Hi all,
I'm a current student nearing the end of 3rd year. I'm at Cambridge Health Alliance (the 3rd year program/PCE is called the Cambridge Integrated Clerkship) and I've really loved it so far. I can answer questions that you might have about it.
@Gotmedical summarized it very nicely but I'll add a few details. It is indeed a longitudinal program, meaning that all of your clerkships (surgery, medicine, OB/GYN, psych, etc.) run over the course of the whole year. The schedule is relatively stable from week to week. You are assigned an attending physician to be your preceptor in each clerkship and work with them continually. The advantages of having it set up this way are: you get to know your attendings and residents better. You understand them and they understand you. You get to follow the same patient through different avenues of care (i.e. we have cancer patients and I might see them with their PCP, then with their surgeon, and then in psychiatry during therapy - you get the idea). It is a smaller hospital and more of a community setting. The complexity of the patients is less, but you get to be more involved in their care. You get to make some real decisions about your patients and have more independence. That's a tradeoff.
Further, I've spent time at the other 3 hospitals and the culture here is definitely healthier. There's no doubt about it. The attendings and residents are very down to earth. That makes a huge difference. We also spend the whole year with our other 11 classmates, which is great because it develops a real sense of camaraderie. Another difference is that CIC tends to be more like 70:30 or 80:20 outpatient:inpatient, whereas at the other sites it is inverted - that's something to take into consideration. Keep in mind that at the end of the day 4th year rotations and your residencies will most likely be overwhelmingly inpatient. Some people think that the program is specifically for people interested in primary care - it's not. Lots of us here are interested in primary care and that is really wonderful! But among my classmates there are also people planning to go into emergency medicine, orthopedic surgery, trauma surgery, radiation oncology, etc. so it is a good mix. CIC is both an educational model and a culture. There is definitely an emphasis on serving the community and marginalized people, as well as social justice here.
I can't speak as much to the other 3 sites, but most of us here are very happy. Added bonus is living in Cambridge and getting to feel like a "real person"
😉
You'll get a great education at any of the hospitals. There are fantastic people at BWH, BIDMC, MGH. I completely agree with
@Silverwing that the difference between the hospitals is magnified... it really doesn't matter at the end of the day. It's one of those things that matters just because it's a decision that you have to make. Whether you're at a "top hospital" or not for PCE will not make an ounce of difference for the subsequent future, so please relax and try to enjoy the ride!
P.S. Regarding "shelves" (NBME Subject Exams), it is a set schedule. We have our first shelf about 5-6 months into the year which gives us time to start up since we are starting all clerkships at once. Then we all follow the same shelf schedule for the remainder of the year. The way it has been ordered has been based on past student feedback on what the best order would be. For us it was Neuro, Psych, OB/GYN, Peds, Medicine, Surgery. We historically do very well on the shelves.
P.P.S. Regarding preclinical "woes," the concerns that have been brought up are very legitimate. It's tough to bear the brunt of inefficiencies. Medical education can and should improve. On the other hand, you CAN be happy with your education here! Too often I see people relying on the school itself to make or break their 4-5 year experience. Y'all - make your own experience. If you want to see change, start with yourself. What is it that is driving you? What is it that makes you so deeply upset when your curriculum isn't targeted towards Step 1? Just some food for thought. There are many people who are happy with their decision to be here and are not posting on SDN. I appreciate that it's been a difficult experience for others. I'm not telling you to come to HMS - you should make your own decision - but I want to provide a balanced viewpoint.
