Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) - University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC)
Feel free to PM me for more questions/details. If you PM me a phone number, I'd be happy to chat about so much more!
Background:
I'm a current CA2 at the program. Not from Cleveland nor Ohio for that matter. Had zero connections. Ranked it 1st. Matched. So here I am!
Program basics:
UHCMC is an academic hospital and the primary affiliate for CWRU Medical School. The other local programs that you would likely compare/contrast would be MetroHealth and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. We are a 4 year categorical program. 12 residents per year.
UHCMC also houses Rainbow Babies & Children's, a level 1 pediatric trauma center as well as one of the premiere pediatric hospitals in the country. We also have MacDonald Women's Hospital which is the only high risk obstetrical center in the area.
Intern Year:
Your intern year is controlled by the Anesthesiology Dept. It consists of a transitional year in which you rotate through all sorts of services including medicine, surgery, ENT, pain, SICU, CT ICU, ER, etc. You receive 4 weeks of vacation.
Clinical Anesthesiology Years:
Concerned about being thrown into the ORs come July 1st? Never fear! You will have adequate hand holding. You will undergo a session prior to entering the OR's called "Boot Camp." The purpose of this is to give you practical skills/knowledge to run a case in the ORs. This includes basic lectures and simulation of common things. When things go wrong, instead of screaming in terror, you'll know what to do and how to call for help.
When you hit the ORs, you will mostly be 1:1 with an attending who will not leave the room. Occasionally you will be paired with a senior resident. After about 1.5-2 months, you'll find that it's you, the patient, and the surgeon (and the wonderful nurses of course).
Eventually you'll select a 36 month schedule which lays out the order of rotations for the remainder of your stay at UH. This makes it easy to pick out schedules to fit in with spousal/life events. This brings us to vacation.
Vacation is 4 weeks. You can choose to divy this up as you please. Meaning, you can take a day off at your choosing, or you can take multiple days off in a row. This makes coordinating schedules or events with ease.
Specialty rotations start CA1 year. We don't put them off to CA2 year.
Fellowships:
We can talk extensively about the opportunities here. PM me. Briefly:
ICU: 6 required months. Anesthesiology controls the SICU and CT ICU. We are very pro ICU and a significant portion of each class ends up pursuing fellowships.
Regional: 2 required months. You will be proficient!
Chronic Pain: 3 required months. If you want it, we can make it happen
Pediatrics: 3 required months. As mentioned before, we're part of Rainbow Babies & Children's.
Cardiothoracic: 2 required months + 1 required TEE month. There is adequate opportunity to obtain basic TEE certification. Want to pursue CT fellowship? Let's do it!
Hours:
We do not come near the 80 hour work rule limit. Don't get me wrong, we work hard, but our program directors respect the ACGME rules. We probably work something like 60 hour weeks. Some rotations will be shorter, others will be longer obviously.
Didactics:
This is protected time. Once a week, we have lectures and follow big Barash. You can use whatever books you feel like. You get book money so you can buy whatever you feel like. You get online access to the major textbooks including Barash and Miller. Additionally we do board review which consists of doing board type questions. We do everything possible to allow you to pass the boards. A board review course of your choosing is paid for. Your boards get paid for. The idea is that the Department wants the stress of finances to not be an issue.
Once a week we have grand rounds. The ORs get delayed 1 hour on Wednesday mornings to accommodate our conference.
UH Family:
This is where I believe we shine. When you come to UH, you join a family. We set the tone for camaraderie early. During your intern year, your class will be split up and all over the place on all different services. One of you will rotate through Pain a month. Your irresponsibility during this rotation is a simple one. It is a task with deep historical roots and is your sole purpose in life.
You are to throw a "Pain Party." This consists of a get together of some sort for the 12 of you interns. This allows you to get to know each other, share stories, and decompress. Of course, you're welcome to invite the rest of the residents/department, but this is not necessary. In the past, these have been held at homes or restaurants. We've also had more creative things such as fishing trips, ice skating, and whirlyball (if you don't know what that is, google it!)
Department Picnic. This is an event sponsored by the department for the purpose of getting to know our interns. Everyone comes out and everyone, including families, is welcome.
This is just a small sampling. There is sooo much more to talk about!
