California Programs

[ErGirl]

I'm sure this has been asked before, but............
Does anyone have any insight into the California ER programs? Specifically, UCLA Harbor, UCLA Olive View, UCD, UCSF, Loma Linda, Stanford, and UC Irvine.

Thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[FlemishGiant]

I'm sure this has been asked before, but............
Does anyone have any insight into the California ER programs? Specifically, UCLA Harbor, UCLA Olive View, UCD, UCSF, Loma Linda, Stanford, and UC Irvine.

Thanks

Like any of the ER programs across the nation... They are all pretty darn good. Just go to the one you like best, ie. county vs. community vs. university, mountains vs. beach vs. city, etc.

Harbor-strong/prestigious county 3 year program. TUFF to get into. U run the trauma.

Oliveview-Known for its acedemics. Its the "Ivory tower" of LA. U run trauma.

UCD-Up and comer. Its a county prog. Solid. Live next to the Arnold. I don't remember who runs trauma.

Stanford-Acedemic as all hell. Cush too! U do trauma. Ur at 3 diff hospitals, might be losing SF General (UCSF might be starting up their own EM residency there). That would be bad, cuz from what I've heard thats their best site.

UC Irvine-Possibly the cushist program in the universe. Surg does the trauma. Live at the beach!!!

Loma Linda-You can become a deputized sheriff while doing your EM residency. If you're into skiing/mountain biking/grape nuts you will like it here.

LAC+USC-You forgot to mention this one. Quintessential County program+strong acedemic backing= Lots of fun for everyone involved. Not cush. You work hard but learn lots. It's the "knife+gun" club of the west coast. U run the trauma.

I appologize for my horrendous spelling.
FG

 

[docB]

At UCD Surg runs the trauma. ER does all airways. No anesthesia.

Do you have any specific questions?

 

[The Game]

Hey ER Girl, previous post was a good overview of the Cali programs you asked about. I can just tell you a bit more about my program (UCI), hopefully it provides some insight:

3 year program, hospital within 20 minutes of Newport Beach, and it is considered one of the "cushest programs" w/o any negative impact on training. Mostly b/c prog directors big on cutting down the scut, eg NO WARD MEDICINE MONTHS, only unit. Huge in Ultrasound, all residents get over 500 scans and last year we had a couple who got near 1000. All grads have gotten any job they wanted including a tough So-Cal job market (which is not so tough any more) as well as anywhere else in the country.

Turn-offs would be for people who are interested in 4 year programs (some people feel the extra year is helpful/necessary) as well as those who love ER the TV show and want the knife/gun club (penetratings). In that case, USC or Harbor would be better choices to consider.
PS, Surgery runs trauma, but Emergency has airway on all traumas and anesthesia never gets called.
Hope that helped. Final word is that all programs mentioned in Cali are great and you won't miss out in training any where you go. Bottom line, choose based on personality, location, and what suits your lifestyle.
Good Luck

 

[trkd]

Hey docB and The Game, any thoughts on how hard it is to get into UCD and UCI relative to the aforementioned schools?

Thanks for the info!

 

[docB]

Hey docB and The Game, any thoughts on how hard it is to get into UCD and UCI relative to the aforementioned schools?

Thanks for the info!

It's probably a little easier to get into UCD than UCSF and is about the same as the rest but it really does come down to fit. I know that med students hate to hear that but it's true. Everyone hates to hear it because it makes it impossible to plug each program into the desired equation of Transcript+LORs+Whatever=Match.

One thing about UCD is that they get tons of applicants who clearly would rather be in LA or SF and are looking at UCD as a fallback. If you really want to be in LA or SF you'd be better off NOT falling back to UCD and picking another big city as your second choice. Things that past applicants have asked that tipped us off that they really wanted to be somewhere else include (I'm not making these up):
"Can I live in SF and commute?"
"Will you support a transfer out to place X in second year?"
"How well does rural medicine like this translate to an urban area?"
"Can I sleep in the call rooms during the week. I'll just go back to my apartment (in Walnut Creek) on weekends."

 

[trkd]

It's probably a little easier to get into UCD than UCSF and is about the same as the rest but it really does come down to fit. I know that med students hate to hear that but it's true. Everyone hates to hear it because it makes it impossible to plug each program into the desired equation of Transcript+LORs+Whatever=Match.

So true

One thing about UCD is that they get tons of applicants who clearly would rather be in LA or SF and are looking at UCD as a fallback. If you really want to be in LA or SF you'd be better off NOT falling back to UCD and picking another big city as your second choice. Things that past applicants have asked that tipped us off that they really wanted to be somewhere else include (I'm not making these up):
"Can I live in SF and commute?"
"Will you support a transfer out to place X in second year?"
"How well does rural medicine like this translate to an urban area?"
"Can I sleep in the call rooms during the week. I'll just go back to my apartment (in Walnut Creek) on weekends."

Hard to believe people would ask those (particularly the transfer out one) but medicine isn't immune to having stupid people. So docB, can you tell us what the strengths are of UCD and the area. Don't need a well thought out sales pitch or anything, just some thoughts for those of us who have not been there and may be considering it. Thanks.

 

[missdr]

can't speak of the program as i am also a current applicant and i have not rotated there, but having spent 15 years of my life living in sacramento i can reply to the question of what it is like to live in sacramento (where the medical center is located)...will say that it is not a "big city" but certainly is NOT rural...pros include easy drive to tahoe and SF, mild weather, low-moderate crime...cons would be that few folks live in the city (LOTS of suburbs!) and cost of living is very high for what you get in return...lots of chain restaurants and strip malls in the suburbs but also some nice museums and a few good local restaurants downtown...feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about living in sacramento

 

[trkd]

can't speak of the program as i am also a current applicant and i have not rotated there, but having spent 15 years of my life living in sacramento i can reply to the question of what it is like to live in sacramento (where the medical center is located)...will say that it is not a "big city" but certainly is NOT rural...pros include easy drive to tahoe and SF, mild weather, low-moderate crime...cons would be that few folks live in the city (LOTS of suburbs!) and cost of living is very high for what you get in return...lots of chain restaurants and strip malls in the suburbs but also some nice museums and a few good local restaurants downtown...feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about living in sacramento

Thanks for the info. I am loving this thread. Very helpful.

 

[alison_in_oh]

Stanford-Acedemic as all hell. Cush too!

Stanford cush? My husband's friend spoke with some Stanford residents who claimed they work HARD. Based on this he's considering not ranking it -- he values his time off as much as he enjoys working in the ED. What's the story?

 

[GeneralVeers]

You guys are a bunch of sissies in your "ivory tower" and "academic programs"!

South Central yo!

 

[The White Coat Investor]

I interviewed at the following: UCI, Harbor, Loma Linda, Davis, and Stanford, and rotated at UCI.

UCI: Poopy facility. Little curtains are all that separate your patients. So uncool. Cramped little ED. So few residents the conferences aren't quite as good as some places I've seen, simply because the residents have to do more of them and so have less time to put into each one. Traumas are very regimented, for better or for worse. Trauma bays are very cramped, but adequate. Their obs units consists of two beds they call "obs beds." Truly superb ultrasound program. Not a big fan of the faculty, aside from Fox.

Loma Linda: Pathologically nice people, great peds experience. Smog like you've never seen it before.

Harbor: The patients bring three meals, a blanket, and a pillow if they're not bleeding or having chest pain. Metal detectors on all the doors. Lots of single residents who enjoy the night life of L.A. A little less supervision than you would get at the average program. Some big names, but they can't be around very much judging by how often I see them elsewhere.

Stanford: I got a bad feeling. Some weird juju. Maybe it was the orchestra in the lobby. Maybe it was the $3000 signing bonus. Maybe it was the residents talking about how Palo Alto was the garden of eden. Dunno, but didn't rank it.

Davis: Actually ranked it second on my list. Liked the residents. Liked most of the faculty. Liked the location (halfway between San Fran and Lake Tahoe.) Tons of blunt trauma.

Keep in mind, all this info is 2+ years old. Things change.

 

[AlienHand]

I'm a slightly older, married applicant contemplating starting a family in the near future. The weather and cultural activities in California (esp. LA & SF areas) are second to none, but the housing market is nothing short of outrageous. The physician job market is less than ideal too. Are there any other current applicants thinking along these lines? Any current residents in a similar situation care to comment?

 

[EMApplicant]

I interviewed at the following: UCI, Harbor, Loma Linda, Davis, and Stanford, and rotated at UCI.

UCI: Poopy facility. Little curtains are all that separate your patients. So uncool. Cramped little ED. So few residents the conferences aren't quite as good as some places I've seen, simply because the residents have to do more of them and so have less time to put into each one. Traumas are very regimented, for better or for worse. Trauma bays are very cramped, but adequate. Their obs units consists of two beds they call "obs beds." Truly superb ultrasound program. Not a big fan of the faculty, aside from Fox.

Loma Linda: Pathologically nice people, great peds experience. Smog like you've never seen it before.

Harbor: The patients bring three meals, a blanket, and a pillow if they're not bleeding or having chest pain. Metal detectors on all the doors. Lots of single residents who enjoy the night life of L.A. A little less supervision than you would get at the average program. Some big names, but they can't be around very much judging by how often I see them elsewhere.

Stanford: I got a bad feeling. Some weird juju. Maybe it was the orchestra in the lobby. Maybe it was the $3000 signing bonus. Maybe it was the residents talking about how Palo Alto was the garden of eden. Dunno, but didn't rank it.

Davis: Actually ranked it second on my list. Liked the residents. Liked most of the faculty. Liked the location (halfway between San Fran and Lake Tahoe.) Tons of blunt trauma.

Keep in mind, all this info is 2+ years old. Things change.

so where did ya go?

 

[EMApplicant]

I'm a slightly older, married applicant contemplating starting a family in the near future. The weather and cultural activities in California (esp. LA & SF areas) are second to none, but the housing market is nothing short of outrageous. The physician job market is less than ideal too. Are there any other current applicants thinking along these lines? Any current residents in a similar situation care to comment?

it is a tough job market. very tough if you didn't do your residency in California. if you want to work in california, i'm told you really should try and train here.

 

[spyderdoc]

it is a tough job market. very tough if you didn't do your residency in California. if you want to work in california, i'm told you really should try and train here.

I didn't train in CA, yet I had no probs finding a job here...Of course I am on my 3rd now since residency....Hopefully my last one for a long while....

My first job was in San Jose for Kaiser....Then we moved to LA so my wife can do fellowship, and I got a job at Kaiser there....Now we just moved back to San Jose, but now in a non-Kaiser fee for service gig...

Oh, and on a 2 doc salary, it will still be tough for us to buy a decent house up here....OUCH!

Good luck.
MArk

 

[ErGirl]

Thanks everyone for the comments. They are sooooo helpful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[FlemishGiant]

Stanford cush? My husband's friend spoke with some Stanford residents who claimed they work HARD. Based on this he's considering not ranking it -- he values his time off as much as he enjoys working in the ED. What's the story?

Well shizzle, who dosen't enjoy their time off work?!?! When I interviewed there last year, they seemed to work in a much cusher environment than some of the other programs I looked at (ie. ER in Palo Alto vs. ER in East LA/Chicago/New Orleans/Bronx). So maybe the hours suck (I don't remember) but you're not getting slaughtered while you're there. It just has kind of that cush rep. Plus no matter where you go internship will blow. And as another poster said, I defntly got an impression of some odd juju in the air. Wierd.

 

[docB]

Damn! Gotta go work a code! More later.

 

[docB]

OK. You don't get that on the Path thread. Anyways, UCD is a great program and Sacramento is a great place to live in it's own right, not just because it's close to other places. You see tons of trauma. Sometimes too much in that there are times when you will see nothing else. The attendings are great and the support if you want to do research or academics is top notch. You get plenty of urban, tertiary care experience and you work at the Kaiser hospitals and get community experience. It is not easy but is not malignant. When I was there there was only one month of gen med wards.

Sac is a great town. For a place with so much to offer it has the among the most affordable prices in CA. Great weather. Good schools. Just like everywhere in CA taxes are high. Just like everywhere else in CA you are protected by MICRA which limits your malpractice exposure.

 

[trkd]

OK. You don't get that on the Path thread. Anyways, UCD is a great program and Sacramento is a great place to live in it's own right, not just because it's close to other places. You see tons of trauma. Sometimes too much in that there are times when you will see nothing else. The attendings are great and the support if you want to do research or academics is top notch. You get plenty of urban, tertiary care experience and you work at the Kaiser hospitals and get community experience. It is not easy but is not malignant. When I was there there was only one month of gen med wards.

Sac is a great town. For a place with so much to offer it has the among the most affordable prices in CA. Great weather. Good schools. Just like everywhere in CA taxes are high. Just like everywhere else in CA you are protected by MICRA which limits your malpractice exposure.

This is the type of info that is useful. Sounds like you are a fan of the program for good reason. Thanks for the info!

 

[las olas]

quick add-on about loma linda. I agree that the people here are very laid back and friendly. I think it has something to do with it being associated with a religous institution. Don't worry, nobody is forcing a religion on you, they just help pay the bills and prevent the availability of good coffee. For some reason, there is no cafeine in the caf, but there is plenty of bad coffee on the nursing stations. However, there is always a stash of caffeine near the ER for the night shifts and call nights.

Residents spend half their time at an academic ER and the other half at a county hospital. It is nice because you get most of your teaching at the academic hosp and have lots of autonomy at the county hosp.

Granted the smog in the summer is troublesome, but the fall, winter and spring are mostly smog free. the location is in the middle of most everything. Orange county beaches are 50 min away, Big Bear for skiing is 40 min, San Diego 1.5 hrs, climbing in joshua tree is 45 min. obviously, night life is hurting a bit compared to LA, NY, SF, but you can always grab a beer most nights anywhere. Just have to drive to OC or LA if you want to go clubbing.

Overall, nice people, non malignant program that gives you access to both county and academic learning. Plus, with a short drive, you can be surfing or skiing postcall.

 

[Flopotomist]

Surprised that nobody has mentioned Alameda County - Highland Hospital... affiliated with UCSF, the attendings are great, there is a strong sense of teamwork, and you can't beat living in the bay area.

 

[alison_in_oh]

Surprised that nobody has mentioned Alameda County - Highland Hospital... affiliated with UCSF, the attendings are great, there is a strong sense of teamwork, and you can't beat living in the bay area.

I'll mention it. It's near the top of my husband's list right now, and he got a good impression from the interview. He said the residents consider themselves the "three year program stretched into four years" ie. plenty of downtime. Does anyone know how the residents' union affects the daily work atmosphere?

 

[The White Coat Investor]

Surprised that nobody has mentioned Alameda County - Highland Hospital... affiliated with UCSF, the attendings are great, there is a strong sense of teamwork, and you can't beat living in the bay area.

All for the price of just one extra year.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

so where did ya go?

U of Arizona-Tucson

 

[Cric4U]

Hey all...Just wanted to make myself available for any questions. I'm currently an intern and UC Davis. My opinion so far...Great people...Great teaching...amazing pathology...overall a fantastic program. I came here with high expectations and have been pleasantly surprised. Best wishes in this crazy process...

 

[EctopicFetus]

Man people who go into EM are so awesome. All these nice kind hard working residents volunteering to answer the questions of us scared 4th yrs..

 

[EctopicFetus]

Add on post.. I have heard that MLK is in deep trouble (nothing new for them). While I wont be interviewing there I am wondering what the status of that place is and if they close shop what are they gonna do with those residents? I believe GeneralVeers is one of their residents.

 

[GeneralVeers]

Add on post.. I have heard that MLK is in deep trouble (nothing new for them). While I wont be interviewing there I am wondering what the status of that place is and if they close shop what are they gonna do with those residents? I believe GeneralVeers is one of their residents.

The hospital is in deep trouble, the residency by itself is not. The fate of the residency is purely tied to the fate of the hospital.

UCLA has been consulted to assist our program, and have already implemented some useful changes. Should the hospital stay open, we are supposedly going to have further improvements courtesy of UCLA. If we could fix some structural and staffing issues, it would be one of the strongest programs in the country given our patient population. My first week on the floor I was managing DKA and CHF in the non-critical area!