2016 Match Rank List Thread

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
MJ978 said:
Great list, congrats! You have great rationale for each program, it's certainly tailored for you, and I'd keep it as is.

One note I'd mention, for all applicants: for the most part, if you are a US MD, you will match in your top 3. I believe in charting outcomes it was over 95% last year, and at my home (mid tier) program 12/12 matched at #1 or 2.
Again, it's with caveats (red flags, etc), but I wouldn't stress too much about your rank list beyond 3-4 ish.
Click to expand...

What about for couples match?
 
  • Like
Reactions: woo
How should I order UPMC and WashU? For background, my factors are:

1. Excellent clinical training, but both places have that.

2. Post graduate opportunities - I'd like to do a fellowship (maybe Peds) and have an academic career, maybe in the southeast or southern CA. (side note: I have ranked programs in those areas, I'm just struggling with the UPMC/WashU part of my list)

3. Lifestyle. We'll have a newborn this summer (right when intern year starts...ouch!) and likely another later in residency (we have little flexibility on timing due to medical reasons). My partner works long hours and can't be the primary caregiver either. I want to be able to spend time with the kid(s) and be able to read on my own. So the difference between leaving the hospital at 5:00pm vs. 6:00pm is significant, unless I lose that hour in commute time. I'd also like to minimize 24 hour shifts, because doing that with kids will be tough and I don't study well when tired. If I recall, UPMC doesn't do them (more like 3pm-7am), and WashU does them rarely (how often?) because of their night float system.

4. Cost of Living - We'd like to have a large house (3000+ sq feet for reasons not worth going into here) with less than a 25 minute door-to-door commute time, ideally less than $400k. Seems possible in both St. Louis and along 279 northwest of Pittsburgh, but I'm not sure about neighborhood quality.
 
Poptosis said:
How should I order UPMC and WashU? For background, my factors are:

1. Excellent clinical training, but both places have that.

2. Post graduate opportunities - I'd like to do a fellowship (maybe Peds) and have an academic career, maybe in the southeast or southern CA. (side note: I have ranked programs in those areas, I'm just struggling with the UPMC/WashU part of my list)

3. Lifestyle. We'll have a newborn this summer (right when intern year starts...ouch!) and likely another later in residency (we have little flexibility on timing due to medical reasons). My partner works long hours and can't be the primary caregiver either. I want to be able to spend time with the kid(s) and be able to read on my own. So the difference between leaving the hospital at 5:00pm vs. 6:00pm is significant, unless I lose that hour in commute time. I'd also like to minimize 24 hour shifts, because doing that with kids will be tough and I don't study well when tired. If I recall, UPMC doesn't do them (more like 3pm-7am), and WashU does them rarely (how often?) because of their night float system.

4. Cost of Living - We'd like to have a large house (3000+ sq feet for reasons not worth going into here) with less than a 25 minute door-to-door commute time, ideally less than $400k. Seems possible in both St. Louis and along 279 northwest of Pittsburgh, but I'm not sure about neighborhood quality.
Click to expand...

You have high expectations. You may be disappointed with the lifestyle at any decent anesthesia program including Pitt and WashU. It's just not realistic to expect to go home at a particular time. That's not how ORs in big busy hospitals work. Cases run long and late all the time. Since you are expecting a baby, childcare is of paramount importance. Go where you will have the most childcare support so you can have less stress and focus on learning medicine.

As a parent and resident, you are about to take on 2 very demanding jobs at the same time. Adding a big house to the mix will be a 3rd. Hopefully you need a big house because you will be living with parents or in laws who can help with childcare. Otherwise consider renting something much more modest and save the money for a nanny.

The program's sound like a tossup.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
nimbus said:
You have high expectations. You may be disappointed with the lifestyle at any decent anesthesia program including Pitt and WashU. It's just not realistic to expect to go home at a particular time. That's not how ORs in big busy hospitals work. Cases run long and late all the time. Since you are expecting a baby, childcare is of paramount importance. Go where you will have the most childcare support so you can have less stress and focus on learning medicine.

As a parent and resident, you are about to take on 2 very demanding jobs at the same time. Adding a big house to the mix will be a 3rd. Hopefully you need a big house because you will be living with parents or in laws who can help with childcare. Otherwise consider renting something much more modest and save the money for a nanny.

The program's sound like a tossup.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your input. I know ORs will run late and there are no guarantees. I was just asking which program had more consistency/fewer hours, because there may be differences between the two. I am willing to work a lot to be at a top program, but top programs do vary somewhat in their hours and call shifts.

As for childcare, we have a family member who will live with us and provide substantial childcare. We also have family members who are willing to visit for several weeks at a time, a few times per year. We'll likely also need a nanny, with space for her to sleep over from time to time. So that's the reason for the big house and looking for an area with a low cost of living.
 
Saw someone post on the google doc that they got a RTM email from St. Lukes-Roosevelt, did anyone else get this email? I am really interested in this residency
 
medstudent33 said:
Saw someone post on the google doc that they got a RTM email from St. Lukes-Roosevelt, did anyone else get this email? I am really interested in this residency
Click to expand...

Hello! I'm not sure who wrote that they received an RTM email from SLR or why they would write that because it is not true. I am a former SLR resident (and still work here): the PD does not write RTM emails and in fact, does not even reply to emails as a rule except to answer questions. Hope that helps!
 
SocialCapital said:
Would love some input on these two!

UAB - Birmingham seems "meh" to bad. No real public transit. Not very bike-friendly. However, very cheap cost of living. Program is great tho. Nice people, great training with high quality cases. Relieved around 3pm most days and killer moonlighting.
UW - Seattle seems great. Public transit and bike friendly. Higher cost of living with no moonlighting opportunities. Program seems like it may be a cut above UAB. Everyone I met I liked pretty well. Relieved 4-5pm?

I think I would be more comfortable at UAB's program but Seattle seems like a significantly higher quality of life outside of the hospital and I'm having a formidable time ranking one at the top of my list.
Click to expand...

I would say you will receive high quality training at both institutions - complex cases and happy residents. You don't need public transit in Bham - car friendly, minimal traffic. You need public transit in Seattle.
What's more important to you?
Location? - UW of course.
Low cost of living / more family friendly? -UAB
You wanna work in the SE or NW after residency?
 
SocialCapital said:
Would love some input on these two!

UAB - Birmingham seems "meh" to bad. No real public transit. Not very bike-friendly. However, very cheap cost of living. Program is great tho. Nice people, great training with high quality cases. Relieved around 3pm most days and killer moonlighting.
UW - Seattle seems great. Public transit and bike friendly. Higher cost of living with no moonlighting opportunities. Program seems like it may be a cut above UAB. Everyone I met I liked pretty well. Relieved 4-5pm?

I think I would be more comfortable at UAB's program but Seattle seems like a significantly higher quality of life outside of the hospital and I'm having a tough time picking one for the top of my list.
Click to expand...
UAB, so hot right now. - Mugatu

But seriously, seems like you just have to choose the city that fits your needs best. Both programs very strong. As you realize, Bham and Seattle are just a bit different...
 
medstudent33 said:
Saw someone post on the google doc that they got a RTM email from St. Lukes-Roosevelt, did anyone else get this email? I am really interested in this residency
Click to expand...

Where did you see that? cuz I didn't see anything
 
medstudent33 said:
Saw someone post on the google doc that they got a RTM email from St. Lukes-Roosevelt, did anyone else get this email? I am really interested in this residency
Click to expand...
What is this Google doc you all speak of?
 
Psai said:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...esiology-applications-and-interviews.1159656/

As an aside, I wish that more people would comment on rank lists. If people put half the energy they do on posting about amcs buying practices and telling us that anesthesia sucks into some thoughts about programs that would be nice
Click to expand...


I was in your spot last year, but this is what I would say in retrospect: You're an adult, make your move. There are so many people on this website who just want a forum to complain - do you really want their input? Do you really care what they think?

I'll give you my two cents because I've already stepped up on my soapbox - think about what's important to you (family, spouse, career, research, location, work environment, etc), and then think about what program is going to satisfy those requirements. In the end for me the important criteria were 'location/spouse' and 'work environment'. I wanted my wife to be happy with where we ended up, and I wanted to go to a program where there was a strong esprit de corps and I felt like I fit in like one of those little round pegs. That's all.

I lucked out. I love my program, and the best part of my day is working with my co-intern(s).
 
Poptosis said:
Thank you for your input. I know ORs will run late and there are no guarantees. I was just asking which program had more consistency/fewer hours, because there may be differences between the two. I am willing to work a lot to be at a top program, but top programs do vary somewhat in their hours and call shifts.

As for childcare, we have a family member who will live with us and provide substantial childcare. We also have family members who are willing to visit for several weeks at a time, a few times per year. We'll likely also need a nanny, with space for her to sleep over from time to time. So that's the reason for the big house and looking for an area with a low cost of living.
Click to expand...


I think there are some really unrealistic expectations about residency. I tell my residents all the time that quality of life outside the hospital is important. I had a child during residency (in the midst of my chief year so it was stressful) ... believe me, I get it but to expect to get out at certain times during residency is unrealistic in anesthesia (especially before you even start if thats the primary thing you are considering). You only get one shot at residency and you have to learn a lot. A great deal of that learning is done in the OR - not in some text book. If you want a set schedule and to not do 24 hour calls you probably should look at another specialty. Even if you can find that 'perfect' residency, things don't get any easier once you are an attending and many of my friends in academics and private practice still work well past 6pm and 24 hour calls.

I'm just saying you might want to reset your expectations and really think about the training you will get instead of the call schedules and study time.
 
Drexel vs Temple? I know many here will reply with "neither" but was wondering if anyone had some constructive input between the two. Thanks!
 
Hey guys, current UW resident here. PM me if you want more details, but at least as far as my experience goes, that above review from Doximetry is quite false. Everybody gets huge cases here and by the time you finish you'll have been scared enough that nothing will shock you anymore. And Seattle's awesome, especially if you want to go play in the mountains or on the water during off time. VM is probably better for didactics due to size and certainly superior for regional as you'll basically finish there with fellow level training, but they definitely don't see the kind of complex cases we do on a regular basis.
 
Anyone have any input regarding how they would rank these programs: Maimonides, NYMC, Tufts Baystate, Henry Ford, and Cooper. Thanks.
 
My list- honestly besides my #1 I'm very torn. I have some bias to boston but wonder what people think of tufts? I'm open to suggestions or opinions about programs ( didn't think it would be this hard)- PM me
MGH- work hard, top notch, boston
TUFTS- smaller program with regional bias... Wanna make sure I don't close any future career goals going here?
Mt Sinai- loved Adam Levine, worry about the increased forced hours that changed recently
Cornell- seems changed from what I read people are happy
NYU- casual interview day, seem to be happy
Upenn- all around great program, hard working tho
Yale- program seemed good, research heavy.
UVA- really liked the people, worry about ability to come back north
Wake- same as UVA
John Hopkins- research vibe,
CCF- seemed like some really cool attending school and residents, like the anesthesiology institute
Dartmouth- loved the people, hard to live in NH
USC- great just on west cost and im acrid I won't be able to come back east.
Cedar Sinai- same as above
 
Last edited:
AnesthesiaBallerina said:
Hello! I'm not sure who wrote that they received an RTM email from SLR or why they would write that because it is not true. I am a former SLR resident (and still work here): the PD does not write RTM emails and in fact, does not even reply to emails as a rule except to answer questions. Hope that helps!
Click to expand...
What is an RTM email?
 
Is anyone else having trouble with not letting post-interview communication (or lack thereof) from programs affect your rank lists? Mostly for my top 6 because they are all equally awesome programs... I feel like my list changes every other day...
 
uglyduckling16 said:
Is anyone else having trouble with not letting post-interview communication (or lack thereof) from programs affect your rank lists? Mostly for my top 6 because they are all equally awesome programs... I feel like my list changes every other day...
Click to expand...
It's hard not to. It's natural to be more drawn to someone (or the program) that shows you more attention. I'm sure the programs are the same way when it comes to candidates. At least somewhat.
 
DrOwnage said:
The day I interviewed at UF the program director announced he was leaving to a head position at Vandy. This was around 2 weeks ago. Apparently they do not have a replacement yet. Can anyone speak to how this would affect their decision on ranking UF or a program with a similar situation?
Click to expand...
Gainesville or Jax? Anyone else heard of UF's PD stepping down?
 
smander011 said:
Gainesville or Jax? Anyone else heard of UF's PD stepping down?
Click to expand...
Gainesville. I'm not touching that program with a 10 foot pole. The fact that they haven't contacted interviewees to let them know about the PD situation prior to rank lists being finalized is totally unacceptable, in my opinion.
 
Dr.Acula99 said:
What are some people's thoughts on Umass vs Tufts vs BMC, in terms of quality of training and reputation? I was thinking of ranking them in that order.
Click to expand...
anesthesiadoc said:
I'm currently at BU. Wasn't going to reply, but given that it's close to match season, I'd like to correct a few misconceptions above. Over the past year the entire curriculum has been revamped, improved lectures, new lecture schedule including pushing OR start times back on Friday for more protected learning time for our residents. We have also hired a number of late CRNA's and created a mandate that, barring extreme circumstances (e.g. no triple GSW rolling into the OR at 16:30) all non-call residents are expected to be walking out of the hospital (preops done and all) no later than 5pm. In addition we've cut the number of resident calls by 25%.
Our residents get upwards of 300 ultrasound guided nerve blocks, through time at New England Baptist Hospital and in the main OR's here at BMC (not just on their regional/block doc months, as there are a number of orthopedic and vascular surgeons here who ONLY want to do their procedures with regional/neuraxial techniques).
Our residents here are in a union and have negotiated one of the highest (if not the highest) resident salaries in Boston, which easily offsets costs of parking (I paid more per month 8 years ago at another hospital here in town).
There is a massive construction project currently underway that will have all the OR's and periprocedural sedation in one building by 2017 (no more walking outside between campuses). Our rapport with the surgeons (resident to resident and resident to attending) is very good, particularly with our trauma surgeons and our airway/head and neck surgery service, with whom we work most closely. There are occasionally heated debates as to what Pandora station to select intraoperatively, but I'd assume these issues occur everywhere. 🙂 Overall, we are proud of our residents and our residency here at BU/Boston Medical Center. We work hard, our patients are sick, but our residents complete training ready for anything.
Click to expand...
 
My list -

1) UNC - Really liked the people and the area. Not 100% sure that they get the same complexity of cases as the other programs on my list (especially with Duke down the road). Fellowship match list is stellar.
2) BIDMC - Really like Boston. Not much trauma, but they do livers. Residents seemed happy.
3) Vanderbilt - Really like Nashville. As some others said, the culture can come off as a little "stuffy" but I didn't think it was overwhelming. Complexity of cases seems high.
4) Michigan - Got a good vibe with the residents here. Liked Ann Arbor.
5) Cornell - Thought the residents were one of the happiest groups. NYC is pretty expensive.
6) UAB - Strong, clinical program with excellent moonlighting opportunities. Peds is only "weak" aspect of program.
7) Mayo (Rochester) - Obviously they do crazy cases a bunch. Felt a good fit with the residents. Rochester can't be THAT bad.... can it?
8) Wash U St. Louis - Felt overly research heavy. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think some research is a good thing. Also, you know how some midwest cities are back on the upswing after being on a down-swing in the late 90's, early 2000's? It feels like St. Louis isn't quite back on the upswing. Just my impression. Good name though.
9) UPMC - BIG hospital system. Pittsburgh = most bars per capita (no wonder they do so may liver transplants). 7 different hospitals is kinda odd.
 
GW2012 said:
My list -

1) UNC - Really liked the people and the area. Not 100% sure that they get the same complexity of cases as the other programs on my list (especially with Duke down the road). Fellowship match list is stellar.
2) BIDMC - Really like Boston. Not much trauma, but they do livers. Residents seemed happy.
3) Vanderbilt - Really like Nashville. As some others said, the culture can come off as a little "stuffy" but I didn't think it was overwhelming. Complexity of cases seems high.
4) Michigan - Got a good vibe with the residents here. Liked Ann Arbor.
5) Cornell - Thought the residents were one of the happiest groups. NYC is pretty expensive.
6) UAB - Strong, clinical program with excellent moonlighting opportunities. Peds is only "weak" aspect of program.
7) Mayo (Rochester) - Obviously they do crazy cases a bunch. Felt a good fit with the residents. Rochester can't be THAT bad.... can it?
8) Wash U St. Louis - Felt overly research heavy. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think some research is a good thing. Also, you know how some midwest cities are back on the upswing after being on a down-swing in the late 90's, early 2000's? It feels like St. Louis isn't quite back on the upswing. Just my impression. Good name though.
9) UPMC - BIG hospital system. Pittsburgh = most bars per capita (no wonder they do so may liver transplants). 7 different hospitals is kinda odd.
Click to expand...

All great programs listed. UNC certainly offers a happy/friendly atmosphere, great training and the ability to land a solid fellowship, if you desire. However I believe programs 2-9 will provide more complex cases and a hard working culture. And about Rochester... yeah...
 
Met the program director for UNC at ASA, seemed like a really nice guy.
 
projectpat said:
1) UCSF and UCLA are both brand name programs that provide excellent training. Neither would ever "hurt" your career options. Look at the people and location - you said you like LA.

2) Location: Miami > Penn
"Reputation": Penn > Miami

Both good, hard working programs. You probably won't even fall this far down your list. Don't sweat it.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your input!

Dawkter said:
I interviewed at UCLA a couple of years ago. Had interviews across the country and thought it was a balanced program and extremely strong on all fronts (one of the best I interviewed at). You cannot go wrong training here.
Click to expand...

I'm assuming this was for me even though you quoted someone else 😀. Thank you!
 
Penn state vs SUNY downstate... i thought Penn state was a great program location just worries me... If I am trying to eventually work in the NYC area which is a better place to train
 
medstudent33 said:
Penn state vs SUNY downstate... i thought Penn state was a great program location just worries me... If I am trying to eventually work in the NYC area which is a better place to train
Click to expand...
I would say Penn state for sure. Don't know if you wanna rank downstate
 
Hello, does the NYU PD respond to any post interview emails about ranking them highly? Thanks!
 
Sure wish there was a way to know where I stood with a couple of these programs. Nevertheless, I think I am finally done making changes to my list. *squirming*
Crap! Let me check one more time.
 
1. For people ranking advanced...do you make separate supplementary lists for programs that supply a PGY1 exclusively if you match there? (i.e. NYU, Emory).
 
Psai said:
Yes I ranked nyu's prelim #1 for nyu and didn't rank it for others
Click to expand...
Cool thanks. Are you ranking both NYU medicine prelim AND medicine/anesthesiology prelim?
 
rywalker84 said:
Drexel vs Temple? I know many here will reply with "neither" but was wondering if anyone had some constructive input between the two. Thanks!
Click to expand...
I second this...any insight on drexel vs temple? Thanks!
 
So do people actually get emails saying "you are ranked to match," or are emails saying "you are in a rank position that will result in a successful match based on our match history" as good as it gets?
 
maxplankton said:
So do people actually get emails saying "you are ranked to match," or are emails saying "you are in a rank position that will result in a successful match based on our match history" as good as it gets?
Click to expand...
It varies too much to say reliably. I send letters to the top of my list that state that they will match with us if they want to, but I do not send it to anyone beyond the ones that are guaranteed. The rest get very encouraging letters, but no commitment.
The issue is that ranked to match can mean different things to different people. To me, it means that if I have 15 spots and you are in the top 15, you are ranked to match. That is a purist approach. To others it means, we typically go to number 80 to fill 15 spots and you're in our top 80, so, you are RTM. So, if they have a really good match and only go to 60, it appears that they have lied to you. That is the non-purist approach.
I have heard of one PD who believed in full disclosure and told people to email them later if they wanted to know where they are on the rank list. He would then give the previous years' match stats and assign a probability of matching at the program based on that information. That's the full disclosure approach. I think those are rare, just as the candidates that give full disclosure are not the norm.
I truly believe that the non-purist PD's do not try to intentionally deceive, so if they tell you that you are RTM, they likely believe it.
All of that being said, you, as the applicant, have no way of knowing which approach the PD is taking when they make that statement unless you have a very frank conversation with them or with someone else who does know their history (for example, if a resident tells you that it is a big deal that you got that letter because most do not). So, applicants are left in the dark as far as knowing whose words to trust and whose not to trust. You will likely not have a sense of this type of information (if the PD's word is to be trusted or not) until you are well into or almost finished with your residency.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
Residency program rank list
Replies
8
Views
1K
kidthor
kidthor
aliensuperstar
(Another!?) Rank Order List Thread (NYC Programs)
Replies
12
Views
4K
NicholasPavona
N
H
Rank List Advice
Replies
16
Views
3K
Sevo
Sevo
swanandroses
Rank list advice
Replies
6
Views
2K
Katheudontas parateroumen
K
2
Anesthesia residency match help!
Replies
1
Views
579
smq123
smq123
Top Bottom