Any thoughts on UNLV IM residency?

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BalaV

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Am a US-IMG. Plan to do Cardiology Fellowship next.

Received interviews from a few community hospitals in addition to UNLV - the only university program that I interviewed at.

As a university program should, I did not get the feeling that UNLV program emphasized research much. A couple of other community programs (Medstar Washington & Danbury) I interviewed at seemed better in this regard and the Cardiology Fellowship match rate at Medstar Washington is definitely higher than at UNLV. Other than this I did not feel any negative vibes from UNLV. Just nothing special. What am I missing?

In various discussions a few people suggested ranking UNLV higher because it is university program.

My questions:

1. Any insights into UNLV program - research, fellowship match, QOL and in general any other advantages or disadvantages I should be aware of?.

2. What am I missing?

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I would advise you to choose based off location as opposed to academic status and I definitely wouldn't advise you to choose to stay 3 years in Nevada just because you want to go to what is technically an academic program.

1.) Don't look too closely at the match lists unless there's a disturbing trend like XYZ program hasn't matched Cardiology in 10 years.
A.) The lists are being increasingly manipulated to include chiefs, former hospitalists who graduated years ago who just now matched.
B.) People who match do so usually from their own initiative, not any support of the programs and in fact one of the major reasons people at highly reputable programs match is because those programs select/select for high achievers. While not going to a top IM program may keep you out of Cards/GI at a top IM program, only you are keeping yourself out of the fellowship by not doing research.

2.) From what it sounds like from your group of programs, you are going to have to take the initiative as a resident to write your own research, etc. at UNLV or MedStar. Neither place will have attendings handing you any original research. Matching at one vs. the other won't necessarily make publishing easier, but I am willing to surmise at least MedStar may have a slightly more competitive applicant pool given the regional preference and you may have slightly more (not significantly more) motivated colleagues looking to publish. Who your colleagues are and how they publish often means more than who the faculty are unless you're at a major academic center.
 
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I would advise you to choose based off location as opposed to academic status and I definitely wouldn't advise you to choose to stay 3 years in Nevada just because you want to go to what is technically an academic program.

1.) Don't look too closely at the match lists unless there's a disturbing trend like XYZ program hasn't matched Cardiology in 10 years.
A.) The lists are being increasingly manipulated to include chiefs, former hospitalists who graduated years ago who just now matched.
B.) People who match do so usually from their own initiative, not any support of the programs and in fact one of the major reasons people at highly reputable programs match is because those programs select/select for high achievers.

2.) From what it sounds like from your group of programs, you are going to have to take the initiative as a resident to write your own research, etc. at UNLV or MedStar. Neither place will have attendings handing you any original research. Matching at one vs. the other won't necessarily make publishing easier, but I am willing to surmise at least MedStar may have a slightly more competitive applicant pool given the regional preference and you may have slightly more (not significantly more) motivated colleagues looking to publish. Who your colleagues are and how they publish often means more than who the faculty are unless you're at a major academic center.
Thank you! Makes a lot of sense.
 
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The chair at UNLV is reason alone would not go there
 
It's a low tier university program. That is all I can say. One of my classmates did IM there.
 
literally everytime this question is asked or I hear people talk about UNLV, the IM chair comes up and it is never positive.

Not sure who the IM chair is, i looked up online and the person that comes up doesn't seem too bad based off his picture
 
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