any thoughts on UPitt

[koonafa]

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Hey guys, sorry, i was just curious if anyone had thoughts on UPitt. Is it a good program for Peds, tough to get into, malignant, etc?? Thanks much.

 

[earmuffs]

Yes, Pittsburgh has a very good pediatrics program. Though there aren't really formal rankings, I know many faculty who consider it to definitely be top 20. And for some things (transplant) they're one of the top dogs nationwide.

I don't have that much experience there, as I only spent an afternoon interviewing there. I remember somebody on here did an away Sub-I there, so they could answer better.

The people I met with (chiefs, faculty, & PDs) were non-malignant. While the facilities are nothing to write home about, they will be in a couple years. The blueprints for the new children's hospital there look amazing.

From what all the residents say, the diagnostic referral service sounds liked it's well liked and good for resident education. One of these attendings is the author of one of my favorite peds books (Atlas of Pediatric Physical Diagnosis by Zitelli).

I'm still trying to decide where to rank it myself. Does anybody else who has spent more time there have some insight?

Thanks!

 

[pippergal]

Maybe I can shead some light on the subject. I did a sub-I there because I was thinking of coming there for residency. I would not say the program is malignant, but residents work WAY harder than any other place I have been. During my month, I was never under 80 hours/week. The philosophy of the program is education through volume. Teaching was kind of touch and go while I was there. Residents are very friendly and probably the best part of the program. The DRG service was super smart, but somewhat cliqueish at times. The new hospital, from what I heard from the residents, will not be finished until probably 2009 or 2010 and thus we will not likely benefit from it. I agree the current facilities are pretty antique. I loved the city during my month. Yes it is a strong program, but after my sub-I there, I chose to not interview with Pittsburgh. Hope this helps and best of luck in the process.

 

[IlliniEMT1]

If youd like the take from a pitt student, here is my thoughts
Pros:
Strong program - ranked 14th Peds by USNews last year
the attendings(DRG) are uniformly the smartest docs ive ever met
Huge catchment area covering parts of 3 states with alot of patient diversity
Beautiful brand new NICU at Magee Women's Hospital
havent met a peds resident I didnt like
new "resident assistants" hired to help with discharge, setting up appts, etc
night float
often get one golden weekend per month

Cons
One of the busiest peds ERs in the country which means alot of admissions - I agree, your census is high during ward months and the residents work very hard. No call during the week, but you rarely get to sleep on your weekend call.
As a senior, you cover alot of pts and call nights are tough when there are alot of admissions.
I worked very hard but enjoyed my AI in peds, and I think the Burgh is a great place to live (even coming from Chicago) - but it is definetly not a "cushy" peds program.

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