. You have the option of doing helicopter/ems. Good US program and was told they got a big grant to redo their simlab.

You get about 6 months of ICU time including MICU, PICU, and SICU.

EM Shifts are 8 hours but residents normally stay an hour or so later. Decent amount of procedures more knife club than GSW’s lots of industrial accidents.
Faculty is from all over US so no inbreeding and they are all very laid back and seem pro resident.

Residents are also laid back and hang out with each other out of the hospital.
About 2/3 married & 1/3 single. Have had residents go on to faculty at level 1 centers and land jobs at competative locations.

Provide free student housing in a new apt complex with views of the water.

Interview day non confrontational, low pressure; I think it was two or three faculty and one resident. They pay for your hotel, no event the night before but do lunch after the interviews, which ½ of those interviewing had to leave early to make a flight.

Putting it all together if your not from Texas it’s bit of under the radar and expensive to travel to, if you want to be work in a community ED and can stand the heat this is one of those hidden gems.

I used past posts about people's thought on the programs on their rank order list to help formulate my own preferences in the programs I interviewed at so I thought I would pass my thoughts along about the programs on my ROL, now that all interviews are said and done. Be forewarned: I'm not very picky about where I do my training, so I ended up making a lot of decisions based on gut feeling and eccentric preferences.

1. JPS, Ft Worth: Really clicked with the faculty and residents. Hospital and program is very well funded and the EM program has a lot of pull and respect within the hospital. Really like the city for its size, low cost of living, and reasonable traffic volume. Almost all the training (except three months) is at their hospital.
2. Christiana, Delaware: Very well respected program that's been around a long time. I did a rotation there and its clear that many of their residents are very strong. Has many of the same qualities I liked about JPS (strong and respected program within the hospital), but I grew up in the area and am hesitant to move back. Has two training sites that are 20 minutes apart.
3. Ohio State, Columbus, OH: Really liked a lot of the residents I met. Had trouble clicking with some of the faculty, but did get to sit in on a small group session with one of their younger faculty members leading who was a phenomenal educator. Columbus seems like an awesome town. Just a little hesitant about the separate training sites.
4. Summa, Akron, OH: The nicest cafeteria I've ever been to. New YMCA connected to the hospital. Maybe that shouldn't have influenced me so much, but it did.
5. York, PA: I was really into the program director's pride in having a strong sense of community in the program. I also thought their simulation and other educational programs sounded really engaging.
6. Baylor, Houston, TX: Assistant residency director (Tyson Pillow) was the most personable, fun, and candid person I met the entire interview trail. Would love to work under him.
7. Jefferson, Philadelphia, PA: Three different training sites, some of which appeared to be long commutes. Really cool neighborhood for the university hospital, but pricey. Awesome airway course included with the education.
8. Little Rock, Arkansas
9. CHRISTUS Spohn, Corpus Christi, TX: Program director seemed a bit awkward and not very personable, but the assistant program director and a lot of the other faculty seemed cool. Didn't really click with any of the residents. Seemed like they have a cool simulation experience.
10. St. John's, Detroit, MI
11. UTSW: Very cool residents. Did get the impression that their training experience was a bit skewed to free labor taking priority over education side of things. Clerkship director was very arrogant. Very insistent on his excellent clinical and educational abilities.
12. Metro/Clevland Clinic: Great reputation, but many of their residents seemed burnt out and dissatisfied. They were also the only place where the residents didn't seem to hold their program director in especially high regard.
13. New York Hospital Queens: The fact that this is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the US makes me think I'm going to have to use a translator way too much.

Just my thoughts on interview day at Corpus Christi
Positives
The residency is unopposed so you don’t compete with anesthesia, surgery, or orthopedics for procedures etc. You leave the program very prepared for the outside world. You can begin moonlighting as early as 2nd year, but officially during 3rd year. You have attending back up on phone during moonlighting. You are highly respected in the community by other attendings and other services. You get to know your attendings well. The group is a tight knit family and they will know your weaknesses and concentrate on making you stronger. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming. Great weather there and you’re on the beach. There’s plenty of water activities, wind surfing, fishing, scuba. There’s a good Sim program where you can practice anytime. There aren’t too many didactics and they’re split up instead of long day. There’s 9hr shifts. There’s 12hr shifts in pediatrics.


Negatives

Corpus Christi looks like a very small town. There is not much nightlife although I was assured that people go out every night if they want. There’s always a place to grab a beer. It’s about $1000-1200 for a 1br/1ba in a nice area. There are no suburbs of corpus Christi meaning 300,000 people is exactly what you get. Metro is 470,000. I thought there would be more Spanish speakers based on the proximity to the border but it’s predominantly English speaking.


Big Positive

1. Unopposed training so more one on one time.

2. lots of opportunities for moonlighting


Big Negatives:

1. Corpus Christi does not look like a city with a lot going on.

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WaterBottle18 said:

Is it true that it is a malignant rotation? Someone told me that the other week and I was shocked.

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As an away rotation? I have heard good things. I have heard nothing about it being malignant.