Baylor UT Houston insights

[cyanocobalamin]

I was wondering if anyone has any insight on this program in Houston. Thanks.

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[PMR TX MS]

I was wondering the same thing. I've had a post for over a week and no one has responded. Anyone willing to comment?

Thanks!

 

[axm397]

I'm not a resident at Baylor but I loved the program when I visited. They work hard they play hard. The PDs are great ppl - especially Dr. Francisco. Baylor residents do very well in terms of getting excellent fellowships and jobs and they are definitely highly regarded in the field. If you are not getting the answers you want on programs I would suggest going to the AAPMR website and finding a "mentor" from that program.

 

[bbbmd]

I'm not a resident at Baylor but I loved the program when I visited. They work hard they play hard. The PDs are great ppl - especially Dr. Francisco. Baylor residents do very well in terms of getting excellent fellowships and jobs and they are definitely highly regarded in the field. If you are not getting the answers you want on programs I would suggest going to the AAPMR website and finding a "mentor" from that program.

Im a Baylor/UT resident. Sorry for not replying to your post/question sooner, but I was at the Academy meeting last week. Thanks axm for the great words about the Baylor/UT program!

A few insights: The program prepares you well for general PM&R practice with particular strengths in all aspects of neuro-rehabilitation and catastrophic injury. We take pride in this training and learn "cutting-edge" spasticity, stroke and TBI management at TIRR. The TIRR months are "tough" (relative to PM&R only), but in the long run, the training is un-matched!

As far as the other aspects of PM&R, compared to other programs, we are adequate in some to more than adequate in others. You will have a strong foundation in PM&R basics to build upon after graduating from Baylor/UT.

We have an interventional physiatry rotation now- half the time is spasticity management doing phenol denervation and a TON of BOTOX at TIRR outpatient. The other half is spent with a PM&R-interventional pain physician at a local private setting. If you want exposure to the high end and more advanced pain procedures you could request the other half to be done at MD Anderson (This I hear will start this month). If you are not interested in interventional pain- you could use the time to do research. This is a great rotation that we started this year!

The nice thing about the program is the Texas Medical Center and having the opportunity to rotate at all of the institutions. You will be ready for ANY type of practice once you graduate (County, VA, private, level 1 trauma, free-standing rehab hospital, LTACs, SNFs and so on). If you are interested in a particular aspect of PM&R and you are aggressive enough to pursue it, you will be able to find it at one of the institutions here. (ie. Cancer, Polytrauma, Stroke, Sports, Interventional, MS, Muscular Dystrophy). There are so many opportunities here!!! You will not be spoonfed--> you have to work hard in order to take advantage of all the opportunities. If you want a CUSH PM&R program, this is not for you. If you want excellent training and do not mind working hard you will enjoy the experience.

Another nice thing about the program is the faculty. We have several huge names in rehab here. When it comes to jobs, fellowships and networking after graduation all of them are willing to make a call and talk to future employers about you. Most of us this year who have applied to fellowships have already accepted our position of choice. The few who are still waiting to hear will undoubtly be offered soon. We were highly recruited at the Academy for those looking to practice after graduation. The chiefs this year have landed competitive fellowship positions in pain, emg and musculoskeletal.

I am very happy with this program. I know we had some bad press in the past, but currently the residents here seem very happy. We all get along really well!!! We remain the largest program in the country and are even hosting some LSU residents. Because it is such a large program, some problems do arise, however the program directors try hard to resolve them with the best interests of the residents in mind.

Hope this helps. If you have specific questions Ill be glad to answer them!

b

 

[PMR TX MS]

Thanks to both of you for responding. I have a few more questions.

Is there protected research time at Baylor/UT? Also, how many electives do you get? How strongly would you be prepared for a sports/spine/pain fellowship? How is alternative medicine viewed and incorporated into practice?

Sorry for so many questions. It's just difficult to find information about residency programs.

Again, thanks for your help.

 

[Sivastraba]

" We remain the largest program in the country and are even hosting some LSU residents."

How many spots you offer through the Match? I know some other programs that offer around 12-14 spots per year....

 

[bbbmd]

" We remain the largest program in the country and are even hosting some LSU residents."

How many spots you offer through the Match? I know some other programs that offer around 12-14 spots per year....

14 per year combined between UT and Baylor. We currently have 15 in the PGY4 class until January (a resident will graduate in January). We have 14 in the PGY3 class until December (we will officially accept a tranfer from LSU then). We have 14 in the PGY2 class. Im not quite sure how many we will offer through the match this year, but I will provide you this info when I get it. I dont know of a program that has more residents than we do. Let me know if I am wrong.

There is protected research time at Baylor/UT. It is only offered if you have a prospective study requiring time off to collect data during clinical hours. You cannot ask for research time off for a case report, retrospective review, etc. There are several rotations that do not allow you to get research time off due to the work load. During other rotations you will have ample time to work on a research project. We do not have a formal research month selective.

You get 2 elective months. Unfortunately, you will not get paid for the months you rotate out of the Baylor/UT system. Many of the residents still do take advantage of away, unpaid rotations. This is definitely something that we residents wish would change.

I will feel strongly prepared for any fellowship once I finish. I will be doing a pain fellowship and others will be doing sports, spine and musculoskeletal in my class.

Alternative medicine is welcomed in the program. We are mostly exposed to the different things and do not actually learn how to do them. A few attendings do acupuncture (one at the VA and another in private practice). I have not put acupuncture needles in anyone, but I now know the theory and indications for it. I would not do acupuncture in my practice unless I did the NYMC, Helms or Harvard course. Osteopathic manipulation is also welcome in the residency. We had an OMM workshop last year. Many of us do not think it is "alternative" since a lot of the musculoskeletal evaluation we do is based on osteopathic principles. One of our attendings also "prescribes" herbal medications if you are interested in that--> He would be happy to talk to you all about it!

Again, if you have specific questions, keep asking. Ill try to answer as truthfully and unbiased as possible

 

[PMR TX MS]

Thank you very much for your help with these questions. It definitely helps to have some info outside of a few reviews on scutwork. Also, regarding some of the negative comments on there, would you be able to elaborate or state the current situation? Thanks again for your help.

 

[bbbmd]

Thank you very much for your help with these questions. It definitely helps to have some info outside of a few reviews on scutwork. Also, regarding some of the negative comments on there, would you be able to elaborate or state the current situation? Thanks again for your help.

There were a lot of things mentioned in scutwork, some true, some not so true. Ill be happy to answer specific questions you have from the reviews.

The current situation in the program seems good. We have a great bunch of residents now and I have not heard of any really "unhappy" ones lately. We are pleased that the recent graduates had a 100% board pass rate, we have 5 year accreditation for both UT and Baylor and we boast a great acceptance rate into fellowships (during this "fellowship-frenzy" year). Our didactics have been GREAT and I have heard this on many occassions from other residents. Teaching does depend on the rotation you are on. Some attendings are horrible and others are outstanding!!! I think it is also resident-dependent--> If the resident is agressive and is interested, the attendings teach more!